Wall Street Journal Profiles .mobi

Article in Today’s Wall Street Journal discusses .mobi domain names and web sites.

On page B1 of today’s Wall Street Journal is an article “Mini Web Sites Target Users of Mobile Phones“. The article discusses the domain name and fresh tools that help consumers build mobile web sites with ease. It profiles Johannes Tromp, owner of a bed and breakfast that uses kilburnie.mobi. Tromp claims to get 30-40 fresh calls per month as a result of his .mobi site.

The article also points out a couple negatives regarding .mobi:

1. A number of .mobi registrations are probably defensive moves to protect trademarks
2. .Com and other domains can also be used for mobile devices, so there may not be a need for .mobi.

I’m surprised the article didn’t mention some of the big aftermarket sales of the domain as proof that people see a future in .mobi. The highest known sale is Flowers.mobi, which sold during October’s TRAFFIC conference in Florida.

Will .mobi continue to perform well in the aftermarket? .Mobi domains are highly speculative and can’t count on much traditional pay-per-click revenue. Buyers ought to plan on holding domains for the long haul. Buyers also must believe two key things: 1) the web on mobile devices will become commonplace and 2) firms will opt for .mobi rather than mobile versions of their .com sites.