** Barack Obama selects dotMobi for his mobile campaign **

[Vision]

ObamaMobile.mobi

28 July 2008
Another On-The-Go Candidate
Just a few months ago that I mentioned -- tongue in cheek -- that .mobi changed the course of politics in Australia. The shorthand version is that incumbent John Howard lost to Kevin Rudd, who had a mobile site called kevin07.mobi (although I think it's now gone post-election).

And now it's America's turn: meet obamamobile.mobi ... and I like what I'm seeing. I'm being apolitical when I say that; my only politics are in regards to the site's design and features: SMS interaction, voting interaction, videos, ringtones, wallpapers, text alerts, etc. It's a "destinaton" mobile web site that embraces what a mobile phone can do and the developers created an experience to reflect a few of the possibilities that are unique to mobile. It doesn't merely duplicate the campaign's PC-based web site.

As far as I can tell, John McCain doesn't have a mobile site but in the interest of balance, his PC site is at http://www.johnmccain.com. And I give that site big points for a good segmentation strategy: you can choose to be a supporter, undecided or unregistered voter. (I'm not seeing a huge difference in hat content is delivered to each segment but I think the idea of segmenting that way is solid). If his campaign does have a mobile site, please let me know.

Now I can't say whether the ".mobi factor" will tip the scales this November as it did in Australia last year, but it will make for interesting watching over the next few months.

http://dotmobi.typepad.com/dotmobi/2008/07/another-on-the.html

 

[Raider]

..that .mobi changed the course of politics in Australia. The shorthand version is that incumbent John Howard lost to Kevin Rudd, who had a mobile site called kevin07.mobi (although I think it's now gone post-election).

Wow, John Howard lost the election because he didn't have a .mobi site?

I need to stop reading AP News and start reading more dot mobi blogs with disclaimers like this;

This blog is about the business and pleasure of mobile content, hosted by executives and partners behind dotMobi, a consortium established to support and promote the .mobi Internet domain. Learn more at http://dotmobi.mobi/.

 

[think]

Wow, John Howard lost the election because he didn't have a .mobi site?

I need to stop reading AP News and start reading more dot mobi blogs with disclaimers like this;

This blog is about the business and pleasure of mobile content, hosted by executives and partners behind dotMobi, a consortium established to support and promote the .mobi Internet domain. Learn more at http://dotmobi.mobi/.

:spy:http://FoxNews.mobi

 

[Raider]

:spy:http://FoxNews.mobi

http://foxnews.proteus.com/

:approve:

 

[Vision]

http://foxnews.proteus.com/

:approve:

They advertise FoxNews.mobi not foxnewsproteus...

Go to the following and click on mobile internet....

http://www.foxnews.com/mobile/index.html

FoxNews also recently started running a commercial featuring FoxNews.mobi

and they promote FoxNews.mobi during their on-air broadcast

 

[KaneCo]

Isn't obomamobile,mobi a double negative or something come one this is a domain forum we should be promoting him buying obama.mobi. I am not impressed for the .mobi campaign for him having a site with mobile in the words and .mobi in the ext. It should be implied not in the title.

 

[hugegrowth]

either way he's using a .mobi and millions of people will see it.

.mobi will get a lot of exposure from this

 

[Vision]

Isn't obomamobile,mobi a double negative or something come one this is a domain forum we should be promoting him buying obama.mobi. I am not impressed for the .mobi campaign for him having a site with mobile in the words and .mobi in the ext. It should be implied not in the title.

John, go cry me a river.

The Obama campaign doesn't even own Obama.com - an Asian firm owns it.

 

[Raider]

either way he's using a .mobi and millions of people will see it.

.mobi will get a lot of exposure from this

Only if they promote it.

They advertise FoxNews.mobi not foxnewsproteus...

The point is their now using .mobi for redirecting to a dot com.

 

[hugegrowth]

Only if they promote it.

You mean he's running for president, went to the trouble of building a website, and he won't promote it?

I also don't see the argument about re-directing a .mobi to another extension being a negative. The .mobi domain is the one that everyone sees in the promotion and advertising, so what if it redirects?

How can domainers not see that an example like this of a .mobi website, and the thousands of other companies using them, isn't a big deal for a new extension? You can't just brush it off as nothing. I'm starting to see .mobi being used in everyday life now, my bank has a .mobi website, I'm seeing them in tourist brochures, etc. As long as they keep being used like this it moves the extension forward. I think a lot of people will be wrong with their calls back in 2006 that .mobi would go nowhere.

 

[Theo]

That's the only .mobi I'd vouch for You won me there, Vision

 

[H2FC]

Like it or not a dot Mobi website is another piece of real estate on the internet and as such is another relatively inexpensive place to promote one's product...or self.

I would question the logical thinking of any candidate running for office who wouldn't take advantage of this. Did someone say McCain doesn't have a Mobi site?

 

[dominator]

Isn't obomamobile,mobi a double negative or something come one this is a domain forum we should be promoting him buying obama.mobi. I am not impressed for the .mobi campaign for him having a site with mobile in the words and .mobi in the ext. It should be implied not in the title.

you are right

why do we need need mobi then?
obamamobile.com would work too
and it is even shorter than .mobi

and wtf is mobile campain? who needs it anyway?

 

[Vision]

and wtf is mobile campain? who needs it anyway?

Hey mjnels, we have another classic signature for you ... a true gem :lol:

 

[katherine]

Did someone say McCain doesn't have a Mobi site?

McCain will have a mobi site after he sends his first E-mail :smilewinkgrin:

 

[tetrapak]

Just after he purchases his first Personal Computer.

 

[mjnels]

Hey mjnels, we have another classic signature for you ... a true gem :lol:

hrmmm.. cant determine if he's serious or not.

dominator, were you serious?

 

[Raider]

I also don't see the argument about re-directing a .mobi to another extension being a negative.

What was the argument for the world needing .mobi again?

If Foxnews is promoting .mobi, why dont they use it? why redirect to a .com?

 

[broe-foe]

What was the argument for the world needing .mobi again?

If Foxnews is promoting .mobi, why dont they use it? why redirect to a .com?

Because it's easier to remember the .mobi URL rather than the .com redirect. But you already knew that. Perhaps you should ask Fox. They feel the need to use .mobi. In fact you should probably call them right now and tell them how silly they are for branding in .mobi while a lengthier, harder-to-remember .com is REALLY what they need. I'm sure they'll slap themselves in the forehead for being so stupid, and immediately offer you their coveted Webmaster position.

 

[PRED]

LOL
it's even more basic than that

big companies often get specialist development firms to develop sites for them, unbelievable isn't it
and those dveelopment agencies, for whatever reason don't always use the url
they use subdomains sometimes of their own companies websites, sometimes for their own ends to ship traffic their way, sometimes it is easier for them in their set ways of building, sometimes on direct instructions of the hiring company

particularly with mobile sites, companies may choose to do campaign sites, novelty sites, or just plain different sites that may be short projects and it may work best to do as sub domains, i must admit in the case of foxnews it is a strange choice as it is a permanent site and instead of getting stand alone alexa & pagerank for their foxnews.mobi url, they wont, it will all go the way of proteus.
i can only guess this is a mistake by hiring them, i may be wrong

what is clearly important is the url being PROMOTED, which it is

another development firm is usablenet, they do the same thing sometimes. sometimes the website resolves to the .mobi website, for other clients it redirects, why? you would have to ask them. maybe it is on directions, maybe they they are being sneaky. main thing is the sites are out there and many are being actively promoted.