Recently in dottel Category

Over the last few weeks we've been working hard on launching a bunch of domain extensions on our own accreditation.

While the main focus of our attention has been on getting the more popular domain extensions up and running (ie. com / net / org / info / biz / mobi etc.,) we've also ended up getting accredited for quite a few other cctlds in the process.

So far this year we've launched:

• mobi
• info
• org
• tel
  
• cm (Cameroon)
  
• me (Montenegro)
  
• fm
• im (Isle of Man)
  
• be (Belgium)
  
• gg (Guernsey)
  
• je (Jersey)
  
• co.nl (alternate to .nl, which is for Netherlands)
  

We've also got accredited in quite a few other cctlds, but we haven't gone "live" with them as yet and we also have a few others in the "pipeline".

Why are we doing this?

Simply put by running our own accreditation we can control the situation more and also pass on greater savings to our clients.

If there's an issue with a domain where we are directly accredited it's a lot easier for us to resolve it in a timely manner, whereas when we rely on someone else it can take time and cost more.

When I registered my first domain name about 10 years ago the average cost of a .com domain was about $35. Registering a .ie domain name wasn't really an option unless you were a company.

Nowadays the market has matured considerably. The retail market, which we cater for primarily, treats domains as commodities, so price is an important deciding factor. Registering a .com domain is no longer the cost of dinner, but maybe the cost of a cup of coffee and a croissant. I'd love to think that people choose registrars based on factors other than price, but that would be to deny reality. People are always going to be attracted by lower prices - service and other factors don't come into play for most of them.

With that in mind we've been doing our best to keep our prices as low as possible, while also retaining a reasonable margin.

In the coming weeks we hope to "go live" with .com and .net on our own accreditation, while we're also working on integrating several cctlds that we aren't currently offering.

So if there's a domain extension that you think we should be offering please let us know. We won't guarantee that we'll offer it, as many of the domain extensions either lack in automation or have quite restrictive rules. However we will look at each and every suggestion.

Keep an eye out for more special offers on domain name registrations - we're working hard to get as many deals as we can!

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If I hadn't warned people in advance I might feel mildly guilty about all these domain related announcements ..

If you're a regular reader you may have noticed that I have a small passion for the .tel namespace. I think the concept behind .tel is very cool and if there is enough "buy in" it could prove to be very revolutionary indeed. Of course it's not without its funny side!

As of yesterday evening we are now processing all new .tel domain registrations via our own ICANN accreditation. This means that you are dealing with us from start to finish.

Any new .tel domains will be managed via telhosting.blacknight.com and you'll get login details within a few minutes of registering the domain. We've also setup the system to automatically populate the domain with some basic NAPTR records so that it goes "llive" as quickly as possible.

Once your domain is registered and you have your telhosting login you can create your content and decide which contact details you want to share with whom.

If you're an iPhone user there are two apps you can get for .tel:

• my.tel - which allows you to manage your .tel easily from your mobile
• Superbook - which polls your iphone's address book for any .tel entries and then brings up the full contents (very cool!)

For Blackberry there's an app that integrates tightly with the address book, while Microsoft Outlook users can try this plugin.

Already have a .tel domain? You can easily integrate it with your existing website if you follow the instructions over here.

On days like today I wish I had a Blackberry or an iPhone...

Telnic, the guys who run dottel, have made available some new applications for users of Blackberry and iPhone.

If you have either device you can grab the software on the Telnic downloads site (mobile accessible)

I'd love to know how people get on with the software and am almost tempted to get myself an iPhone or Blackberry just to try it out ..

I "hangout" on a lot of domain related fora and blogs, so when I saw this I just had to share it with our readers (click to enlarge)



Comic strip reproduced with permission from Chef Patrick

General registrations for .tel have been open for the last couple of days and it's been interesting to see the level of interest being shown.

Of course not everyone is going to take to .tel immediately, but it's interesting to see what people are doing with their .tel domains...

We've got our main brand up and running with a .tel domain. If you explore it you will see how we've setup separate sections for our UK and US clients for example. We will, naturally, be adding more links and contact data over the next while.

But what of our clients? What we do with a .tel isn't that relevant. What is relevant is seeing how our clients take the .tel concept and make it their own.

So here's a couple of examples (bear in mind that we have zero control over how the data is presented or what is presented):

• Reverb Studios
• Black Dog
• PuddleDucks

So far most of the .tel domains I've seen are either personal or business ie. I'm yet to see anyone running with the portal type idea, though I'm sure it will come in time

Of course the real power of .tel only really starts to kickin when you start actively using it with your existing devices and software. You can get some software to play around with directly from the TelNic site where they have provided software / plugins for:

• Outlook
• iPhone
• Windows Mobile
• Blackberry

Unfortunately there isn't anything available for OSX at the moment, but I'm sure someone will produce something before too long ...

If you want to play around with a .tel then grab one now - we're doing them for a mere EUR15 / year ex-vat




 

I've mentioned the .tel domains a couple of times in the past.

Today at 3pm finally sees the arrival of "general registration" when anyone who wants to grab a .tel domain will be able to do so on a "first come, first served" basis without paying "over the odds".

You will be able to order a .tel domain via our website from 3pm today onwards at a cost of EUR15 / year.

A couple of things to bear in mind:

• .tel does not support "normal websites"
• You cannot specify your own nameservers - all .tel domains will be hosted by Telnic

Dottel allows you to store and share information safe in the knowledge that only the people you want will get to see it.

For a live demo check out my personal .tel mneylon.tel

Unless I know you personally you won't be able to access things like my mobile phone number or instant message contact details.

It will be interesting to see what kind of stuff people get up to with their .tel domains, but I suspect it will take a few months (if not longer) before we see some of the cooler applications.

If anyone has any questions about .tel please do let us know