Link:
http://dot-tel-domain.tel/
Enjoy!
Monday, 30 August 2010
Why dottel?: Reach me, the exact me you were looking for!
If I had a nickel for every time I've missed an opportunity to get to know a good looking woman on a train because my email is hard to spell or my phone number is too long and random to remember, like the situation in this video, I'd be only slightly richer at this point in my life. In all seriousness though, there is real value in controlling your online identity and providing one easy to remember/shortened mechanism for people to interact with the data that you want them to interact with online. This is the entire premise behind the .tel top-level-domain (TLD) available to everyone via Telnic. A little background as to why this is significant for me. You see the unfortunate thing is this; I have a doppelgänger that lives in South Dakota. I'm quite positive he's not my evil twin however when it comes to sorting out our identities on the Internet things get a little confusing. The "other" Brent Kastner looks similar, likes technology, is a photographer, and loves to waterski. All similar activities that one could mistake for my activities. He also owns brentkastner.com; how that happened I'll never know. This is precisely what I like about .tel. With .tel I can assemble all of the stuff that is "mine" into one page about me along with my picture, bio, interests, and contact info. This in turn will get picked up and indexed by search engines; hopefully above his. Check and Mate other Brent Kastner; we meet again!
Some details about my experience with it:
In the span of about an hour yesterday I set up http://brentk.tel for my personal contact information and ramblings and http://brentkastner.tel for my professional contact information and business affiliations. I registered my domains with name.com and used the .tel profile management tool to add relevant information about me into each domain. Just like creating a regular domain on the Internet I did still need to wait about 24 hours before the DNS changes propagated to DNS servers in my area, but as of this morning it's all up and running fine.
The above is cool, no question about it. What really blew my hair back about this though was the seamless integration of my brentk.tel domain with google apps! In about another 30 minutes I have mail, chat, voice, docs, and calendaring (to name a few apps) for me and up to 50 people that want a@brentk.tel address... For FREE! For me, this takes the capabilities of the .tel concept to the next level of cool. Now I can confidently use a google voice phone number (that isn't my actual cell phone number) as my "global" contact me phone number. I can screen calls, emails, chats, etc all through my .tel email account hosted on google without fear of exposing myself to unwanted spam, cold calls, etc.
Now, the next time I'm on a train I can confidently give brentk.tel for my contact info. She'll be totally impressed! I think I'll order some business cards, plain white, with just brentk.tel on it. Think of this for a moment. Introductions can now be part intro, part research project :).
My wishlist for additional capabilities:
1.) I think it would be great to have a twitter widget that links with my account on my .tel page subject to the same privacy profiling that .tel does so well now. I'd like to show in real-time whats happening in my world as I update it.
2.) It would be awesome if friending features could be integrated with friending in say LinkedIn, Facebook, Ning networks, etc? I'd really appreciate an integrated friends management approach vs. having to maintain a new separate list of friends.
3.) I'd like people without .tel accounts to request to see my information. See point 2, even telfriends is a bit weak in this regard.
4.) I'd like to be able to hang a blog off of blog.brentk.tel, create html content, or do other basic website related stuff here. Envision a day when I don't need any personal site at all, just the stuff contained here.
5.) I'd like to be able to "share" articles, websites, documents, anything available on the web via ShareThis, AddThis, or other sharing platforms directly to my .tel page
--
~Brent Kastner
.
Business cards with Dot Tel name:
Latest business cards with dot tel name arrived from http://goodprint.co.uk. Nice quality and service, as usual.
-------------
.
Some details about my experience with it:
In the span of about an hour yesterday I set up http://brentk.tel for my personal contact information and ramblings and http://brentkastner.tel for my professional contact information and business affiliations. I registered my domains with name.com and used the .tel profile management tool to add relevant information about me into each domain. Just like creating a regular domain on the Internet I did still need to wait about 24 hours before the DNS changes propagated to DNS servers in my area, but as of this morning it's all up and running fine.
The above is cool, no question about it. What really blew my hair back about this though was the seamless integration of my brentk.tel domain with google apps! In about another 30 minutes I have mail, chat, voice, docs, and calendaring (to name a few apps) for me and up to 50 people that want a
Now, the next time I'm on a train I can confidently give brentk.tel for my contact info. She'll be totally impressed! I think I'll order some business cards, plain white, with just brentk.tel on it. Think of this for a moment. Introductions can now be part intro, part research project :).
My wishlist for additional capabilities:
1.) I think it would be great to have a twitter widget that links with my account on my .tel page subject to the same privacy profiling that .tel does so well now. I'd like to show in real-time whats happening in my world as I update it.
2.) It would be awesome if friending features could be integrated with friending in say LinkedIn, Facebook, Ning networks, etc? I'd really appreciate an integrated friends management approach vs. having to maintain a new separate list of friends.
3.) I'd like people without .tel accounts to request to see my information. See point 2, even telfriends is a bit weak in this regard.
4.) I'd like to be able to hang a blog off of blog.brentk.tel, create html content, or do other basic website related stuff here. Envision a day when I don't need any personal site at all, just the stuff contained here.
5.) I'd like to be able to "share" articles, websites, documents, anything available on the web via ShareThis, AddThis, or other sharing platforms directly to my .tel page
--
~Brent Kastner
.
Business cards with Dot Tel name:
Latest business cards with dot tel name arrived from http://goodprint.co.uk. Nice quality and service, as usual.
-------------
.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
How to spice up your Dot Tel domain:
Here are the available templates, from which you can select:
How to set colours for the header and background for Dot Tel domains, using the .tel control panel:
When you are at your controll panel, respectively, dashboard, you go top left and click on the card "Design", and go from there. It is self explaining...
Which brings you up this controll panel:
Select a colour space number (1, 2 or 3):
The colour customising mini panel, that will pop up, looks like this:
In the vertical colour bar, you select a basic colour, for aditional fine tuning:
Then (within the left window) you place the cross on the ring, and move the ring to the right area, that brings up the colour you wish to have. Your selected colour then shows in one of the two small windows, top right within the small controll panel. --> Save your colour choice, with the "save" button, bottom, right side.
To add a logo, you must go back to the main control panel.
However, there are two tutorials. One in french, and another one in German (which will be continued):
1.) http://www.toutpointtel.fr/index.php...mode-d-emploi/
2.)
http://www.tel-blog.de/domaingestalt...reigeschaltet/
.
.
And this is what is possible to create, within the limits...:
We are all aware of the major design shortcomings of Dot Tel Domains. I, for example, will not use anything but the single colour Retro template. However, this Dot Tel Domain organictea.tel, is an excellent example of what can be achieved. It's the best one I have seen yet. Click on the image to see it full size. I like the attention to detail, the rouge on the girls face is the same colour as part of the template. 10/10!
And the following example is shown, if you prefer the "classic" template:
How to set colours for the header and background for Dot Tel domains, using the .tel control panel:
When you are at your controll panel, respectively, dashboard, you go top left and click on the card "Design", and go from there. It is self explaining...
Which brings you up this controll panel:
Select a colour space number (1, 2 or 3):
The colour customising mini panel, that will pop up, looks like this:
In the vertical colour bar, you select a basic colour, for aditional fine tuning:
Then (within the left window) you place the cross on the ring, and move the ring to the right area, that brings up the colour you wish to have. Your selected colour then shows in one of the two small windows, top right within the small controll panel. --> Save your colour choice, with the "save" button, bottom, right side.
To add a logo, you must go back to the main control panel.
However, there are two tutorials. One in french, and another one in German (which will be continued):
1.) http://www.toutpointtel.fr/index.php...mode-d-emploi/
2.)
http://www.tel-blog.de/domaingestalt...reigeschaltet/
.
.
And this is what is possible to create, within the limits...:
An Example of a Beautifully Designed Dot Tel Domain
We are all aware of the major design shortcomings of Dot Tel Domains. I, for example, will not use anything but the single colour Retro template. However, this Dot Tel Domain organictea.tel, is an excellent example of what can be achieved. It's the best one I have seen yet. Click on the image to see it full size. I like the attention to detail, the rouge on the girls face is the same colour as part of the template. 10/10!
And the following example is shown, if you prefer the "classic" template:
Monday, 23 August 2010
Dot Tel Domains – A Green Technology
What is a Green Technology? It is technology that minimizes the impact of humans on the environment.
Traditional directories such as the White Pages and the Yellow Pages, although they have a web presence now, produce contact directories that use up enormous numbers of trees. These trees, of course, are used to make paper for phone books.
These books are usually thrown away after just one year and the whole tree cutting process starts again.
A Dot Org website called ‘Ban the Phone Book’ estimates that 5 million trees are cut down every year to make them. This is a stunning number of trees. This website has been covered in major US Newspapers such as the NY Times.
Although tree felling provides jobs it severely damages the environment even if the forests are so-called renewable. Waterways, wildlife, and ecosystems are affected badly.
This problem with paper directories is solved by the Dot Tel Domain. There is no paper in a Dot Tel Domain. There are no phone books. If you want to look up something you open your web browser, and enter the directory’s address, and you are there.
Any device with an internet connection can find a Dot Tel Domain. This includes web enabled mobile phones, and PCs.
Dot Tel Directories can be for products, people, businesses, or anything else that has contact information. Another major issue is that anything that updating a Dot Tel is nearly instantaneous.
With a phone book you don’t get updated until the following year when the new one comes out, although the companies now have website presences as well.
There are technical reasons why the traditional phone directory companies operating on Dot Coms or top level domain country extensions can not compete with a Dot Tel. These are to do with the location of the data. A full explanation is beyond the scope of this article.
With the internet continuing to grow in use we can hope that this Green Technology grows with it, and that eventually no trees are cut down to make phone books.
For more FREE information please see Dot Tel Domains Blog.
To see this technology online please go to this Squidoo Page and follow the links
Tags: Domain Country, Dot Coms, Dot Org, Ecosystems, Enormous Numbers, Forests, Green Technology, Internet Connection, Ny Times, Paper Directories, Phone Book, Phone Books, Phone Directory, Presences, Stunning Number, Top Level Domain, Traditional Directories, Waterways, Web Presence, White Pages
Source:
http://www.toplifedomains.com
Traditional directories such as the White Pages and the Yellow Pages, although they have a web presence now, produce contact directories that use up enormous numbers of trees. These trees, of course, are used to make paper for phone books.
These books are usually thrown away after just one year and the whole tree cutting process starts again.
A Dot Org website called ‘Ban the Phone Book’ estimates that 5 million trees are cut down every year to make them. This is a stunning number of trees. This website has been covered in major US Newspapers such as the NY Times.
Although tree felling provides jobs it severely damages the environment even if the forests are so-called renewable. Waterways, wildlife, and ecosystems are affected badly.
This problem with paper directories is solved by the Dot Tel Domain. There is no paper in a Dot Tel Domain. There are no phone books. If you want to look up something you open your web browser, and enter the directory’s address, and you are there.
Any device with an internet connection can find a Dot Tel Domain. This includes web enabled mobile phones, and PCs.
Dot Tel Directories can be for products, people, businesses, or anything else that has contact information. Another major issue is that anything that updating a Dot Tel is nearly instantaneous.
With a phone book you don’t get updated until the following year when the new one comes out, although the companies now have website presences as well.
There are technical reasons why the traditional phone directory companies operating on Dot Coms or top level domain country extensions can not compete with a Dot Tel. These are to do with the location of the data. A full explanation is beyond the scope of this article.
With the internet continuing to grow in use we can hope that this Green Technology grows with it, and that eventually no trees are cut down to make phone books.
For more FREE information please see Dot Tel Domains Blog.
To see this technology online please go to this Squidoo Page and follow the links
Tags: Domain Country, Dot Coms, Dot Org, Ecosystems, Enormous Numbers, Forests, Green Technology, Internet Connection, Ny Times, Paper Directories, Phone Book, Phone Books, Phone Directory, Presences, Stunning Number, Top Level Domain, Traditional Directories, Waterways, Web Presence, White Pages
Source:
http://www.toplifedomains.com
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
The Love Train
Adding to the Dot Tel launch hoopla was the infamous Ben.tel video depicting two hormone-laden Brits fighting for the attention of an uptown blonde – all while riding an intercity train. The one who scribbled “Ben.tel” on the window with his opponent’s latte won the girl.
Monday, 26 July 2010
Sunday, 25 July 2010
If I only had one domain name, why it should be a .TEL
Sure, sure, I get why you wouldn’t have a website — I’m in small business myself. But if you (or your neighbours’ 15yr old) has the savvy to set up a wordpress account or a hotmail account or a facebook page, etc, then you can have a website + email on your own domain. And NO, it’s not going to cost you an arm and a butt cheek.
I bought my very own .TEL a few months back. My intent was to get a .MOBI – the reasoning being that I don’t really want to “mobilfy” my existing website. My personal website is pretty, well laid out and *BIG* (heh, my webpage is bigger than your webpage). Despite it being friggin awesome, it’s not too happy on a mobile device.
When doing the research, I found there are a number of restrictions on the .MOBI domain, which, if I’m not mistaken is probably the most restrictive of the TLD (top-level-domains). But when I stumbled on the dotTEL TLD and found out how you don’t need a web-host at all and it’s mobile friendly out of the box, well, lets just say that I *nearly* shat my pants.
Wait, wait — hold on. The domain name you buy with a .TEL extension requires no hosting? Yes. What’s more, is that it’s easy to set up, they have a wack of features and are constantly updating their service.
But what is it? I don't understand.
It’s like an online business card. Instead of handing someone a business card with all your info, send them to this page where they can view and interact with all your contact info. Store your phone number, fax number, facebook account, twitter information, ANYTHING! Somebody visits http://yourname.tel in their browser (PC/Mac/Phone/iPad/XBox/Wii) and they have all the details they need to hook up for a beer (business meeting or otherwise). I have a QR code on my business card so if I meet you, you scan it with your phone and a few swipes of the finger later, you’ve got all my details stored in your phone.
To the meat: Why a .TEL domain?
the meat: Why a .TEL domain?
* Low cost; $20/yr total. That’s less than $0.08 a day. Trust me, I used a calculator
* Easy; my grandmother could do it — no, really, that spry old bag has a .TEL domain
* Mobile; view or manage the site from a phone
* Expandable; use the same single domain for all your family members, or employees
* Sharable; links with social sites, creating a central “contact point” for you or your business
* Untapped; there are sooooo many .TEL domains still left, don’t miss out on your perfect vanity domain name!
* Monetize; use your Google Adsense account to display ads and make money
* Fast; get a professional looking website set up quickly and forget about it
* Convenient; a potential contact can download your details directly into their phone
* Customizable; change various settings to make it work the way you want, even add GMail for Domains to it!
* Safe; spam free, if you want it to be. You can choose to list in the .TEL directory, display all your information publicly or even hide certain information from public view unless the person requests to be a “friend of yours“
A case-study:
So, let us say your last name is Babbaganoosh. You have a big family run business, a butcher shop. You’ve been quoted $1,500 to have a vanity website and email address with some pictures of your shop and a customer order + contact page, etc. It’s just not in the budget in this economy.
So, cousin Vic says “I’ll bet you a porter-house I can make a website for the shop in 20min” – you take the bet, of course, because you want to see this joker sweat.
You set the timer and Vic pulls out his iPhone (of all things) to go to UseYour.Name and orders babbaganoosh.tel – after watching him fumble with his sausage-like fingers, you let him use the office PC and watch intently over his shoulder.
Some activation emails arrive and he confirms them and logs into the “control panel”. He creates pages for “butchershop.babbaganoosh.tel” and “pappa.babbaganoosh.tel”, “mamma.babbaganoosh.tel” and “cousinvic.babbaganoosh.tel”
He fills in the info for the “butchershop” page and finishes with 4min to spare. ”I want it cooked properly too.” he says at you, your mouth ajar. How did your Aunt Bella’s idiot son pull this off?! WTF? He put a little blurb at the top, picked a different template and even put a Google map of the store’s location on there.
Sold!
Sold!: Now what?
Good question. Start by getting your own vanity domain name. I’ll be posting all sorts of how-tos, videos and whatnot, so keep in touch (facebook, twitter, RSS, comment here, whatever). My customers love me, you will too. ;)
Source:
http://why.useyour.name/2010/06/08/why-dot-tel/
I bought my very own .TEL a few months back. My intent was to get a .MOBI – the reasoning being that I don’t really want to “mobilfy” my existing website. My personal website is pretty, well laid out and *BIG* (heh, my webpage is bigger than your webpage). Despite it being friggin awesome, it’s not too happy on a mobile device.
When doing the research, I found there are a number of restrictions on the .MOBI domain, which, if I’m not mistaken is probably the most restrictive of the TLD (top-level-domains). But when I stumbled on the dotTEL TLD and found out how you don’t need a web-host at all and it’s mobile friendly out of the box, well, lets just say that I *nearly* shat my pants.
Wait, wait — hold on. The domain name you buy with a .TEL extension requires no hosting? Yes. What’s more, is that it’s easy to set up, they have a wack of features and are constantly updating their service.
But what is it? I don't understand.
It’s like an online business card. Instead of handing someone a business card with all your info, send them to this page where they can view and interact with all your contact info. Store your phone number, fax number, facebook account, twitter information, ANYTHING! Somebody visits http://yourname.tel in their browser (PC/Mac/Phone/iPad/XBox/Wii) and they have all the details they need to hook up for a beer (business meeting or otherwise). I have a QR code on my business card so if I meet you, you scan it with your phone and a few swipes of the finger later, you’ve got all my details stored in your phone.
To the meat: Why a .TEL domain?
the meat: Why a .TEL domain?
* Low cost; $20/yr total. That’s less than $0.08 a day. Trust me, I used a calculator
* Easy; my grandmother could do it — no, really, that spry old bag has a .TEL domain
* Mobile; view or manage the site from a phone
* Expandable; use the same single domain for all your family members, or employees
* Sharable; links with social sites, creating a central “contact point” for you or your business
* Untapped; there are sooooo many .TEL domains still left, don’t miss out on your perfect vanity domain name!
* Monetize; use your Google Adsense account to display ads and make money
* Fast; get a professional looking website set up quickly and forget about it
* Convenient; a potential contact can download your details directly into their phone
* Customizable; change various settings to make it work the way you want, even add GMail for Domains to it!
* Safe; spam free, if you want it to be. You can choose to list in the .TEL directory, display all your information publicly or even hide certain information from public view unless the person requests to be a “friend of yours“
A case-study:
So, let us say your last name is Babbaganoosh. You have a big family run business, a butcher shop. You’ve been quoted $1,500 to have a vanity website and email address with some pictures of your shop and a customer order + contact page, etc. It’s just not in the budget in this economy.
So, cousin Vic says “I’ll bet you a porter-house I can make a website for the shop in 20min” – you take the bet, of course, because you want to see this joker sweat.
You set the timer and Vic pulls out his iPhone (of all things) to go to UseYour.Name and orders babbaganoosh.tel – after watching him fumble with his sausage-like fingers, you let him use the office PC and watch intently over his shoulder.
Some activation emails arrive and he confirms them and logs into the “control panel”. He creates pages for “butchershop.babbaganoosh.tel” and “pappa.babbaganoosh.tel”, “mamma.babbaganoosh.tel” and “cousinvic.babbaganoosh.tel”
He fills in the info for the “butchershop” page and finishes with 4min to spare. ”I want it cooked properly too.” he says at you, your mouth ajar. How did your Aunt Bella’s idiot son pull this off?! WTF? He put a little blurb at the top, picked a different template and even put a Google map of the store’s location on there.
Sold!
Sold!: Now what?
Good question. Start by getting your own vanity domain name. I’ll be posting all sorts of how-tos, videos and whatnot, so keep in touch (facebook, twitter, RSS, comment here, whatever). My customers love me, you will too. ;)
Source:
http://why.useyour.name/2010/06/08/why-dot-tel/
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