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Telpages improvements Everyday I like to see what is indexed in Telpages. I checked out a new site called www.cupcakekisses.tel and decided to search on "cupcakes". The site wasn't found even though it is rife with the singular word "cupcake". Shouldn't Telpages be a little smarter by now and be able to equate plurals with singulars and vice versa? Without this basic equality, TP search is quite limited. Add an optional thesaurus search too. Furthermore, to be a robust engine, TP needs to index NAPTR records. After all, isn't .tel about contact information? Yet a search for contact information is not supported! Not even reverse lookup for phone number. Finally, we need the ability to request that a page be indexed immediately via SOAP or simple HTTP:Get, so that time-sensitive information like local coupons and daily deals are available, esp for On The Map displays via TelView. Not waiting for days. Mark |
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Improvements yes all needed. Fixes to mobile Essential. Mark, Please move to London and apply for that job. I would but it's kitesurfing season here at boracay. Winds blo'in dude (you know you want it, and i desperately, we ALL need you to want it, ha!)[/size] |
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Boyet, the only thing I want is to have Telnic live up to it's desire to have a "vibrant community and ecosystem" and start taking our suggestions and constructive criticisms seriously. I think we've done more than our share promoting, developing, sharing, investing and supporting. Time and time again, suggestions and feature enhancements have been downplayed or tossed because they don't seem to fit into the original plans for this TLD. The use cases for this TLD have evolved into something even bigger and the powers that control it need to believe that there is more value to .tel than just single point of contact. I develop both to be creative and sometimes to overcome limitations. As a developer I like to have some control, but here we have no control. Sorry for the rant, but I'm tired having our ideas ignored, tired of the lack of concern and transparency. That's my opinion. Kash, Henri, Justin where are we going? Mark[/size] |
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I second that. TelPages is a very disappointing. I have very well populated directories and search TelPages at least once a day to link listings for businesses and professionals in my directories to stories about these same people and organisations published on my daily news website. (eg: Photographers by-line links to his/her tel listing Book Tickets for local theatre or music venue links to the venue's tel listing and much more.) There is no other website that I am aware of using tel in such a relevant and dynamic way right now. Hardly a day passes when I don't have a submission for a listing - so my marketing is working. However, even the slightest mis-spelling of a name will return a blank in Telpages. And while I'll see my mistake and search again for the desired result, the ordinary Joe will not. The public is used to the power of Google when it comes to second guessing what you are searching for. From what I can see there has been very little if any development work done on tweaking this search engine. I use custom Google search for my Telpages on my website. I would much prefer to be able to incorporate TelPages into my Joomla site - we would all benefit from that kind of advertising, including Telnic. It's something I also suggested a long time ago, but didn't get a reply. If only Mark and some of the other developers on this forum were given free rein by Telnic we would be well down the road to succees - at least as far as directory building is concerned. That doesn't stop Telnic pursuing its own aims. I for one am not a complainer and take no pleasure in pointing this out. But something needs to be and quickly.[/size] |
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Hi Mark, As the most prolific .tel developer around Telnic cannot afford for you to lose interest in developing for .tel - neither can the rest of the .tel community. Hopefully you will get a response from Telnic that ensures you "keep the faith" long enough to see .tel become the worldwide success it should be. Mike Seaton[/size] |
I look at Telpages not for direct searching by end users, because that's what Google and Bing are for. Rather, I see a more powerful use for Telpages as a repository of location-sensitive information for implied app-centric searches. This is manifested in TelView and perhaps could be in Henri's map integration. Apps like Telview (esp mobile apps) should be able to query TP for everything local to the user and get an IMMEDIATE result, whether on a map or a listing or as a coupon. But these need the functions I listed before (fast DNS query, better search, instant indexing) that I have no control over their development. These functions must be owned and provided by Telnic. Then we have something we can deliver to the masses. Work with us Telnic as we all want the same success. Mark |
@All: what I do after work in my spare time is end-user kind of work that's within my control. What I and others need is controlled by Telnic and their dev team which I suspect is stretched due to losses or other reasons (perhaps redirection, who knows but them). The platform needs to grow and we need to develop and expand Tel in other ways but are impeded by lack of functionality. From the beginning Telnic talked of the developer community providing tools. We have done so, but now we need more because there are so many ideas for new applications and directions. Yet we are ignored for a year and stiffled. Hard to keep faith isn't it Kash, Justin, Henri et al? Mark |
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Mark, this is what henri wrote in the "super book thread" just last week... Quote: [/size]
well, lets follow that up. Actually, i have been sitting .tel idle here (for about 3 months). all i really wished/hoped/prayed for was "search this .tel" telpages on mobiles staying within my .tel... then to release my app within the boracay community. (thought october was on, plenty of time to test new templates etc, scrap that plan) lets follow up henri's source code?[/size] |
@Boracay,Henri: I agree that no one wants to see random tels. But I would say they want to see specific content from tels, locations and coupons. That's why Yellow Pages etc have apps. But none have apps that display real-time content that tel owners, eg your local restaurant, control and publish. All other mobile content is controlled by intermediaries with their timelines and agendas. Give us an app to utilize the inherent power of .tel. This inherent power includes instant user-controlled content that is mobile-ready. Telview will remain in the prototype stage because of the missing functions. But is written in HTML5 so it can run on any device not just iPhones and is ready to be expanded when Telnic releases functions. Mark |
BTW, I write code out of necessity to solve problems and limitations. I don't really want to write more code, I'd rather develop my own tels with content and interactivity and show businesses in my area the power of tel. I'd love to have my town on the map. Mark |
.... and the ability to set my .tels to search within my CTH group would STILL be a big help! |
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Kash, Henri, Justin: I'm still waiting on a response please. And in case you missed it here another question. Mark[/size] |
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I heard a good saying the other day ... ... " So quiet you could hear a mouse peeing on a cotton ball. " Not to make light, some humor is needed. ;)[/size] |
Mark, I believe we clearly outlined our development priorities in the community newsletter for the next quarter, working on functionality requested by the community. Ideas are not ignored or not taken seriously at all, but are tracked internally and discussed. That we have nothing to say on these doesn't mean that they are not taken seriously, simply that we have not made a decision on them. Whilst it is great that so many ideas are flowing, we have commercial realities and are not in a position to do everything all at once. I would like to say again, nothing has been removed from the service since it launched; many of the features "requested" by the community as must-have features that would absolutely drive further registrations have been added without an increase in price to the end user. It is not Telnic's responsibility to develop the .tel platform for every single use case that can be dreamed of; it is entirely possible to take the platform and make of it what you will if you decide to become an ICANN-accredited registrar or work closely with one that can run the CTH. What we are trying to do is to create a service that works well, is cost-effective and commercially sustainable and where possible, incorporate functionality that improves on this. There is always a triumvirate when dealing with development; speed, quality, cost. You can only have two at a time. Where we can say what our focus is and the timescales, we do, as we have done in the recent newsletter. It's not always possible to meet the timescales that we outlined, so rather than over-set expectations, we will be updating people on developments as and when they happen, through this forum, social media channels and the community newsletter. I am sure this note will not change any opinions but this is the situation. Thanks as always, Justin |
Justin, thanks for responding but clarification is still missing and as usual it's just the standard response not what I was hoping for. You know me as committed to .tel, voicing my opinion here and there, trying to get some needed changes into play. But development is at a snail's pace, I suspect developers are MIA. The newsletter provides little detail and the templates whatever they will be, are late and a mystery. There was no input from anyone here to my knowledge to fine-tune the templates and you will deliver them but whether we like them is questionable especially if they do not come with some customization. The Tel platform shouldn't need registrars to extend, it should be Telnic that provides rich features that allow more control at the end user level without risking standards and performance. You want to be transparent - let a few of us have a look, not just at templates but at what is being developed. We all want the same success for .tel and you asked for community involvement from day and we have delivered what we can control. But it sure seems like a one-way street. IMO, Mark |
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I simply submit that it shouldn't take 2 years to allow a Video integration as with the text and image ad integration. Google Adsense has 250x250 video ads, but we can't source them for a .tel currently. Of course, we want to be able to use our own video just like our own images and text too. Simply allowing a 250x250 video to play in the space without a new window isn't a major request is it ? With text and image ads, a click to open in the same window should be an option versus a new window, simple option integration. These don't take years to allow, even if you do have to be careful of the sourcing. Believe me, I understand the "Pandora's box" problem, but the above is not "new" per se. :confused:[/size] |
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I certainly hope not. I am not "tooting my own horn" with the TELmercial, I am trying to save the .TEL and TelPages dream sooner rather than later. May I elaborate ? What is the NUMBER ONE choice around the World when given equal opportunity ? Text, Graphics, or Video ? The answer of course is Video, with more people on YouTube and Watching TV and Movies than reading Newspapers and Magazines as a whole. "Click To Video" beats "Click To Pic" and "Click To Read" Simply put, if .TEL and TelPages focused on the Registrant IN THAT ORDER, and included .TEL's inherent "Click To Contact" for any other link ON THE SAME PAGE, it would revolutionize the entire World for a "presence" page. Not a mad scientist idea, a .TEL and TelPages saving FACT. Let's get the TELmercial MAINSTREAM and show .TEL is worth its weight in basic design and value and desireability ! It doesn't take years to begin smarter today ! :cool:[/size] |
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Yes, I think that from the "White Pages" or "PeoplePlace" perspective for Individual .TEL owners, the "Facebook" principle is lacking, but the new Control Panel, again if not an enticing rumor, is supposed to making TelFriends much easier to use I believe. ;)[/size] |
Whilst I entirely take the point on the subject of enabling video display - great for the desktop, I think that the one change that would catch the attention of the greater mass of potential users would be the ability to insert ad code and hosted images, for the existing space/location allocation - through the CTH, rather than through a third party. We want .tel to be taken up by the majority, making Telnic a success, and our early adoption more valuable but, like me, the majority are not given to understanding even the fundamentals of code, or visualising data input requirements when expressed on a spreadsheet. The CTH is graphic - see a box - type or paste something in - click submit/add - job done. That's why using Adsense is just within my capability. I've looked at the, evidently, excellent third tools available but, I haven't a clue how to use them - so I plod on with my two fingers - just like the majority. I still don't get excited about the prospect of new templates (I don't think some of you have come to grips with the mobile bit yet). If the average punter could post a couple of decent sized hosted pictures of their partner/pet/last drunken binge, etc., through their own control panel, that would be a major attraction - from the desktop viewpoint. I they could do the same with image ad coding - opening the prospect of covering their cost by selling the local car sales showroom a banner image ad, VIEWABLE ON MOBILES - why wouldn't they buy a .tel domain, and tell their friends about it? I can't imagine that any individual will see much revenue from Adsense on their personal .tel. The greatest benefits of .tel are that anyone can edit it and, that it works on mobile devices. If we all want to the domain to thrive, and for us to benefit from our involvement with the domain then the focus should be on making it usable by Joe Public, and extending mobile utility. In addition, I recently read that, as the cost of living increases, phone recycling companies have been surprised by the rising number of high-end mobile/smart phones that are being sold to them. People can't afford to run them so, we shouldn't neglect the lower end of the phone market (including multi press key models, which also more robust, and liked by manual trades) when developing our sites, or when developing features - particularly mobile ads on the low end. And then there's the ability to designate a search within a pre-determined group of .tel domains.... |
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It's also great for all laptops, smartphones, and tablets ! HTML5 is the key and a regular provision now. :)[/size] |
