One school of thought behind this new domain is having a clear, easy way to determine whether or not a website is pornographic in nature – helping those who don’t want to view pornography online avoid it (because, let’s face it, it’s not like the people who want to view porn currently have a hard time finding it).

However, even if this was a motivating factor to get the top-level domain approved, it will have very little impact in actually helping people avoid pornography. While all .xxx domains will still have to prove they aren’t fraudulent, aren’t involved in child pornography, and aren’t involved in other illegal practices, adult sites aren’t going to be required to switch to .xxx domains or shut down their current non-.xxx domains.

So while users will know not to visit any .xxx domain (again, assuming they’re trying to avoid adult content), there will still be the challenge of avoid pornography with every other website out there. Networks or parents will be able to block any and all .xxx domains, but they’re still faced with the challenge of other domains.

All of that being said, from a philosophical point of view, it’s not really up to ICANN or the government or anyone else to make sure children or employees aren’t exposed to pornography. While parents and companies can install security software and firewalls – or governments could, hypothetically, institute some sort of regulation – it’s ultimately up to individuals (including children who are old enough to know better) to manage themselves and act professionally.

So while it’s interesting that .xxx has been approved, it will make very little difference for the average user.

            The idea behind a .mobi domain is to create a website that can be easily accessed and viewed by a mobile device. If you already own a phone with internet access, you know that you can already view pretty much any website on your phone (.com, .net, .org, etc.) regardless of the domain. A properly-designed .mobi site simply makes the site easier to use and navigate; the site is intended to be viewed on a smaller screen with a mobile connection.

Once advantage to .mobi sites is that search engines know if you’re searching on a mobile phone, and will give preference to sites using the .mobi domain. This means the search results are more likely to include a .mobi site than a non-.mobi site.

So do you need a .mobi site? It depends on your current website and your business, and will take some research to figure out.

First, try visiting your current website from a mobile device. How is the experience? Is it difficult to navigate? Are you able to see things clearly enough? If it’s an awkward experience (and feel free to enlist friends to do the same thing) you have a few different options.

1. Maybe you don’t do anything. Look at your target demographic; are a significant portion of them using mobile devices to access your website? How much revenue do you think you’re losing by not having a mobile-friendly site? If you’re not alienating a key demographic, you probably shouldn’t worry about it.
2. Maybe you try to improve your current site. Like was mentioned, mobile devices can already access your .com site, but maybe it’s just a little cluttered. Try some design changes, or have contact information prevalent so they can call you (you know, use the “talky” part of their phone) if they have questions. But keep track of the data; if the changes don’t bring greater revenue, you may want to stick with what you had before.
3. Maybe you invest in a good .mobi site. If your customers need a better experience when visiting your site on their mobile devices, and your current site is hurting the bottom line, you should probably make the investment. Plus, this may give you an advantage on your competition when people search for your product on their phones.

Weigh the pros and cons, then make an educated decision about creating a .mobi site. If it’s not going to directly help build your business, there’s likely not a pressing need to create one.