January 19, 2000
Today's Links Story: Google's Text-Only Banner Ads
MSNBC: Online news sites face an event-access crunch.
As the number of online news outlets proliferates, sites such as San Francisco-based eStar are finding themselves out in the cold as movie studios, music companies and event sponsors begin limiting the number of online reporters, often to a single, exclusive outlet.
- Online Journalism Review: From July 23, 1999; The Mythical Press Box.
So what is the myth of the press box? The myth is that all working journalists get equal accreditation and access. Not everyone who wants to get in does indeed get in.
Salon: Desperately seeking a hipper shipper.
What all of these companies are attempting to do is make the physical logistics of e-commerce really work. Nobody likes coming home to those yellow sticky notes -- and almost nobody can wait around the house all day for a delivery. We need better solutions.
TechWeb: FedEx Woos E-tailers With Cheaper Service.
While FedEx's overnight delivery service is offered as an option by most of the big e-retailers, it is not the leading choice among consumers because the service can cost twice as much as rival ground delivery options.
Industry Standard: Search Firms Argue Whether Bigger is Better.
[Dennis McEvoy, senior VP of Inktomi] "The biggest catalog (index) does not equal the best search experience," says McEvoy. "Relevance matters much more because people don't want to page through thousands of results."
CNNfn: Netting Web customers.
Q&A with Mary Modahl, VP at Forrester Research. The Web is not a one-time investment. It's not about gilding your corporate headquarters and moving in with a big bow on the front. People have to learn what makes a decent site and what doesn't, and stay abreast of the technology.
NY Times: Consultants Are Putting A New Price on Advice.
In the last year and a half, unable to resist the lure of the Internet economy, McKinsey has taken small stakes in more than 50 clients, in exchange for lower fees. Across Europe and North America, the firm is opening eight "business accelerators," where consultants will spend up to nine months helping start companies in which the firm could own a stake.
News.Com: Geoworks soars on wireless licensing plans.
Earlier, Geoworks announced it will begin seeking fees for wireless data server systems and software utilizing the increasingly popular Wireless Application Protocol, which the company believes is based partly on its patented technology.
Industry Standard: Not Available in Stores.
Carl Steadman. So what does it take to make serious money in online marketing? Not much: Donna Karan or Hugo Boss, a taste for microbrews and an almost inhuman lack of dignity or shame as you follow this simple step-by-step guide.
USA Today: Sales smarts rule Internet.
So it goes in the wacky world of the Internet economy, where technology smarts and financial acumen are still important, but not as important as a strong background in marketing. Venture capitalists are now insisting that the management team of a start-up include a marketing heavyweight.
SJ Mercury: DVD decision may come down soon.
A Santa Clara County judge on Tuesday indicated he will decide soon whether the DVD industry is entitled to a court order that would shut down Web sites distributing the software keys to unscrambling DVD technology.
Editor & Publisher: LATimes.com Tests Online Copyright Permissions.
LATimes.com has decided to charge 20 cents for every e-mailed copy of a story. However, there is nothing to prevent a reader from copying the text of a story on a Web page and pasting it into an e-mail without paying the fee.
USA Today: States move to protect online privacy.
States are considering an unprecedented number of laws to protect online privacy. Governors, attorneys general and key legislators are pushing measures -- and in some cases constitutional amendments -- to stop the spread of government, financial, medical and Internet records.
Industry Standard: A Shoe-In for Success.
...but some networks aren't happy about advertising that might get potatoes off the couch. While ABC and Fox have agreed to let the commercials' cliffhanger say "Continued at whatever.nike.com," other networks have agreed to show only the URL – without the "continued at" teaser.
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