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Anvil
Issue Twenty Six
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*Welcome to Anvil, a free weekly newsletter and Web site providing
insight into online industry news, issues and trends with 33 percent
less fat.
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TOP
INDUSTRY NEWS
*Verse: Change Is Good
*CompuServe Buyout Speculated
*Disney Sees Stars
DESIGN
*Don’t Get Burned By Java
*Pushed Out Of The Game
HOSTING
*Online Crime Doesn’t Pay
*Hotels Offer High Tech Help
MARKETING
*Online Success
*Intent To Purchase
TOP
WEB PICKS
*Allstar
*April Fools
*Disneyblast
*Highersource.org
*Urban Desires
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TOP INDUSTRY NEWS
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*Verse: Change Is Good
Digital developer Vivo Media Inc. recently announced a company name
change to Verse DDG Corp. The name was chosen to better reflect
the company’s objective: providing communications solutions in the
digital realm. An primary factor in the name change was the unnecessary
confusion with Vivo Software on the East Coast. While the two businesses
do not directly conflict, differentiation was necessary. Verse,
by definition, is a line in writing and in poetry, or a metrical
arrangement of language. While the name has changed, the quality
of product and service remains the same. Officially, Verse DDG is
a digital design group that provides Web, intranet, extranet and
kiosk solutions -- from strategic consulting, creative development,
programming and hosting to graphic design and marketing.
*CompuServe
Buyout Speculated
Wall Street analysts pushed stock prices up earlier this week upon
the release of a report regarding AOL’s potential buyout of CompuServe
later this month. In their report, Wall Street Strategies recommended
the buyout due to depressed stock prices and established European
subscriber-base. The two companies could benefit greatly from the
acquisition, as both have faced financial woes in recent months.
Stock prices of both online services rose in response to the speculation.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9332,00.html
*Disney
Sees Stars
Walt Disney aggressively moved online this week with two new ventures.
First, Disney is previewing their new online service, Disneyblast
(see Top Web Picks). Second, to enhance their ABCnews.com online
presence, they have purchased a large stake in Paul Allen’s Web
content, design and management company Starwave. While the financials
haven’t been fully disclosed, the deal is estimated at $100 million
for a 1/3 stake in the company. Starwave and Disney are teaming
with AOL and Netscape to help launch the new ABC News site.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9370,00.html
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DESIGN
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*Don’t Get Burned By Java
Java was the hot topic this week as the JavaOne Conference in San
Francisco generated awareness for the hot new programming language.
While Java is touted cross-platform functionality and power, many
issues are not being addressed openly. According to Jesse Berst,
five myths help distort the value of Java. First, Java is not as
platform independent as it should be. Second, businesses will not
immediately rewrite programs in Java due largely to cost/benefit
issues. Third, Java will not displace current programming languages.
Fourth, Java, while secure, is more restrictive than ActiveX. Fifth,
Java is not as open as ActiveX. Regardless of the myths, Java will
continue to grow in popularity and continue to threaten Microsoft.
http://www5.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_799.html
*Pushed
Out Of The Game
The first casualty of "push" technology is IFusion Com,
developer of the Arrive Network. IFusion filed for Chapter 11 earlier
this week and has fired it’s staff of 140 employees. Arrive, currently
in beta testing, provided services similar to PointCast, with added
multimedia capabilities. In beta, Arrive is too much of a resource
hog to ever gain wide acceptance. The company debuted a beta of
their product in January and planned to launch final product in
May.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9230,00.html
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HOSTING
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*Online Crime Doesn’t Pay
A federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia, recently handed
down the first ever conviction of a crime occurring on a private
online service. The court fined Nicholas Ryan, a.k.a. "Happy
Hardcore," $50, six months of home confinement and two years
of probation for his AOL4FREE program that provided users with free
AOL service. Ryan has already paid AOL $62,000 in restitution for
crimes committed under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Too bad
the law doesn’t provide for the families of the Heaven’s Gate cult.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9221,00.html
*Hotels
Offer High Tech Help
Guests of the San Jose Hilton and Towers in Northern California
will have free access to the Web for a limited time. Hilton is currently
evaluating WebTV for possible implementation nationwide. The hotel
chain, known for their commitment to technologies, currently provides
online reservation services through their Web site, videoconferencing
services and lobby e-mail access. Hilton partnered with On Command
Corp. to provide T1 access over an Ethernet connection. In related
news, the San Jose Airport Hyatt Hotel recently announced Internet
access available in all 474 rooms, including Pentium PCs with CD-ROMs
and centralized printing capabilities. Guests will also be able
to access Microsoft Word and Excel via a LAN-based intranet. The
project, estimated at $1.5 million, was made possible via partnerships
with Fourth Communications Network.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9374,00.html
http://www.hilton.com/
http://www.hyatt.com
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MARKETING
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*Online Success
The popular message lately regarding online revenues has been "where
are they?" Ken Crane, owner of Ken Crane’s Laserdiscs in Manhattan
Beach, Calif. Has a pretty good idea. Roughly one quarter of his
total sales, $4 million, have been generated via his Web site. Rather
than relying on banner advertising, reciprocal links or public relations
efforts, Crane focuses on his key differentiators: savings, selection
and service. Pricing is competitive: all discs are discounted at
least 20 percent. Selection is unbeatable: 9,000 titles compared
to chain outlets with 2,000. Service is of the same high quality
as the mail order business and at the retail outlet. Crane believes
the large retail chains will follow suit shortly, but until then,
he can expect to enjoy large profits, even with geographic restrictions
and the advent of the digital video disc (DVD).
http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/040197/info14_27762.html
*Intent
To Purchase
ViaWeb, creator of the Viamall and Live Store software, recently
released a study regarding online purchases. The survey found over
70 percent of the 200 online shoppers had an intention to purchase
prior to going online. Accuracy is questionable as findings were
based on keyword searches over a very small sample. Overall, the
results do offer insight into online purchasing habits: online retailers
should provide highly targeted keywords in text and META tags to
bring in the right customers.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9226,00.html
http://www.viaweb.com/
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TOP WEB PICKS
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*Allstar
This hip e-zine is an ideal resource for music and entertainment
news. The site provides interviews, reviews and feature articles
updated daily.
http://www.allstarmag.com/news/
*April
Fools
AprilFools is a haven for practical jokers. While the review is
a little late, it’s never to late to pull a fast one on a friend.
The site provides fun gags involving e-mail, Web pages and even
snail mail (for a charge). Jokes include fake headlines, bogus postcards
from exotic locations and false inheritance notices.
http://www.aprilfools.com
*Highersource.org
A little joke has turned into a big gag. A few Webheads teamed up
to create a spoof site based on the Higher Source/Heaven’s Gate
cult. The site is registered under the name David Koresh, Jim Jones
and Jack Kevorkian. Reactions to the highly publicized site range
from laughter to anger. Decide for yourself.
http://www.highersource.org/
*Disneyblast
It’s finally here. Disney has an online presence. The service includes
news, information and games that incorporate many famous Disney
characters including Aladdin, Snow White and Winnie the Pooh. The
full service, priced at 4.95 a month, is scheduled to launch later
this month. Disney signed an exclusive distribution deal with MSN
which will allow MSN subscribers 10 months of free service.
http://www.disneyblast.com/preview/index.html
*Urban
Desires
Another entertaining e-zine, Urban Desires is packed with feature
articles. City-dwelling writers provide an in-depth look into various
aspects of urban culture. Site sections include: food, word, art,
sex-health, music, tech-toys, style, performance and travel.
http://www.desires.com/
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CREDITS
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*Kent Lewis, Managing Editor
*Michael Pearo, Graphic Designer
*Monica Simmons, Copy Editor
*Theo Jones, Programmer
*Send
questions, comments and suggestions to editor@anvil-media.com.
*Visit
the Web site at http://www.anvil-media.com.
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