| Anvil
Issue Thirty
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*Welcome to Anvil, a free weekly newsletter and Web site providing
insight into online industry news, issues and trends. Now with a
child-proof safety cap.
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TOP
INDUSTRY NEWS
*Ticketmaster Hits The Pavement
*Tuning Into Digital TV
DESIGN
*Java Bug Revealed
*Just The Fonts
HOSTING
*AT&T An ISP?
*Online Services To Sell Out
MARKETING
*Webreference Ad Study Released
*Ads Under The Microscope
TOP
WEB PICKS
*Ask Jeeves
*Candystand
*Keynote Business 40
*Spice Girls
*WiseWire
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TOP INDUSTRY NEWS
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*Ticketmaster Hits The Pavement
Former business partners and friends, Bill Gates and Paul Allen
have reunited in Los Angeles U.S. District Court over "electronic
piracy" issues. Ticketmaster, owned by Paul Allen, is accusing
Microsoft of illegally using Ticketmaster’s name and trademark on
Seattle Sidewalk. The local online service directory created by
Microsoft links to Ticketmaster’s Web site, which provides live
event and ticketing information. Ticketmaster believes Microsoft
is benefiting from the Ticketmaster brand to help generate traffic
and ad revenue without their approval. The lawsuit was filed after
Ticketmaster broke off exclusive rights negotiations with Microsoft’s
Sidewalk and partnered with rival directory CitySearch.
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2673581-c5d
*Tuning
Into Digital TV
DTV, HDTV, PCTV, SDTV, MTV and WebTV - What does it all mean? A
recent article in USA Today provides great insight into the various
technologies and related benefits. For starters, the old standard,
High Definition (HDTV), is a theatrical (16x9) format with five
times the resolution of current TVs. The images broadcast ghost
free and are supported by the large broadcasting companies. Standard
Definition (SDTV), also ghost-free digital quality, offers multiple
programs over one channel but sacrifices resolution. PC Industry
Proposal (PCTV) emphasizes information delivery over picture quality
and is easily adapted to PCs. PCTV format has the least support
from broadcasters, as it eats into their profitability while allowing
high-tech companies to enter into their industry.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cta393.htm
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DESIGN
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*Java Bug Revealed
Supporters of Microsoft’s ActiveX technology likely smiled at the
recent discovery of a security flaw in Sun’s rival Java language.
Sun’s Java stole the spotlight this week as a team of scientists
from Princeton University discovered hackers can gain access into
computers by impersonating a "trusted" software publisher.
The flaw is related to Sun’s latest version of the Java Development
Kit (JDK) 1.1.1 that allows digitally stamped applications to bypass
normal security restrictions. Sun has scheduled a new release (1.1.2)
of JDK in a few weeks.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,10188,00.html
*Just
The Fonts
While most of us take it for granted, fonts are indeed the essence
of electronic (and print) communications. An issue increasing in
importance as Web-based media continues to grow in popularity is
how fonts will look on the screen. Fonts were a hot topic at a recent
Seybold Seminar in New York. Adobe and Microsoft announced technical
specifications for OpenType, a new way to create and deliver fonts
via the Web. Similarly, Bitstream and Netscape touted their competing
TrueDoc standard. The issue behind which fonts to use and how they
look is complicated by security issues. Currently, browsers only
use fonts that are installed on the resident system. The only way
for designers to deliver exotic fonts today is by turning them into
images, which uses up needed bandwidth. Hopefully, the new standards
will allow non-resident fonts to be downloaded and displayed instantly.
Both standards are very similar, but OpenType may have an edge as
Adobe announced their Postscript level 3 will support it.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,10181,00.html
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HOSTING
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*AT&T An ISP?
Internet access industry consolidation continues as rumors surfaced
recently regarding AT&T’s bid to buyout Internet Service Provider
BBN Corp. BBN’s stock raised nine percent in trading earlier this
week. A Wall Street analyst reported AT&T was planning to offer
$26 a share. This is old news for some as AT&T Ventures, an
independently operated venture capital arm of the telecommunications
giant, bought an $8 million equity stake in July of 1995. BBN clients
include AOL, also in the news for their merger discussions with
CompuServe.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,10150,00.html
*Online
Services To Sell Out
One of the most respected online community services has crossed
into the nebulous area of data-mining. GeoCities provides free Web
pages and e-mail services for over 500,000 members. The service
recently decided to "rent" names, e-mail addresses, and
in select cases, home or business addresses. The decision was made
with the help of a member survey, which revealed that 70 percent
of members would not object to receiving solicitations via e-mail.
Licensing is expected to generate over $1 million, or equal to that
of ad revenues generated last year. In related news, AOL will reportedly
release information regarding their members favorite Web sites.
These figures could greatly affect ad buying decisions as nearly
one-sixth of all netizens use AOL.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/71260.asp
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MARKETING
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*Webreference Ad Study Released
A recent study by Webreference revealed some insight into online
banner ad placement. The study, conducted by graduate students at
the University of Michigan, indicated banner ads placed next to
the right scroll bar in the lower right-hand corner of the first
screen generated a 228 percent higher click-through rate than ads
placed at the top of a page. Ads placed one-third of the way down
the page generated a 77 percent higher click-through rate than page-top
ads. In related news, the Gap has taken an innovative new approach
to banner ads: scratch n’ sniff. Rather than attempting to create
odors, the ads provide sounds that capture the essence of each fragrance.
Currently, the Gap ads can be found on Digital City and AOL.
http://www.webreference.com/dev/banners/
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,10161,00.html
*Ads
Under The Microscope
While scratch n’ sniff is a novel concept in banner advertising,
does it help sell product? There are many factors to a successful
banner ad, and Microscope provides insight into ads that work. A
special Top Ten edition is now available online to review. Take
a look at Hewlett-Packard’s ad (number two). Clicking the ad will
provide analysis of the ad itself, in an entertaining, informative
and somewhat sarcastic manner.
http://www.pscentral.com/notes.html
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TOP WEB PICKS
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*Ask Jeeves
Tired of poor results from search engines? Try the human approach
with Jeeves. Pose a question in plain English, and Jeeves will provide
quick and accurate results. The site is also divided into topics
ranging from aviation to women’s issues. Frame-compatible browsers
work best.
http://www.askjeeves.com/
*Candystand
More than just another online gaming directory, the Candystand provides
puzzles, games and links. The site theme revolves around the sponsor,
Lifesavers, so be sure to brush. Unlike most shoot-em-up theme sites,
most of these games involve thinking.
http://www.candystand.com/index1.htm
*Keynote
Business 40
Online marketers and designers may find this site interesting. The
Keynote Business Index is designed to gauge the performance of 40
leading business-related Web sites. The Index appears in both the
weekly print and online versions of InfoWorld. The service, developed
by Keynote Systems, also appears monthly in the Wall Street Journal.
http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStat.pl?/keynote/970428key.htm
*Spice
Girls
Those not familiar with the British pop group need not read any
further. Those familiar with the hyperactive group of women and
their Top 40 toons, will jump at the opportunity to slap them silly
in the manner of Whack-A-Mole. The interactive game requires Shockwave.
http://www.head-space.com/Urban75/spicebelt.html
*WiseWire
WiseWire is the latest "personalized" information service.
Similar to Excite Channel and NewsTracker services, users have the
option to customize the information they receive, and user profiles
are updated based on user feedback. As tested, the site offers quick
and easy registration, but content is limited at this point.
http://www.wisewire.com
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CREDITS
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*Kent Lewis, Managing Editor
*Michael Pearo, Graphic Designer
*Monica Simmons, Copy Editor
*Theo Jones, Jeremy Huffman, Programmers
*Send
questions, comments and suggestions to
editor@anvil-media.com.
*Visit
the Web site at http://www.anvil-media.com
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