DIGITAL DIVIDE
Clinton Wants All To Gain Net Access (USA)
Home-PC Sales for Holidays Trail the Summer's Hot Pace (WSJ)
INTERNET
Use Web For More Than Shopping Spree (USA)
An Early Chronicler of the Internet Reflects
on a Decade of Growth (NYT)
Md. to Get Internet Proposals (WP)
Three Words Doctors Dread: You've Got Mail (WSJ)
Microsoft Finally Gets Piece of Web Cell Phones (WSJ)
Litigants Use Law To Stake Their Claim In Cyberspace (NYT)
ECOMMERCE
.com: E-Commerce Closer to Home (WP)
Privacy Advocates See Subliminal Side to Web Ads (WSJ)
Eudora E-Mail Program to Be Offered Free With Ads (WP)
An E-Gift That Keeps Giving And Gets Recipients Involved (USA)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CLINTON WANTS ALL TO GAIN NET ACCESS
Issue: Digital Divide
President Clinton, civil rights leaders and corporate executives from
high-tech fields will launch a campaign today to close the ''digital
divide.'' The President will announce steps to increase computer access to
low-income Americans, upgrade technology skills of inner-city workers and
create an information bank on ways to bring technology to poor communities.
Joining him will be numerous corporate leaders. The proposals include:
expansion of community technology centers with spending on these centers to
increase from $10 million in 1999 to $32.5 million in 2000; creation of a
Digital Divide Network [by the Benton Foundation and others], an
Internet-based source of information on government and private efforts to
bring technology to poor and rural areas; a presidential tour next spring,
to highlight communities that are using technology to create high-wage
jobs.White House officials say President Clinton will unveil more proposals
in his State of the Union Address this winter. "Closing the digital divide
will be a big focus for us next year," economic adviser Gene Sperling says.
[SOURCE:USA Today (12A), AUTHOR: Owen Ullmann]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/19991209/1732776s.htm)
HOME-PC SALES FOR HOLIDAYS TRAIL THE SUMMER'S HOT PACE
Issue: Ownership
During the summer, PC sales were up 40% over the same period last year and
during last year's holiday season, sales were up 30% over the previous year.
This season, however, PC sales are up just 20% over last year at this time.
Price hikes of $50 on manufacturers' least expensive machines seem to be a
contributing factor along with component shortages. Retailers are stepping
up participation in rebate programs to boost sales.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B8), AUTHOR: Gary McWilliams]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB944691552995259671.htm)
INTERNET
USE WEB FOR MORE THAN SHOPPING SPREE
[OP-Ed] Much of the recent attention given to the Internet by the media has
been focused on the upcoming holiday season and potential revenues from
e-commerce ventures. However, it also is a critical moment to consider how
the digital revolution will affect all aspects of our lives. Baird considers
the use of technology by children today -- "the first generation of Internet
children" -- noting that "little research is being done about the effects of
interactive technology on our children." The Internet may also transform
politics in the near future. "In 2000, the Internet can transform the
democratic process again. Candidates, parties, interest groups and the media
benefit from interactive technology, but it is individual voters who have
the greatest opportunity." Bard also raises her pen to consider disparities
in Internet access. "Households with incomes of $75,000 are 20 times more
likely to have Internet access than those at the lowest income levels. Black
and Hispanic households are just two-fifths as likely to have home Internet
access as white households." Most importantly Bard acknowledges the question
that encompasses us all: "How do we use these new technology-based tools to
change society for the better?"
[SOURCE: USA Today (19A), AUTHOR: Zoo Bard, president of the Marble
Foundation, a private philanthropy focusing on emerging communications
media]
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/ncguest1.htm)
AN EARLY CHRONICLER OF THE INTERNET REFLECTS ON A DECADE OF GROWTH
Issue: Internet
Ed Krol, one of the first chroniclers of the Internet, talked to the New
York Times about the past decade of being online. According to Krol, the
biggest change in the Internet over the past ten years is the "change from
being primarily a collaborative interpersonal tool to an information
service." He is concerned about the quest for profit that seems to be
driving much of the new development on the Internet. "The problem is that in
90 percent of the pages out there the glitz adds nothing to the content and
only serves to slow the delivery down and force the download of all kinds of
plug-in extensions to the browsers." "The sense of community and decorum,"
is what Krol misses most from the earlier days of the Internet. "I guess I
liked a cybervillage and what we have now is cybercity, with all the
problems of the city."
[SOURCE: New York Times (E14), AUTHOR: Stephen C. Miller]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/circuits/articles/09krol.html)
MD. TO GET INTERNET PROPOSALS
Issue: Legislation
The Internet Technology Board will propose a package of Internet legislation
and policy today designed to ease the way for electronic commerce, move up
to 80% of Maryland's state agency services online by 2004 and to give
everyone in the state an email address from birth. [Why not earlier?
johndoe( at )womb.net] We want to make sure that Maryland positions itself as a
leader in understanding the Internet's impact on the way we work, learn,
live and play," said Major F. Riddick Jr., chief of staff to Gov. Parris N.
Glendening and chairman of the Internet Technology Board. "We want to
'brand' Maryland as the e-commerce state." The recommendations will be
released at the Maryland Internet Summit which begins today in Baltimore.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: John Schwartz]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/09/241l-120999-idx.html)
THREE WORDS DOCTORS DREAD: YOU'VE GOT MAIL
Issue: Health Info Online
Half of Internet users who look up health info on the Web say they'd like to
communicate with their doctor's office via email. But only 11% know their
doctor's email address and just 3% actually email their doctor. Why? Either
doctors don't have email or they are not encouraging its use with patients.
One doctor explains that he doesn't encourage inquiries because "it's all
too easy for someone sitting up at midnight to think up questions and hit
the send button. Then there it is in my mailbox, and what am I going to do
with it?" Fear of being buried in email messages that are time-consuming to
answer -- but do not generate income -- is a major concern. Potential
liability and privacy are also concerns. But it may also be that doctors
just do not want to that accessible to their patients. It's an equalizer,
allowing patients the opportunity to share knowledge or opinions freely --
and perhaps expect too much in return.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Ann Carrns]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB944696559732753507.htm)
MICROSOFT FINALLY GETS PIECE OF WEB CELL PHONES
Issue: Wireless
Software giant Microsoft and Sweden's Ericsson have formed a joint venture
to offer cell phones that can surf the Internet. Ericsson is expected to
hold a majority of the Stockholm-based venture and will supply most of the
initial staff of engineers. Previously, Microsoft had been shut out by the
world's four largest mobile-phone manufacturers Finland's Nokia , Ericsson,
Japan's Matsushita and Motorola of the U.S.; they have complained that
Microsoft's Windows CE operating system requires too much processor and
battery power for use in compact phones.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A3), AUTHORS: Naik, Latour & Delaney ]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB944651174606327597.htm)
See Also:
MICROSOFT AND ERICSSON TO CREATE WIRELESS VENTURE
[SOURCE: New York Times (C2), AUTHOR: Lawrence Fisher]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/biztech/articles/09soft.html)
BYTE-ING INTO WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
[SOURCE: USA Today (3B), AUTHOR: Marco R. della Cava]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/19991209/1732723s.htm)
LITIGANTS USE LAW TO STAKE THEIR CLAIM IN CYBERSPACE
Issue: Internet
In the two weeks since President Clinton signed a new law banning
"cybersquatting," -- registering trademark names as Internet addresses in
the hope of selling them at huge profits -- trademark holders have wasted no
time in filing lawsuits to win the rights to domains they consider theirs.
Both supporters and opponents of the law, who feared large companies will
use it to wrestle away addresses from small companies and individuals with
legitimate claims to the names, are eager to see how the cases turn out. "I
argued against the law," said A. Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami law
professor. "But now that we have it, I guess we will all win by getting some
convergence on what the standards are." The Clinton had administration,
fearing that it would undermine attempts by the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, to establish an arbitration process
for trademark-related disputes.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C2), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/biztech/articles/09net.html)
ECOMMERCE
.COM: E-COMMERCE CLOSER TO HOME
Issue: E-Commerce
Walker predicts that one o the biggest stories of next year will be the push
to get local services online. "We are targeting people who tell us they
prefer the Internet as a lifestyle choice over the yellow pages," said Ajay
Shah, the 23-year-old co-founder of Handshake.com. "Our site will provide
more information than the yellow pages -- pricing, reviews from consumers,
and eventually scheduling information." Venture capitalists are pumping
millions into new ventures that are signing up local providers -- dentists,
housekeepers, plumbers -- into national networks. They believe electronic
scheduling will save local merchants time and money...and will be preferred
by Internet users. Handshake.com, Imandi.com, Fundu.com and EFrenzy.com are
competing to be the one-stop shop for local services.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Leslie Walker]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/09/250l-120999-idx.html)
See Also
DATA BASICS: WEB SPENDING DOUBLES IN A WEEK
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E6)]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/09/248l-120999-idx.html)
ONLINE SHOPPING COMES TO WIRELESS
[SOURCE: USA Today (1B), AUTHOR: Shawn Young]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/19991209/1732774s.htm)
PRIVACY ADVOCATES SEE SUBLIMINAL SIDE TO WEB ADS
Issue: Privacy/Advertising
Marketing based on online profiling amounts to subliminal advertising,
privacy advocates are arguing to the Federal Trade Commission. If an
advertiser discerns from the tracking information that a consumer's favorite
color is pink, it could place pink ads on the Web sites to catch the
consumer's attention, an online-marketing expert says. That amounts to
subliminal messaging, privacy advocates say. They say the FTC should "search
its own precedents and discover that it has previously advised against
advertising that is effectively identical to the kind of online profiling
now at issue." Although there isn't any existing law against subliminal
advertising, privacy advocates believe the ads may provide a legal foothold
in their campaign to regulate profiling. The FTC's position is that a
subliminal ad "that causes consumers to unconsciously select certain goods
or services, or to alter their normal behavior, might constitute a deceptive
or unfair practice."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B10), AUTHOR: Glenn Simpson]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB944691574153659873.htm)
See Also:
INTERNATIONAL GROUP PLANS RULES FOR CONSUMERS ONLINE
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/cyber/articles/09consumer.html)
EUDORA E-MAIL PROGRAM TO BE OFFERED FREE WITH ADS
Issue: Advertising
Responding to intense competition from Web-based e-mail services like Yahoo
and Hotmail, Qualcomm will make its popular e-mail program Eudora -- named
after writer Eudora Welty -- available for free if users are willing to see
ads displayed within the program. Customers spend much more time inside one
program than they ever would at any single Web page. "The trend is toward
ad-supported software," said Marissa Gluck, an analyst with Jupiter
Communications in New York briefed by Qualcomm on its strategy. "With e-mail
it's a much more loyal and active user than someone who's just passing
through a Web site."
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Rob Pegoraro]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/09/237l-120999-idx.html)
AN E-GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING AND GETS RECIPIENTS INVOLVED
Issue: Internet
This holiday season give your friends the gift of giving. A Web start-up is
offers a Charitygift. The process is simple enough: givers visit the site to
specify the amount of the donation, the person in whose name it's to be
made, and billing information. They also must customize a gift card for the
recipient. The cards is then delivered electronically or by postal mail.
When the recipient receives the card, he or she goes to the site (or phone),
gives a code, then chooses a charity to receive the donation. The Web site
has a searchable list of 680,000 IRS-registered non-profit groups. Each
donation made through the site must be for a minimum of $10. Charitygift
says it has applied to the IRS for non-profit status. Charitygift's ensures
privacy as the amount of the gift and the recipient's charity choice remain
confidential.
[SOURCE:USA Today (3D), AUTHOR: Leslie Miller]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/19991209/1732676s.htm)
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