WebDesign by Harold Carey Jr.
Any Changes or Additions Mail to
<harold@ibic.com
>
Copyright ©1996 IBIC
The Internet Digest (a Magellan "3-Star" site), is a publication for Webmasters, HTML programmers, Corporate Web Page Designers, Netsurfers, and anyone interested in learning more about the internet. Internet Digest is a convenient way for you to stay informed of valuable resources on the Internet. Internet Digest Focuses on helping you with page design basics, and explaining HTML and how the Web works, and the technical aspects of running, administering, and marketing WorldWideWeb sites.
In recent weeks, more than two dozen high-technology companies _ including Apple Computer, Netscape and America Online _ formed a group to fight an attempt by regional phone companies to charge for Internet access on a per-minute basis, just like for phone calls. The group of computer, software and online service companies contends that the phone charges almost certainly would be passed along to cyberspacers, potentially stifling future growth of a medium that has been fueled by unlimited exchange of ideas and information. Currently, most Internet users pay a flat monthly rate to an Internet service provider for unlimited Internet access over regular phone lines. But local telephone companies assert that the extra usage is clogging their lines. The access fees are needed, they say, to pay for upgrades to their networks or build new ones to handle the millions of Americans going online each day for everything from movie reviews to stock trading. The FCC has started work on the issue and has said it expects a decision by the middle of next year.
IDT Corporation (Nasdaq: IDTC) released the full-duplex beta version of Net2Phone, enabling all Internet users to call any telephone worldwide from their multimedia PCs at dramatically lower costs than standard long distance calls. The full-duplex version allows users to conduct two-way simultaneous real-time conversations.
Net2Phone delivers a real-time, business quality, full-duplex, encrypted, communication system with point-to-point connectivity. Using Net2Phone, a call from overseas to anywhere in the United States will cost as little as 10 cents a minute compared to the average $2.00 a minute charged by standard long distance carriers. This dramatic cost savings is possible because Net2Phone allows voice data to be carried over the Internet's packet switch network until it reaches IDT's U.S. telephone infrastructure. There the signal is converted to the circuit switch network used by telephones, enabling the signal to be received by any phone worldwide.
Lycos and Blockbuster announced a new Internet navigational site to bring entertainment news and information to online users worldwide. The new site, is being introduced at over 3,200 neighborhood Blockbuster video and music stores nationwide today through the distribution of 1.5 million Sprint Internet Passport(sm) -Blockbuster Edition CD-ROMs. The CD-ROMs, free with a rental or purchase at the Blockbuster store, contain customized, entertainment-oriented Internet access software that provides direct access to the new site and a link through to Blockbuster's home page (http://www.blockbuster.com). Powered by Lycos technology and content, the new site will provide online users with the latest news about the stars, entertainment events and productsupdated daily.
Private TCP/IP networks are already avoiding the public Internet in droves. Now our nation's great research universities, the builders and first users of the Internet -- Harvard among them -- are preparing to join in the desertion of their sinking ship. Last month, 34 universities proposed that the Clinton administration buy higher education a separate Internet. Privatizing its backbones has left our universities with a "commodity" Internet that cannot serve the needs of research and education. The universities are proposing a new, separate, next-generation, government-funded Internet II. Their proposal is backed by the understanding that 100 universities and research organizations will each eventually commit $500,000 -- $50 million total -- to a three-to- five-year partnership with commercial companies and government agencies.
Microsoft Corp. announced the immediate availability of its Merchant Server software package for setting up Internet storefronts. The product lets companies build online stores with displays of merchandise, including photos and multimedia clips. It automates payment processing and shipping arrangements, and provides links to back-office databases and systems. "The product area that Merchant Server is involved in today is very small, but we believe it will see explosive growth," said Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates. Microsoft expects the number of consumers on the Internet to grow from 15 million today to 48 million by 2000.
Expanding its online presence, Business Week, the world's best-selling business magazine launched its World Wide Web site at www.businessweek.com. With editorial content provided by the magazine's award-winning staff, the new site offers a rich array of information resources to consumers and the business community. In addition to Maven(tm), the Business Week Computer Buying Guide, the site features daily business news, stock quotes, archives, Business Week's popular business school rankings and more.
Although the common conception is that intranets are used primarily as a document repository, database access popped to the top of the list as a primary function of an intranet, according to Intranets Trends Study, a survey of IS/network managers and corporate managers at 500 businesses, conducted by CMP Media and Sage Research. The study found that businesses typically use intranets to improve interdepartmental communications and the most important uses are databases access and document distribution.
Nobody's making money off the Internet except the folks who got rich on IPOs for companies such as Netscape and Yahoo, says the street talk. But don't tell that to Robert Guaraldi, president and founder of systems integrator Valinor. Although Valinor's Internet/intranet solutions now generate only about 5 percent of his Manchester, N.H.-based company's $10 million annual revenue, Guaraldi expects the percentage to grow to about 30 percent in two years. "Internet development has been profitable," confirms Guaraldi, who charges from $65 to $175 an hour for Web development work. And don't tell David Finkelstein of ICN, a Boca Raton, Fla., VAR specializing in building enterprise Web sites featuring custom commercial solutions, that there's no money to be made on the Web. His 15-person firm charges from $85 an hour for site design and layout up to $200 for technical consultant work. Not only is ICN making money off the Web, but so are its customers. "Virtually all of our commerce sites are profitable," says Finkelstein. "The Web works as a commercial channel if you give it a chance.
Cascading style sheets offer Web designers new ways to control the layout of Web pages. But there are big questions: how do style sheets work, which browsers are supporting them, and who controls the future of the style sheet specifications?
Do you ever need to get your email or use the Web while away from the office? Are you confused by the dozens of ways to access the Net from a portable computer? Check out our special report on mobile Internet access for the tips you need to stay connected no matter where you roam.
The six sections are Across the Board, Expeditions, Fishing Gear, Hunting Gear, Camping Gear, and Reference. The "plus sites" focus on fishing, outdoor, and shooting sports.
The site features company news and information, a newsletter, health tips, contests with prizes, a Shockwave slot machine game, as well as The World's First Online Breath Test.
Net Companies - The Sourcebook is an online business guide
http://www.internetsourcebook.com/
ONSALE, a real-time interactive auction house on the World Wide Web, recently surpassed $1,000,000 in weekly sales, confirming its dominant position as the largest electronic retailer of refurbished PC products on the internet. Due to the continuing growth in consumer demand, the company will add an additional weekly auction, moving from two auctions per week to three auctions per week, effective Monday, November 11, 1996. The new auction closing days will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Jerry Kaplan, CEO, observed that "Because of our explosive growth in sales, product offerings, and bidding activity, we have decided to move to three auctions per week. This will provide our customers with more opportunities to bid and win. This change will also permit us to offer a wider overall range of inventory while simplifying each auction. If you have any remaining doubts about the viability of electronic commerce, just talk to one of our 75,000 enthusiastic customers. Electronic commerce is alive and well at ONSALE -- wish you were here!"
More than 36 million Asians are primed to join the ranks of electronic consumers, according to a new report by Andersen Consulting and The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The potential electronic consumers reside primarily in seven Asian countries: Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. The report says that access to telecommunications, computer penetration rates, and personal income levels, establish these markets as ready for electronic commerce.
The one billion ads served represents a tracking average of the ads appearing on the NetGravity AdServer supported sites. The significance of this total is apparent by the fact that, at an assumed average of $20 CPM, the one billion ad total represents $20 million in ad revenue for NetGravity customers, or 20 percent of the $100 million Jupiter Communications forecasted to be spent for online advertising this year.
He created, hosts and maintains over 300 WWW pages and Web sites
the latest being the:
Home Business Center.
http://www.homebusiness.com,
and the
Daily Herald Newspaper
http://www.daily-herald.com
. His site at
http://www.ibic.com get
thousands of accesses a day and email comments and questions from all
over the world.
His most popular sites are:
Netscape Enhancement Index Programming Netscape:
http://www.ibic.com/Program/NScapeHome.html
Top of the Web -
http://www.ibic.com/IBIC/TopIntro.html
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WebDesign by Harold Carey Jr.
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Any Changes or Additions Mail to Copyright ©1996 IBIC |