UMBC Institute for Global Electronic Commerce

ecTechWeb: News: Aug 1999

Click here to make me rich (Salon) 0 - An article describing how affiliates programs work and don't.
Has Publishing Found Its MP3? 0 - Online bookstore Fatbrain.comis planning a service that
allows individuals to publish written
works on its Web site, sell them and
collect half of the royalties.
Fed Smooths Way for Electronic Banking 0 - The Federal Reserve Board
votes unanimously to let banks
make account statements
available to customers through
e-mail or the Web.
E-Business - Lost in the translation 3 - This article from Forbes discusses language translation technology for the web, including eLingo, which has licensed translation technology from Lernout & Hauspie and Transparent Language. An interesting fact from the article -- "80% of the Internet's
content is in English, but
43% of Internet users
today can read no
English at all."
International Security, Trust, and Privacy Alliance 0 - Recognizing that the growth of information technology will
be increasingly constrained by security, trust, and privacy issues, representatives of 16 leading companies
today announced the formation of the International Security, Trust, and Privacy Alliance (ISTPA).
Postage4Free.com 0 - Postage4Free.com has
launched a Web site that dispenses 10 pre-stamped envelopes in exchange for
basic demographic data like age, income, preferences and habits.
Administration Appoints E-Commerce Adviser 0 - The Clinton Administration has appointed Elizabeth Echols to a new White
House post that will coordinate e-commerce issues.
e-commerce in Ireland 0 - Trade in goods and services over the Internet is expected to be worth $1.3 trillion globally by 2003,
and Ireland has been busy positioning itself to be an e-commerce hub. (CNET)
Online ads track more than you know 0 - An interesting article that discusses the increasing practice of advertisers hosted
by sites to place cookies on visitor's machines.
Fed Approves Online Bank Account Statements 0 - The Federal Reserve voted 5 to 0 Wednesday to allow banks, thrifts and
credit unions to provide account statements online to customers. (LA Times)
Web trader spills beenz 0 - Beenz.com has been threatened with legal action after
taking back millions of units of its web currency, which
were given away by mistake. (BBC)
Net Ad Revenues Adding Up 0 - A survey by the industry group shows
Internet advertising revenue rose to
US$693M in the first quarter of
1999, nearly double the $351 million
recorded in the first quarter of 1998.
The top 10 online publishers received
75 percent of the total online ad
revenue in the first quarter. (Reuters)
$11.5B Web ad spending by 2003 0 - Internet advertising spending will jump to $11.5 billion by
2003 from $3.2 billion this year, with expenditure exceeding the money spent in
some traditional media, a study by Jupiter Communications said. (CNET)
Lycos launches Web storefront services 0 - Internet search site Lycos is unveiling a service that lets
online stores sell through its Web site, as it seeks to boost revenue from
e-commerce transactions. (Cnet)
Fears Rise, Along with spending 0 - Two-thirds of online shoppers
responding to a recent survey said
they worry about the security of sites
they visit. (Wired)
Ireland To Criminalize E-Signature Fraud 0 - In a bid to bolster e-commerce security,
the Irish government has introduced legislation that would
criminalize the fraudulent use of e-signatures.
GM Launches e-GM 0 - GM has formed an independent unit called
``e-GM'' to coordinate and expand its global
electronic commerce activities, with a focus on
making it easier for consumers to buy new
vehicles online and to package them with an array
of on-board services via satellite. (Washington Post)
Earnst & Young internet shopping survey 2 - This report, Ernst & Young's second on the topic in two years, is
based on a survey conducted with consumers, retailers, and
manufacturers in the fall of 1998.
Retailers Send Personalized E-Mail (NYT) 0 - ( August 9 ) "Opt-in" e-mail has become a popular way for online retailers to
boost return visits to their sites. Many retailers now customize the
messages they send.
"Smart bots" for financial services 0 - Liechtenstein Global Trust is building a
web site, powered by Artificial Life's
proprietary Smart Engine Technology, for
two of its investment companies. The
site, which will provide Internet-based
financial services, will use a "smart bot"
to communicate with online clients in
natural language. (El.pub)
Affiliate programmes assessed 0 - An article on Jakob Neilsen's Alertbox site, considers the concept of
"affiliates programmes" - where sites refer business to other sites and
are paid a fee for doing so. The article includes a sidebar which outlines
the strengths and weaknesses of affiliates programmes, and their future. (El.pub Weekly)
E-commerce talent hard to find (CNET) 0 - "As e-commerce heats up, a perceived talent shortage is causing
start-ups and established companies alike to raid new ground for help
with online efforts. ..."
Internet bill paying 0 - Bill-paying over the Internet is likely to become business-as-usual within
just a few years. The Gartner Group predicts that in two years virtually
all banks will offer online bill payment, and industry analysts believe that
Internet portals such as America Online and Yahoo! will soon be offering
(and heavily promoting) online payment under their own brands. (USA Today 4 Aug 99)
News service to mobile phones 0 - Ericsson and Reuters have launched a joint project for the delivery of
financial markets news and data to the WAP-compliant mobile phones.
Sun-Netscape alliance preparing another e-commerce offering 0 - CNet -- The Sun-Netscape alliance will soon ship a suite of e-commerce software that allows businesses to
more easily forge electronic links with customers, suppliers, and business partners.
Campus.com (Forbes) 0 - New Internet startups such as campus24.com and campus pileline aim to get hold of a portion
of the $93 billion university students spend each year by
offering services targeting college-age needs.

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