Web Shorts

Yahoo introduces webcast services
Travel-wary executives have taken to videoconferencing, and internet portal Yahoo has positioned itself to take advantage of the growing demand for remote meeting technology. The company has launched two fee-based broadcasting services. One, called Virtual Conference, is suited for trade shows and conventions. Thousands of participants at a time will be able to log on to virtual conferences. The conferences can be pay-per-view, and the technology has the capacity to offer question-and-answer sessions. Yahoo will sell a package of five such virtual conferences for roughly $350,000. The second videoconference service is called Executive Communication Center/Breaking News Channel, and it is aimed at allowing companies to offer live webcasts of breaking news events such as an acquisition. Yahoo is charging corporate clients $250,000 for five events.

Chinese lift controls on U.S. news sites
Allegedly prompted by interest in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., internet censors in China have lifted controls on several U.S. news sites, including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Boston Globe. Other similar sites like CNN, Time magazine and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as those of human-rights groups, are still blocked. The New York Times was unblocked in August following an interview between the paper's top editors and Chinese President Jiang Zemin. While the action implies that the Chinese government is becoming more lenient in allowing access to Western media, critics say the move looks better than it actually is, as few in China can read English. Moreover, the uneven effectiveness of the web controls already gives Chinese surfers access to articles critical of the Chinese government in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and ABCNews.com, but not to stories on subjects such as Taiwan or the Falun Gong movement.

Salon introduces ads that are more intrusive still
Money-losing webzine/media company Salon is taking steps to make sure its non-paying readers get exposed to ad messages. The company has rolled out a new type of ad that appears before readers can see stories. When readers visit Salon and click on links to stories, the ads pop up. Readers can access the articles only by clicking on links contained within the ads, a concept that’s not far removed from television and radio advertising. Salon officials say that only a few readers have complained about the new ad format since its launch on Monday, and some readers have responded positively. Analysts consider the format less intrusive than the pop-under format, which opens new browser windows whether the user wants a new window opened or not. Even if the ads do irritate Salon readers, the irritation possibly could benefit the magazine by persuading readers to pay $30 a year for ad-free access.

NetZero-Juno merger is final
The two largest providers of free internet access have become one. Juno Online Services and NetZero have finalized their merger. The new company, called United Online, was listed on the Nasdaq starting yesterday. United Online is headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., where NetZero was based. The merged company says it has more than 6.7 million users in the United States and Canada. Its two subsidiaries, Juno and NetZero, offer users a limited number of free online hours in exchange for viewing ads. United Online will not rely on advertising revenue alone, and like now-defunct rivals such as Spinway and 1stUp, has introduced premium internet access packages for a monthly fee.

PSAs fight hacking
Hacking for revenge is misguided at best and a hate crime at worst: That’s the thrust of a new public service announcement campaign that will attempt to dissuade would-be hackers, specifically those who want to damage Middle Eastern web sites in retribution for the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The 15- and 30-second online and television spots likely will use the Ad Council’s distribution network. They will feature Vint Cerf, who is one of the original developers of the internet, along with internet safety authority Parry Aftab. Their message: When you perform an ostensibly patriotic hacking or defacement, you can clog up the internet and thus hinder communication that could help people heal and better understand one another. So far, there have been no reports of Muslim or Arab web sites being crippled or seriously compromised by attacks. Most of the so-called revenge hackings have involved vandalism.

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