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Bankrupt energy trading company Enron showed the door to two employees who expressed negative opinions about the company on Yahoo message boards, according to reports. In an Enron-only online discussion in September, Enron worker Clayton Vernon asked company chairman Kenneth Lay if the firm had inflated its profits through aggressive accounting. Vernon also posted salty anti-Lay missives on a Yahoo message board in November; after the notes were traced to him, he was fired. Another former Enron employee, whose name has not been released, posted a message online in early December noting that the company paid a total of $55 million in bonuses to its top executives shortly before filing for bankruptcy. That employee was fired as well. Enron defended the firings, saying, more or less, that it had to protect its image.
NetRatings and Jupiter carry on with lawsuit
Could the merger between internet research companies Jupiter Media Metrix and Nielsen NetRatings be in jeopardy? Jupiter Media Metrix has picked up its lawsuit against NetRatings again, complaining that NetRatings is violating its patent and using Jupiter Media Metrix’s techniques for monitoring web site usage and traffic. The companies say their merger is still on. This lawsuit, which was filed in March 2001, had been dropped when the companies announced in October that they planned to merge. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing the research companies’ merger, but that’s not unusual in deals worth more than $50 million. If the FTC approves the deal, it will become final this spring.
Women outpacing men in getting wired
The ranks of female internet users are increasing at a faster clip than are the ranks of male internet users, according to data recently released by Nielsen//NetRatings. Among at-home surfers, women still outnumber men, making up 52 percent of those online. As of December 2001, there were 55 million women online, 9 percent greater than the number of women online in December 2000. By way of comparison, the ranks of men online increased by just 3 percent in the same time span, to 49.8 million. Overall the number of web surfers increased 6 percent to 104.8 million. Still, at-home male internet users spend more time online than their distaff counterparts. Men spend 24 percent more time online, roughly 11 hours a month, compared to women, who spend about 9 hours a month online from home.
Would-be shoe bomber left email footprints
Richard Reid, the man accused of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with a bomb concealed in his footwear, made email contact with possible accomplices in the Middle East. According to authorities in Paris, Reid emailed people in Pakistan for instructions after he was not allowed to board the first flight that he was allegedly supposed to blow up. Reid missed an American Airlines Dec. 21 Paris to Miami flight because he aroused security workers’ suspicions. They detained him and questioned him long enough that he missed takeoff. The source in Pakistan wrote Reid back, telling him to take the same flight on the next day, which he did. As extensively reported, the flight’s passengers and crew restrained Reid after he was seen attempting to ignite the fuse of the shoe-based explosives with a match.
EBay raises auction fees
Like its counterparts in the cable industry, eBay has announced fee increases for its services just days after announcing a 64 percent increase in fourth-quarter revenues. While Wall Street rewarded the measure with a surge in stock value, eBay sellers grumbled over fees that are expected to bring in between $5 and $6 million in revenue in the first quarter alone. The bulk of the money will come from the one-fourth percentage point increase in the final-value charge, which varies depending on the price of the final sale. Items under $25 will have 5 percent deducted, and those bringing $1,000 or more will see a 1.25 percent cut. Within the eBay Motors department, sellers will now have to fork over $40 to list a car and $40 if they sell it. This is a 60 percent increase from the previous $25 list and $25 sale fees. Other increases will come from the restructuring of Dutch auction sales, where multiple items are sold to various buyers, as well as from bigger fees for promotional options. EBay officials contend the changes are needed for technical improvements and customer service.
January 22, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
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