Online Technology March 2000
Interactive Newspapers online in New Orleans
By Tanya Zarlengo
Editorial Assistant
New Orleans -- The Interactive Newspapers Conference and Trade Show was held Feb. 9-12 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
With more than 100 vendors represented, the conference was the largest in its 10-year history.
The online focus of this year's show took a communal spin with many of the exhibitors showcasing products and services oriented toward the public and creating a local community online.
Eppy Awards
The 2000 Eppy Awards were presented February 11 with repeat winners and streak-breakers among them.
The biggest winners were the Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post, both of which captured three categories.
Chicagotribune.com was honored with awards for Best U.. Newspaper Online Service (circulation over 100,000), Best Classified Section in a Newspaper Online Service and, for the second year, Best Promotion of a Newspaper Online Service.
Washingtonpost.com again received the award for Best News Section. The site also received Best Shopping Application and Best Use of Interactivity in a Newspaper Online Service.
MSNBC broke CNet's three-year streak as it was named Best Non-Newspaper Online News Service.
Writer and columnist Steve Outing received the Eppy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in recognition of nearly ten years of thinking and writing about the newspaper industry's opportunities in new media.
Waveshift Inc.
As an alternative to publishing and maintaining a stand-alone Web site, Waveshift Inc. offers a self-publishing, Web-based events, classified and calendar database for community organizations looking for exposure on the Internet.
YourTown.net 3.0 allows local groups to post meetings and information on a host company's Web site.
In exchange, the company can increase site traffic and advertising revenue and repurpose acquired database information.
Administration may be done from any browser with no formal training required. The software is served by Waveshift and requires no installation.
Capitol Advantage
Capitol Advantage, a developer of Internet and print-based political tools and services, has coordinated with the Associated Press to produce the AP Election Center, an online resource for federal and state election information.
Designed specifically for AP member Web sites, the AP Election Center will provide complete background information and results for national and state elections, including state-by-state ballot summaries, congressional voting records and real-time results on election night.
The AP Election Center may be integrated into a member's election news pages or accessed through The Wire, the AP's breaking news Web site.
B-Linked.com
B-Linked.com debuted three new application services designed to connect online publishers with advertisers, agencies and the public.
AdTransit.com is a browser-based banner ad delivery service that will transmit banner advertising materials and insertion information to multiple publishers and banner management services. The service can also handle display and classified advertising for print.
AnnouncementWire.com is a portal that will enable the public to submit personal and business announcements to one or more publishers from a central site. Announcement types ranging from weddings to press releases can be posted on partner sites such as TheKnot.com.
NewsInaBox.com allows publishers to syndicate content such as articles and advice columns from AnnouncementWire partners to NewsInaBox.com affiliates.
Publishers who promote AnnouncementWire obtain free content from AnnouncementWire sponsors.
These services were in beta testing at the conference, at which time B-Linked.com expected full versions to be available by the end of February.
KOZ.com
Koz.com showcased its Community Publishing System (CPS) and ichat product suite, a package of products and services designed to boost a company's Web presence while using a common platform to extend local community interaction.
CPS offers affiliates chat and community calendar features as well as a full line of e-commerce services and electronic catalogs.
Branded electronic malls collect local businesses under the affiliate's brand name.
The CPS package can include Signature Sites that clone pre-created sites for specific business types to aid the integration of new businesses into the network.
KOZ.com announced that 146 affiliates, including Pulitzer Publishing and Morris Newspapers, will license a new online donation service.
The service is available through a partnership with DonorNet, provider of secure electronic fundraising for nonprofit organizations.
GMTI
Gannett Media Technologies International reported that Celebro Advertising Solution's Real Estate software, Celebro.com Real Estate, was implemented in ten new markets, including The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News and The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser.
Celebro.com Real Estate is a database driven, multi-media publishing product intended for the Real Estate clients of newspapers.
The product automates the process of producing Internet, print and voice advertising or other niche publications by capturing inventory, advertising data and photos in a single system.
Also being implemented in new markets, including The El Paso (Texas) Times, the Celebro CityServer is a software suite for building and maintaining Internet-based city guides.
Waveshift Inc.
800-394-7324
www.YourTown.net
Capitol Advantage
703.289.4670
www.capitoladvantage.com
B-Linked
800.254.6533
www.b-linked.com
KOZ.com
919-767-1061
www.koz.com
GMTI
800-801-3771
www.gmti.com