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The News – 11/21/00
XML Creator Maps the Web
Now here’s a new concept: Visually
represent the Web against a map of Antarctica. It sounds strange, and it
surely is ambitious, but check out Map.net
and see what you think. Oh, and it only supports IE 5.x browsers. The goal
is to become the largest human-edited directory on the Web.
It’s called Antarcti.ca™ (cute name alert), and it’s the brainchild
of XML co-creator Tim Bray. It’s ironic that the project currently only
supports Microsoft browsers, since the basic data comes from Netscape/AOL's
Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org). Each
of the 300,000 categories includes chat capability as well. The site is
free.
So what’s the business model? Seems that
the company expects to make money doing custom maps of corporate networks.
Kinda like the old Netscape model . . .
Map.net
One2One Targeted Audio Messages
Here’s a weird use
of technology. MusicBooth's AdAcoustics® ad insertion technology enables
advertisers to deliver targeted, one-to-one audio messages to online radio
listeners, without requiring a download or registration. AdAcoustics removes broadcast ads from
its partners' streaming content and seamlessly replaces the advertisement
with personalized messages. To do this, it uses database of over 80 million
anonymous profiles to select the right ad.
The MusicBooth
holds three patents covering numerous aspects of
targeted audio and
audio/video advertising. It’s target market is online radio stations which can
now customize ads to individual listeners. “For example, a broadcaster
using the AdAcoustics system could deliver a message about the release of
Ricky Martin's new album to one listener while it promotes Mariah Carey to
another simultaneously . . .Even if the user goes to another website, the
music goes with him," says 56-year-old lawyer Bob Wolfe, who holds
several patents on the technology. "This way, a site could charge 10
to 15 cents a message, as opposed to the 1 cent banner ads now cost. Another
benefit is you can pull an ad quickly if it's not working. Or you can run
test campaigns before you move to more expensive media like TV."
They plan on going
wireless, using partner Interep, as well.
Listeners can
immediately respond to an advertiser's message using another MusicBooth
tool, I-fetch (all these I- products make me I-retch).
Well, it sounds
like a cool idea, but I worry a little about the “80 million anonymous
profiles” database. It sounds a little like what Angara does. They have a database of more
than 100 million anonymous profiles. Partners of this network include Engage,
MatchLogic, Naviant, and Persona. As long as this information is truly
anonymous, then I guess it’s OK. But what if it isn’t?
MusicBooth
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