Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : InfoSpace (INSP): Where GNET went! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RTev who wrote (7731)	6/21/1999 2:21:00 AM
From: Jeff Dryer	Respond to of 28311

RTev, >The first time I saw Yahoo's "portal" was in 1994 (and it might even >have been late in '93), long before AOL even offered access to the >web. The page was a lynx-enhanced text-only collection of reviews >and links to many of the sites on the web. It wasn't called a >"portal" then, but it was clearly an early version of the concept >created before almost anyone else. GNN also had a good index, and a >few of the search engines were already running, but the boys at >Yahoo were leading the pack back then. I understand your perspective and agree. In 1994, Yahoo was unique in the way they categorized the Web... the credit goes to Jerry Yang and David Filo the two founders of Yahoo because that's all there was. Back in 1995, AOL offered to buy Yahoo but instead Yahoo took a $1 million investment from Sequoia Capital at something like a $4 million valuation. Yahoo then went public in early 1996 with the game plan of becoming the AOL of the Web... the same strategy that Excite and the other portals had. So instead of being a portal to the rest of the Web, you try to build a comprehensive site of content channels, email and chat that keeps all of your visitors at your site. Because the Web is so large and competitive, Yahoo has been forced to take a copy anything good we see on the Web approach, probably better described as "if we can't acquire it, we have to build it." The problem is Yahoo doesn't build things in a responsible way... this is just my opinion.