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 : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KeepItSimple who wrote (81758)	10/24/1999 8:28:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

AltaVista takes on Yahoo with new portal By Andrea Orr PALO ALTO, Calif. , Oct 24 (Reuters) - AltaVista on Monday will unveil a major overhaul, transforming itself from a bare-bones Internet portal to one rich in features from real-time stock quotes to extensive shopping directories, the company said. Accompanying the new features will be an aggressive advertising campaign that the company says is one of the most expensive in technology history. AltaVista, majority-owned by the Internet incubator CMGI Inc.<CMGI.O>, said it is planning to spend $120 million on promotion between now and July, including $8 million on its launch day, Monday, alone. "On Monday we're putting our foot down and saying we are a new media commerce network to be reckoned with," said AltaVista Chief Executive Rod Schrock. "We have a world class network of services and now is the time to promote our brand." The change will be a dramatic one for AltaVista, which, despite being one of the first and most respected search services on the Internet, has until recently remained one of the least commercial. Although Alta Vista has always been popular among people looking for basic information online, it has not kept up with many of the flashy features offered on other portals. Schrock said the new service, to be unveiled in New York, is designed to compete with the biggest Internet portals. "Our biggest competitor is Yahoo Inc.<YHOO.O>, he said, referring to the service which has consistently ranked as the No. 1 Internet portal, and has recently extended its lead against rivals such as ExciteAtHome Corp.'s <ATHM.O> excite.com, Walt Disney Co.'s <DIS.N> Go Network, and Lycos Inc.'s <LCOS.O> network of online properties. To compete in such a crowded field, AltaVista has developed three new services it says cannot be found on any other portal. Its new AltaVista Live service is a personalized portal designed to bring a new level of immediacy to the Internet with real-time stock quotes, live sports scores ("pitch by pitch," Schrock says), live breaking news and even live video cameras offering traffic reports from major cities. Alta Vista will also unveil a new-and-improved search service covering more of the Internet, and its shopping.com site featuring content from 100,000 retailers. Although this bid to dominate the Internet is admittedly a little late, Schrock says he hopes it will work to AltaVista's advantage. "There's a huge advantage to being last," he said. "You can come up with a vision and a strategy that's better. We want to be a more empowering brand that unlocks the full power of the Internet." REUTERS Rtr 18:31 10-24-99