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To: Captain Jack who wrote (69826)	10/25/1999 12:12:00 AM
From: Elwood P. Dowd	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 97611

Monday October 25 12:02 AM ET -Internet Co. AltaVista Revamps Site By CLIFF EDWARDS AP Technology Writer PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) - AltaVista Co., one of the oldest Internet search companies, is undergoing a radical makeover as it seeks to overtake competitors such as Yahoo! and America Online as a peak Web destination. The Palo Alto company is kicking off a $120 million marketing campaign on Monday - its first ever - to alert Web surfers to its newly designed Internet site, complete with slick and colorful graphics, an advanced comparison shopping service and self-updating news and sports information with easier-to-use features. ''We've already climbed the mountain; now we're running down the other side,'' said Rod Schrock, AltaVista's chief executive. ''We've not only changed the way we look and operate, we've built the next generation of the Internet experience.'' The move is the latest salvo in what could become a bruising war among companies that are trying to build loyalty to their portal. Portal sites, which serve as entry points to the Internet and make it easier for consumers to reach thousands of Web sites, make money by touting the amount of reach they can provide to advertisers and marketers. AltaVista is playing catch-up to leaders in the field such as Yahoo! and AOL after having relied for many years on the strength of word-of-mouth endorsements, said media e-commerce analyst Malcolm Maclachlan at International Data Corp. ''It really says something positive for them that they had a brand name just off the search capability, but what they needed to do for the last two years is join the pack and play off their strengths,'' said Maclachlan, who has seen the new site. ''I don't think you could even say a year ago that they were a portal site. That's what they've done with their new launch.'' Developed in 1995 by Digital Equipment Co., AltaVista became part of Compaq Computer Corp (NYSE:CPQ - news). with its 1998 takeover of Digital. Earlier this year, Compaq - not quite sure how AltaVista fit into its game plan - sold a 83 percent stake in the company to Internet investment firm CMGI Inc (Nasdaq:CMGI - news). The Andover, Mass.-based CMGI is moving to make AltaVista a centerpiece of its numerous Internet properties, with hopes of eventually spinning it off into a publicly traded company. While AltaVista has consistently been the most favored search engine in Europe, it ranks seventh globally behind Yahoo!, MSN, Netscape, Go, Lycos and Excite, according to Web rankings service Media Metrix. To that end, it has boosted its staff to more than 600 employees from 80 last year and created a tagline, ''AltaVista: smart is beautiful.'' It also has commissioned dozens of humorous television commercials, including one with Pamela Anderson Lee as a star who is saved by a technogeek who has used AltaVista to discover her plight following a disaster in Hollywood. To showcase its AltaVista Live! feature, which simulcasts traffic pictures, news, financial information and entertainment, the Palo Alto-based company donated $100,000 to charity for a 45-minute Lauryn Hill concert after the new site's official unveiling on Monday afternoon in New York. Its shopping feature, Shopping.com, also has been revamped to allow consumers to compare prices for a particular item among hundreds of other shopping sites. The so-called metasearch engine is rapidly become a must-have for portal companies as shoppers become more savvy in navigating the Web in search of bargains. Danny Sullivan, editor of searchenginewatch.com, said that despite the improvements, AltaVista is unlikely to overtake AOL and Yahoo! as the most frequently used portal sites since both have spent years making their brand names virtually synonymous with the Internet. Still, the makeover of AltaVista search engine using the AskJeeves technology - which allows people to make queries in sentence form rather than using keywords - could lure less computer-savvy people and help it overtake other competitors, he said. Make a name for yourself online! Search News Stories Search News Photos Oct 24 \| Oct 23 \| Oct 22 \| Oct 21 \| Oct 20 \| Oct 19 \| Oct 18 \| Oct 17 \| Oct 16 \| Oct 15 Home \| Top Stories \| Business \| Tech \| Politics \| World \| Local \| Entertainment \| Sports \| Science \| Health Questions or Comments Copyright © 1996-1999 The Associate