Teenage girls portal MyKindAPlace (www.mykindaplace.com), which numbers former Mirror showbiz writer Matthew Wright as editorial director, is branching out into design. Since going live in June 2000 the site has seen off a number of major competitors, including Wowgo, a site backed by Unilver, which it eventually acquired. The move into design is also likely to have been decided following the news in September that Superdrug was shutting up shop on the internet. Superdrug had been involved in several sponsorship deals with MyKindAPlace. What it also shows is that online offerings in the present economy need to look at developing new sources of revenue and be prepared to develop. As everyone knows, these are tough times for online ventures and it will get even tougher. Those who survive are the ones who are flexible and able to spot opportunities.
It looks like Associated has finally activated the metro.co.uk domain by creating Metro CafŽ (www.metro.co.uk). The site is not news led, rather it takes feature elements from the newspaper such as trivia, showbiz features and competitions. As the name implies, this site is worth using during a break and should they put some news into the offering, it has the potential to be a useful site for quick and quirky content.
Tiscali (www.tiscali.co.uk), the Italian-founded internet service provider that has swallowed up a number of competitors this year – including BT and United Media owned LineOne – has enlisted the Press Association (www.pa.press.net) to supply a number of news and feature packages covering showbiz, finance, weather and gig guides. PA previously supplied content to World Online, another Tiscali-bought internet provider.
Last week I wrote about the ultra-small Olympus DW-90 (www.olympus.co.uk) digital voice recorder. This digital recorder costs £99.99, weighs 65g and is no bigger in size than a credit card – which makes it very useful for discreet recordings. Plus you can also connect it to a computer to download recordings and put them online. All you have to do to be in with a chance to win it, is answer this question with your name, postal address and phone number: What else does Olympus make? A: cameras; B: furniture; C: toasters. Send your answer by e-mail to: compy@bunder.com.
Pease note only one entry per e-mail address and postal address. The first correct entry drawn after the closing date of 7 December wins.
Leslie Bunder
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