Stories about: AllAdvantage.com

Sounding like a broken record is a common occupational hazard for executives who head up e-business initiatives.

Those who are sick of shelling out around $US20 a month for their ISP (Internet service provider) can apparently make some of that money back -- and no, it's not a "paid-to-surf" view bar. MiracleMail Inc.'s MiracleNet.com Tuesday announced the launch of a full-service Internet portal that allows customers to send e-mail, surf the Web and shop online, and the customers earn a share of the advertising revenue.

It's not a good idea to pay people to shop, and it's easier on the eyes to flip through a catalogue made out of paper and ink than to view images on a PC screen. Seems simple, right? If only e-retailers would catch on. One tactic that backfired is the pay-to-surf idea, which has come close to wiping out AllAdvantage.com.

BOSTON (07/21/2000) - Soon after AllAdvantage.com Inc. started paying users to surf the Web, the company grew quickly to 7 million registered members. AllAdvantage set up offices worldwide, and what seemed a novelty 16 months ago when the company started caught on, with copycat sites springing up.

If your end users get wind of the latest craze hitting the Net, your network could be in trouble. Tagged "surfing for cash", this latest phenomenon is arousing interest among on-the-job users seeking to make a bit of cash on the side. The problem is, they're doing it when they're not supposed to and they're doing it using your network. As evidenced in a number of sites, users are prepared to compromise the ethical issues that come with surfing for cash while on the job, for anything between $5 to $500 per month. In return, users read and respond to e-mails from advertisers, visit advertiser Web sites and view online ads, all during working hours.

Think of it as cyber-moonlighting. An influx of Web sites that pay end users to surf, search and send e-mails are enticing employees to use their speedy Internet connections at work to earn a little extra cash while on the job.

The expectation of what's private and what's public sure isn't what it used to be. I know more -- a lot more -- about former Senator Bob and Elizabeth Dole's relationship than I ever really cared to, not to mention Mr. and Mrs. Clinton's. An inevitable consequence of the information age is a change to our notion of privacy. I say it's time to explore the next generation of privacy tools -- tools that will let us turn our personal information into a commodity and sell it in the information economy.

Friday, Feb. 25

Think of it as cyber-moonlighting.

Viral marketing goes one step too far -- to a place where friends spam friends

Having passed through Christmas unscathed by any major virus activity, virus protection software vendors are still being watchful of viruses or other attacks against computers that the first few days of 2000 may bring.