Do you suppose the clear slowdown in submissions we've been discussing of late might be, um, less than coincidental when they're trying to intriduce something like this . . .? Also, if they allegedly exercise editorial control, what do you think the odds of anyone paying $199 being determined editorially inadequate would be? b ------------------------------------- Yahoo! asks sites to pay for privilege By Margaret Kane, ZDNet Want to get to the front of the line? That'll be $199, please. A new marketing program from Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) would charge commerce sites a $199 fee for "express" consideration of their web sites for inclusion in the company's main search directory. Unlike other search sites, which use automated spiders or robots to scan through the Web and pick up URLs, Yahoo has a team of "surfers" who individually examine every entry placed in its directory, deciding which category to put it under. Users can suggest sites to the surfers, but the final decision is up to the company. Waiting ... and waiting ... But it can take Yahoo! weeks or even months to get around to reviewing a suggested site, and in some cases the company may never get to it, said Tim Brady, vice president of production and executive producer at Yahoo!. The service being announced today is part of a broader package aimed at small businesses. The Yahoo! Business Express service gives commerce-enabled online stores "express consideration" for a one-time non-refundable fee of $199. "There are a certain set of folks whose lifeblood is to sell stuff online. For this set of folks we want to offer a service to guarantee that we'll look at the site within seven days," Brady said. No guarantees "People that sell things can still go through the submission queue. But there's no guarantee on the time." more at: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/technology/zdnet/story.html?s=n/zdnn/technology/19990210/199902101406 ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
