New Portal Launches, Uses Google Content

From the Excite Network

[rubble88]

Say Hello to MyWay.Com [myway.com]

MyWay.Com is part of the Excite Network and touts

"one the Internet's most protective privacy policies and -- most importantly -- does not contain a single banner or pop-up advertisement throughout the entire site."

The search and directory portion of the site features Google content. Pdf and other alternative formats are available in html but listed as cached which is different than what's found on Google.Com. Image search is also available.

Other portal features include free e-mail (5mb inbox), page personalization, toolbar, and more.

They also promote the site as "fast loading". Each page features a box with an approximage page load time.

Read the full news release [library.northernlight.com] and privacy policy [info.myway.com].
Also a list of what "My Way" [info.myway.com] Doesn't Offer. (:

[edited by: rubble88 at 11:03 pm (utc) on Oct. 28, 2002]

[mack]

I was also looking for ididit email address...

I am still to see how this site going to make any money?

From a users point of view it is good to see a site with no banners.

[Marcia]

I tried for [e-mail] - no, not a typo. :) No luck, already taken by someone quicker on the draw. Seriously, I've been needing new web-based mail to unclutter my regular inbox, and it's SUCH a pleasure to have no blinking banners, popups and pop-unders.

Just the mail, weather and some news, together with good search, is a nice place to start. Validation aside, the load time is a blessing. Now if they'd only add "no JavaScript" to the no-no list - it crashed IE as it always does.

Apparently they've got partner sites with text links (like weather.com), so I imagine those get them revenue without the annoyance factor.

[mack]

Well I was able to get my first name as my new email address. With any luck they have some form of spamm protection that will stop bots harvesting email addresses. I think users will like it. They have a lot of neat content all only a few clicks away. Needless to say they also have a direct link to the best search available. The customise your page is what I think will make a lot of people use it as their homepage. I like portal sites and this one makes a refreshing change. The majority of the portals are now bombarding users with pop ups, multimedia banners, and audio banners. What a refreshing change to have just content.

[EquityMind]

The only thing I DONT like is the 6 sponsored links on search results. I think Yahoo's move to 4 is too much. Stick with three or under or better yet put them on the side like Google. Otherwise yes...very refreshing to have fast loading content without annoying banners, pop ups and pop unders and NO X-10 ads!

[PFOnline]

I tried for [e-mail] - no, not a typo. No luck, already taken by someone quicker on the draw. Seriously, I've been needing new web-based mail to unclutter my regular inbox, and it's SUCH a pleasure to have no blinking banners, popups and pop-unders.

Marcia, your not going to believe this but, I reg'd [e-mail]! LOL... Swear to god... Tried [e-mail] first, but it was taken, then tried idoit, and it was available... ;)

[bether2]

I've never liked portals much, but I just signed up for myway email and set up a layout for "my page." This is great! Fast. Uncluttered.

Beth

[JayC]

Marcia, your not going to believe this but, I reg'd [e-mail]! LOL... Swear to god... Tried [e-mail] first, but it was taken, then tried idoit, and it was available...

Yeah, I was one of the probably hundreds of people who tried ididit... but I settled for the synonymically sound idid@myway dot com (and a couple of other addresses).

But really, I'm not much interested in using a portal either. I rarely do, and I probably won't actually use this one... but that doesn't mean I won't have a little fun with it, and I really don't care that there's "nothing special" about it.

[rfgdxm1]

You guys missed the obvious:

[e-mail]

I got that one. ;)

[JayC]

You guys missed the obvious:
[e-mail]

Nah, I thought of that... but decided it would only confuse my friends and correspondents if I did use it. For about 10 or 12 years my primary personal email address has involved spelling out my initials -- which means every time I tell someone what it is, I have to spell it out for them, so they don't think it's just the initials... so I don't want to do that again and have to say "it's E-Y-E-D-I..."

I hope you enjoy it, though! ;)

[Marcia]

<== [e-mail]

What can I say? I'm domineering. Ask anybody. ;)

[ikbenhet1]

PowDork, It's another Google basket.
->added: sorry, misread that, that's what you meant.

[jackofalltrades]

how about [e-mail]?

or [e-mail]

[e-mail]

it could go on all day...
:)

JOAT

[Learning Curve]

What do you guys mean, "Where's the money?"

A recent thread [webmasterworld.com...]
showed that half - yes, half - of Yahoo! cash flow comes from Overture listings. And that was before they added the 4th listing at the top.

And these guys got 6 - they ain't shy - 6 AdWords listings at the top.

It seems like a reasonable business plan. No banners or pop-ups many people hate, just sponsored listings which seem to have better consumer acceptance. Maybe there's a niche these guys.

[Liane]

Just registered [e-mail]. :) Don't know why really ... I never use web based e:mail, but what the heck!

[ade_uk]

yeah nice + clean, i've got letsgo@myway.

[john316]

Maybe google could start franchising these things.

[ade_uk]

has any1 tried the horoscopes (or should it be horroscopes)

i get:

Whoever invented Oracle should be forced to attend back-to-back Yanni and Kenny G concerts. You've got the database blues, but you hide it well.

[Brad]

Advertising banners and popups seems to be where Yahoo is vulnerable. But I would worry about Google market saturation.

[Philosopher]

Yep...seems like a fairly clean site and I do like the load time.

Just picked up [e-mail]

[kmarcus]

I wonder if they are still owned by cmgi?

[boston.internet.com...]
----

look at the earlier stuff, it's pretty funny.
[web.archive.org...]

talk about reinventing oneself...

[sun818]

Awww.. someone already took [e-mail] :(

but i got, [e-mail]

[mack]

Anyone read the part where it is talking about spreading the word?

"Use our form to spamm your friends, just because we dont spamm doesn't mean you cant."

[tarheel2002]

Looks like 7 sponsored listings to me... all the worse!

[PFOnline]

I'll give " [e-mail] " to anyone who wants it... not like i'll ever use it, just made it for the hell of it. Sticky mail me if u want it, and ill hand over the password.

<edit> Sorry that's " [e-mail] " rather! I dont have " [e-mail] " </edit>

UPDATE: Someone got it. :)

[Brett_Tabke]

I just don't get this. As far as I can tell Myway is:

- A) odp rdf dump site.
- B) Google search results.
- C) Free email.
- D) News aggregation.

So, we've go 4 off-the-shelf scripts that a first year webmaster could slap together and that a hundred other sites have done. eg: there's nothing new here - move along...

What's the deal here? How does that rate an article in the ny times or even mention in passing on WembasterWorld too boot?

Who's behind this thing that they'd have that kind of contacts to take a bunch of off the shelf scripts and get this kind of Press?

I don't get it.

[mack]

I think the big apeal is that it is new... Everyone likes to to take a look around and it has to be said..it is crisp and clean (apart from the html) Because it is new..people will scrample there to get easy to remember email addresses.

But you are right. Nothing origional. Question is.. Is it here to stay?

[Dante_Maure]

It's just good marketing.

It is a very faulty belief that success is most often achieved by those that innovate.

Innovation as a business model is incredibly hard to maintain, and it's damn risky too. (Thankfully there are many that do enjoy the thrill of pushing the envelope)

Most often success is born from simply spotting a trend and bringing together already proven elements in a somewhat original, better executed, or better marketed manner.

Obviously the success of Google has shown the average (wo)man's affection for a clean, uncluttered, invasive advertising free environment.

People love portals.

People hate banners and pop ups.

People love Google's search results.

People love a site with personality. (look at all the media attention and pass-along chipotle.com has been getting)

People love free web based email, but are sick of the commercially glutted gauntlet they need to run through to read it at Hotmail and Yahoo.

Add a snappy and memorable brand name and you've got the seeds for a potentially strong contender... even if there isn't a great deal of innovation involved.

Will I be using the site personally? No.

Do I think that there are some sharp folks at MyWay.com with a good sense of what's in demand with joe everyman? Yes.

[PFOnline]

True, it's nothing really original. Portal's have been around for quite a long time now... But come to think of it, I can't remember the last Portal I've seen that doesn't have ad's like this... If anyone knows of any, please post 'em! :) I Like checkin out portals and seeing if my site is listed in them.

This is what I think makes this new Portal different and better than others. That they're capable of offering some nice services for free, without flooding your screen with ad's. :)

[PFOnline]

Dante_Maure, I think you summed it up about right there.

Brett_Tabke, the only difference I see with this new Portal is that it doesn't have ad's like most portals have... And this little difference, (not having ad's) actually makes a big difference, I think.

Like Dante said, people hate ad's, popups, popunders, banners, etc... With that in mind, I think this is a portal that actually may have some potential. :)

[john316]

>>I see with this new Portal is that it doesn't have ad's<<

The first six listings are googleads.

I agree with Brett, this thing looks like a plugin.

They should come up with a plugin that everyone could "buy", I would pay $149.00 for the thing.