UKNM: Sticky portals - Neoplanet

[Steve Johnston]

Steve,


First impressions are favourable, very responsive and intuitive, and the design is strong. I wouldn't want to use it on anything smaller than a 17" monitor. The 19" monitor I am using at 1024x768 leaves a nice approximately 800x500 window for the sites. I'll try it at home on my 15". I know this isn't the sort of feedback you are particularly interested in but first impressions are important. I'll try to look beyond the obvious US-centricity of the bookmarks, and I'll keep using it for a few days.


More later.


Steve Johnston

steveimrg [dot] org

IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group)


www.imrg.org


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********


On 26/08/98, at 08:22, Steve Bowbrick  wrote: 


>OK. Let me a bit more scientific about my Neoplanet e-mail. I'm actually

>after some opinions so here's the deal. Anyone from the list who downloads

>and tries Neoplanet 2.0 http://www.neoplanet.com/beta2 and then tells me

>(or the list) what they think of it as a product and as a solution to the

>'portal problem' earns a pint of beer (or equivalent in your currency).

>It's a tiny download.

>

>Steve

>

>---------

>

>I'm going to save Ray's comment on this topic: "...six or seven big portals

>is as many as there ever will be..." because it sounds entertainingly like

>an earlier seer's "...we anticipate the global requirement for computers

>will never exceed seven..." (paraphrase).

>

>The location of your portal seems to me to be the big problem right now.

>Portals are still - universally, I think - constituted as destinations,

>with all of the associated problems of attracting and keeping users in a

>sea of me-too content.

>

>Seth Godin from Yoyodyne says that there are eight million web sites and

>eighty million web users so if you have an audience of greater than ten you

>are already a success. You should give your eleventh punter a Vauxhall

>Astra - you're ahead of the curve. Getting from there to breakeven is the

>tough part - witness the Mutually Assured Destruction of spiralling

>'exclusive partner' fees.

>

>How about a portal that sidesteps the apocalyptic maths by creeping down

>the chain to the user's PC and lodging there - in the browser. A

>'persistent' or 'sticky' portal that stays in view no matter where you are


>or what you're doing. Example: Neoplanet - Bigfoot's Explorer Shell which

>is going down a storm with ISPs and Media Owners in the US where they fear

>the implacable Godin equation more than anything.

>

>Neoplanet is up to 2.0 and has been adopted as standard distribution by

>160+ US ISPs, some very large. Neoplanet's footprint is tiny (it uses

>Explorer's parser/renderer) and it keeps a set of centrally-controlled,

>hierarchically-organised bookmarks in view at all times, along with an ad

>opportunity and custom branding. It's like an embedded mini-Yahoo, present

>at all times, on- or off-line. I think it's a powerful model. Take a look -

>I'd welcome a discussion of its merits or otherwise.

>

>

>

>

>http://www.neoplanet.com (interest declared: Webmedia Group is a

>shareholder in Bigfoot)

>

>Steve 

>--

>Steve Bowbrick                                      Webmedia Group

>0171 494 3177                                         0468 257 570

>

>

>

>

http://www.webmedia.com/steve stevewebmedia [dot] com (mailto:stevewebmedia [dot] com)

>

>

>

>http://www.bowbrick.com - he's very advanced for his age...


Steve Johnston

Director of Development

IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group)


http://www.imrg.org/

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