[12094] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Press Release: Internet Company to Create Commercial Newsgroups
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Rob Raisch, The Internet Company)
Thu May 5 00:44:07 1994
Date: Wed, 4 May 1994 15:29:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Rob Raisch, The Internet Company" <raisch@internet.com>
To: Commercialization and Privatization <com-priv@psi.com>
Cc: Multiple recipients of list <cni-modernization@cni.org>
In-Reply-To: <9404037680.AA768006426@chronicle.page1.com>
Contact: William Love
The Internet Company
(617) 547-4731
info@internet.com
Paul Vizza
The Electronic Newsstand
(800) 40-ENEWS
info@enews.com
INTERNET COMPANY TO CREATE COMMERCIAL NEWSGROUPS
ACCEPTABLE ADVERTISING ON GLOBAL INTERNET
CAMBRIDGE, MA (May 3, 1994) -- The Internet Company and The Electronic
Newsstand of Washington, D.C. today announced creation of a new discussion
forum on the global Internet designed to provide an acceptable channel for
companies to market products and services to more than 25 million consumers.
The new collection of newsgroups within the Usenet News Service will allow
advertisers to distribute purely commercial marketing information --
advertisements, pricelists and promotional offers -- to more than 2 million
Internet connected computers. Each newsgroup will be moderated by members
of the Internet community to control the quality of the service.
The decision to receive this commercial information is made at each computer
supporting Usenet News and by each individual member of the global Internet
community -- each site determines whether or not this service is acceptable
to their purposes, each user makes the personal decision to read.
THE MARKET.* NEWSGROUPS
The initial collection of newsgroups -- under the new "market.*" top-level
topic category -- will be organized to promote Internet-related products,
services, publications, access providers and events. General discussion and
announcements about further enhancements to the service will be supported in
separate newsgroups.
Future additions to this service will include forums to discuss and advertise
consumer, business and computer related products, services and publications.
RELIEF VALVE FOR INTERNET MARKETING
"This kind of service has been a long time in coming," said Jeffrey Dearth,
CEO of The Electronic Newsstand. "Recently, there have been many occurrences
of inappropriate advertising over Usenet and unsolicited advertising via
electronic mail."
Robert Raisch, president of The Internet Company, said "This service helps
to relieve the pressure marketers feel to use poorly considered forums for
advertising. Before now, there was no generally available and acceptable
channel for this kind of commercial information."
"While collecting electronic mail addresses of possible customers or posting
a commercial solicitation in a typical Usenet newsgroup might seem to be a
good idea at first glance, it completely ignores the fact that people pay
for the information they receive from the Internet, in one way or another."
"The costs of marketing on the global Internet are paid for by both the
advertiser and the consumer," Raisch continues. "Unsolicited advertising
on the global Internet is as acceptable as junk FAX is in the real world.
In a very real sense, sending anything to someone without their explicit
permission is theft."
"It is imperative that the Internet find ways to incorporate commercial
information because it is the life's blood of business," says Bill Washburn,
executive director of the Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX.) "That is,
commercial information pays its own way and therefore directly supports the
global Internet."
USENET NEWS
The Usenet News Service is the second most popular communications service
available on the global Internet and comprises more than 10,000 different
discussion forums or newsgroups. Available on more than two million
Internet connected computers -- as well as over the Usenet UUCP "store and
forward" network where it began -- the Usenet News is used by researchers,
educators, professionals, students and just plain folks all over the world.
Discussion on Usenet ranges from the newest computer technology to social
and recreational topics.
THE INTERNET COMPANY
Established in 1993, The Internet Company is the premier provider of
electronic publishing services on the global Internet. A privately held
technical services firm, The Internet Company designs, develops and manages
information distribution and retrieval services for electronic publishers.
The Internet Company helped to develop The Electronic Newsstand(tm), a highly
successful marketing venture which provides articles from more than 80
mainstream magazines, newsletters and books, to customers on the global
Internet for no charge. (Gopher: gopher.internet.com Port: 2100)
The Internet Company also designed and manages Counterpoint Publishing's
Internet Federal Register, Commerce Business Daily, and Code of Federal
Regulations. (Email: info@counterpoint.com)
