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News About The Netpreneur Program

1. GO WHERE THEY AREN'T
That was Mario Morino's advice at last week's Coffee & DoughNets (C&D) where he led a discussion on "Positioning Your Business." According to Mario, positioning is much more than PR or marketing, it's knowing who you are, where you are going and what you have to do to get there. It's finding places where the competition isn't. The transcript of his talk is available at the Netpreneur Exchange Web site, including a positioning checklist and pointers for the "poor man's route to positioning."

March C&D Article: http://netpreneur.org/events/doughnets/article.html
Positioning transcript: http://netpreneur.org/positioning

Regional Netpreneurs

1. SPINBOX PROVIDES AD AND CONTENT ROTATION
(Baltimore, MD) Skyline Network Technologies launched SpinBox, a solution for the automation of Web advertising and content rotation, targeting and management. SpinBox is an integrated hardware/software solution which can rotate any Web compatible file, including GIF, animated GIF, JPEG, Java, Shockwave, audio, mpeg, avi and more. SpinBox offers target rotation based on keyword, date, operating system, browser, domain, number of impressions and user registration. It tracks views, clicks and click-through-rate. Features include numerous real-time reports, support for organization of content into campaign configurations and secured management.

Skyline: http://www.skyline.net

2. LAM ENABLES WEB APPLICATIONS TO COLLEGE
(Fairfax, VA) LAM Technologies, Inc. announced the release of ApplyYourself, a turn-key electronic admissions service which enables higher education institutions to publish and manage their school-specific application package on their own Web site. By putting up the ApplyYourself forms, admissions offices can simplify the student application process while streamlining data processing costs. Once submitted, the entire application package is immediately available to admissions staff with a PC-Windows software product called ApplyYourself Information Manager (AIM) for reporting and analysis. AIM also includes a built-in mapping tool so that applicant information can be integrated with other office systems.

LAM Technologies: http://www.lamtech.com

3. PAPERFREE RELEASES EC/EDI SERVER
(Vienna, VA) PaperFree Systems released EC/EDI Gateway Server V1.0, an enterprise message management server designed specifically to support inter- and intra- company e-commerce (EC) and electronic data interchange (EDI) messages. The Gateway Server can be configured to fit small, mid-sized and large enterprise architectures and provides facilities for job control production scripting and event-driven scheduling. Additional services include mailbox management, trading partner administration, logging, archiving, data communications and reporting.

PaperFree Systems: http://www.paperfree.com

4. POWER NAVIGATOR ROLLS OUT TAGMANAGER
(Washington, DC) Power Navigator is a provider of Internet-based products and services to the electricity industry. Its newest product is TagManager, a product that automates the receipt and management of NERC tags. TagManager is included in Power Navigator's suite of services, an integrated system of information, communication, transaction and clearinghouse services on the Web. In a separate announcement, the company said it was opening a new office at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) in The Woodlands, Texas.

Power Navigator: http://www.powernav.com

5. MAGIDEAS HAS NEW RELEASE OF CLASSWISE
(Oakton, VA) Magideas Corp. has renamed its PPClassroom distance learning product to ClassWise and brought out a new release of the software with added features that include Quick Symbol technology, networking enhancements and improvements to its Class-On-Demand playback system. ClassWise helps educators and trainers deliver live or recorded courses with real-time audio, slide presentations, annotations and text chat. Magideas clients include George Mason University and the US Army.

Magideas: http://www.magideas.com

6. VENTERA BUILDS MANAGEMENT APPLICATION FOR METROCALL
(Vienna, VA) Ventera Corporation is leading an effort for Alexandria, VA-based Metrocall, the second largest paging company in the nation, to build an Internet-based application to track and report on engineering data for its nationwide paging network. Metrocall offers paging service anywhere in the US through its network of national and regional systems. The software will capture, track and report engineering specifications, lease information and license data on all Metrocall sites and towers.

Ventera: http://www.ventera.com
Metrocall: http://www.metrocall.com

7. IMARK BUNDLES FREE WEB HOSTING WITH E-COMMERCE
(Herndon, VA) Imark Technologies, Inc. said that it will provide free Web hosting to publishers that use its NET-MAX information commerce system to market their digital content. The company claims that by bundling free hosting with their e-commerce services, Imark will offer a more complete and efficient way to sell content via the Internet. Imark's NET-MAX product provides a platform for hosting indexed, searchable content with features that include information distribution, payment processing and usage metering services.

Imark: http://www.imarktech.com

8. THOUGHT LEADERS ACCELERATE EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
(McLean, VA) UOL Publishing, Inc. released "Thought Leaders," a Web-based seminar series from its Knowledge Workshop division. The series provides individuals transitioning from functional manager to senior management roles with needed knowledge and techniques. The pilot session is free on April 8th, 4 p.m. EST, and is jointly offered by Knowledge Workshop and CEOExpress!. The seminar combines online interaction with teleconferencing in a format that includes a live dialog between the moderator and presenters followed by a discussion with course participants. The series of 60-90 minute monthly sessions is scheduled from 4/8 to 12/10. You can register for the introductory session at the CEO Express! site.

UOL Publishing: http://www.uol.com
CEO Express!: http://www.ceoexpress.com

9. MONENET SEEKS PARTNERS TO DELIVER ONLINE LOANS
(Warrenton, VA) monEnet Corp. introduced its Money Mall Business Partners Program. The Money Mall network has 165 local, net-based Money Malls listing 61,000 lenders across the country. The company is seeking business partners with background in the mortgage and lending business to represent the company and its services. The business partner receives training, a territory of lenders, database of prospective clients, leads and a customized SalesTool Box to assist in selling advertising and marketing services. monEnet features what the company considers the first financial search engine to provide local lenders and lender services to Internet consumers seeking mortgages, consumer loans and business loans.

monEnet: http://www.monenet.com

10. COMPUTER STRATEGIES PROVIDES WEB-ACCESS TO EMAIL
(Vienna, VA) Computer Strategies announced new services to provide Web access to email and other email capabilities including contact management, business rules for handling mail, replication of mailboxes from home to office, secured access to other Internet email users, Internet news services through email folders and calendar integration. Computer Strategies provides network, Web and IT consulting services.

Computer Strategies: http://www.unanet.com

Partnerships

1. QUINCY JONES AND QRADIO OPEN DOORS TO SOUTH AFRICA
(Washington, DC) Qradio.net is a joint production of Quincy Jones, American Broadband Productions, LLC (ABP) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Africa's largest broadcaster. The site, which brings South African art, culture and music to the Web, has partnered with major South African record labels to offer CDs by the country's musicians. Qradio and ABP are both based in DC. ABP is an Internet content provider which also covers broadband issues.

Qradio: http://www.qradio.net
ABP: http://www.abbp.com

2. THUNDERWAVE TO CREATE HOLOCAUST MULTIMEDIA TOOLS
(Rockville, MD) Multimedia software developer, ThunderWave, will work with the German government's Press and Information Office, the Goethe-Institut, the Archiv fuer Kulturpolitik, and several Holocaust education organizations to create multimedia educational tools to assist American and Canadian teachers pass on the lessons of the Holocaust. The project is the result of a concentrated effort to consolidate Holocaust education projects developed by educators throughout Germany. ThunderWave will create a bilingual Web site and a CD-ROM targeted toward teachers of grades 7-12 that will be distributed by the Goethe-Institut and the American Association of Holocaust Organizations.

3. AOL ENTERPRISE SUPPORTS MOBILE, GLOBAL ACCESS
(Dulles, VA) America Online, Inc. announced partnerships with a number of corporations in support of its AOL Enterprise service which provides mobile business users with worldwide remote Internet access. AOL Enterprise offers access over AOL's network from more than 1,500 cities and over 100 countries. Among the partnerships announced were deals with Lotus Development Corp. to provide Internet access in its Lotus Notes collaboration software; security, authentication and VPN services with Security Dynamics, Aventail Corp., AXENT Technologies and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; remote systems management with XcelleNet; and a customer relationship in which AOL Enterprise will provide Oracle Corp. with network access and instant messaging for use by Oracle's mobile employees as part of an Oracle intranet virtual private network.

AOL: http://www.aol.com

4. NETRIX AND TELEVIDEO FORM VoIP ALLIANCE
(Herndon, VA) NETRIX Corp. announced an alliance with TeleVideo Global, Inc. in which TeleVideo will provide worldwide Voice/Fax over IP (VoIP) services using NETRIX's Network Exchange 2210 software. The companies demonstrated the solution at the Voice On The Net show using NETRIX VoIP nodes located in Knoxville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Herndon, VA and Longmont, CO. Knoxville, TN-based TeleVideo intends to build a network that consists of VoIP gateways, interactive voice response (IVR) products and IP transport services.

TeleVideo Global: http://www.televid.com
NETRIX: http://www.netrix.com

5. NEW JOINT VENTURE FOR INTERNET-BASED EDUCATION
(Annapolis and Gaithersburg, MD) LearnScape Corp. and Blue Atlas Interactive, LLC formed a joint venture to develop and distribute computer-based training programs that can be delivered over the Internet, intranets and on CD-ROM. Combining LearnScape's portfolio of workplace-oriented training products with Blue Atlas' multimedia product development services, the venture will offer custom training program development, customizable off-the-shelf training programs and a learning management tool that controls and schedules training over the Net. The programs will be marketed to corporations, small businesses and public-sector customers through direct sales and over the Internet. The first product, Compass, will begin shipping later this month. Compass is a self-paced reading, math and work skills training program.

LearnScape: http://www.learnscape.com
Blue Atlas: http://www.blueatlas.com

6. NET.CAPITOL PARTNERS TO OFFER EMAIL PUBLISHING
(Washington, DC) Net.Capitol, Inc. and Boulder, CO-based Email Publishing Inc. announced an agreement to offer an email publishing solution for public affairs organizations. The two companies will jointly market Email Publishing's email delivery and subscription management services and Net.Capitol's Internet and database development services to integrate email tools into an organization's ordering, publishing and fulfillment systems.

Net.Capitol: http://www.netcapitol.com
Email Publishing Inc.: http://www.emailpub.com

Funding & Finance News

1. NETPRENEURS PRESENT AT IIA VENTURE FORUM
(NY, NY) Being held today, and now in its third year, the IIA Venture Forum is designed to help venture capitalists, investment bankers, corporate development professionals and individual investors better understand the investment opportunities in the developing segments of the information industry. For the first time, the program includes presentations by companies that have reached certain business milestones. Among the invited presenters are IsoQuest, Inc. from Fairfax, VA; KnowledgeLink Interactive, Inc. from College Park, MD; Online Monitoring Services from Arlington, VA; and Trade Compass from Washington, DC. The forum is sponsored by the Information Industry Association (IIA) which represents more than 550 companies involved in creating, distributing, and facilitating the use of information including publishers, database producers, interactive online services, ISPs, software publishers, telecommunications companies and financial information services.

IIA: http://www.infoindustry.org

2. AMERICAN MOBILE ACQUIRES ARDIS
(Reston, VA) American Mobile Satellite Corp. (AMS) completed acquisition of Lincolnshire, IL-based ARDIS Co. which owns and operates the nation's largest terrestrial, two-way wireless data communications network. The combined company serves more than 80,000 subscribers, and has annual service revenue in excess of $60 million. Walt Purnell, formerly president and CEO of ARDIS, was named president of AMS. AMS owns and operates an integrated terrestrial/satellite network and provides a range of mobile communication services, including digital voice dispatch, data communications, mobile messaging, position reporting and satellite telephone.

AMS: http://www.AmMobile.com

3. EAST EUROPEAN INVESTMENT CLIMATE RATINGS
(Rockville, MD) Eastbrokers International has made its Country Ratings System available on Net and to the public. The system contains information about the general economic climate in the 13 Central European countries where Eastbrokers operates. The Country Rating System uses 50 economic, financial and political variables and is geared toward investors concerned about their return on direct investment rather than a general government credit position. Eastbrokers operates a diversified investment banking and brokerage network with offices in 12 countries.

Eastbrokers: http://www.ebna.com

Netpreneurs Recognized

1. OUTREACH WINS TELECONFERENCING AWARD
(Columbia, MD) OutReach Technologies received the top Teleconferencing Excellence Award in the New Products/Audiographics category at the the International Teleconferencing Association's ITCA'98 CCExpo on collaborative conferencing. Outreach won for its CONFERease 900 PC/Teleconferencing Server which combines teleconference management, real-time PC conferencing and high-quality audio communications over existing telephone systems. Outreach says that CONFERease meetings are approximately 1/4 the price of video conferencing and 1/2 the price of a third party teleconferencing service bureau on a per user per year basis.

Outreach: http://www.conferease.com