Internet Carnage On The Rise
Unless one of your favorite Web sites has gone dark, you may not have noticed the shakeout under way in the dot-com industry.
But what began as a trickle of Web site failures early this year has turned into something of a flood. At least 130 Internet companies have shut down since last January, according to a new study by Webmergers.com.
And the pace is accelerating with 21 companies closing up shop in the first half of November. That compares with 22 shutdowns for the entire month of October, which was the highest month to date.
The total includes nearly 100 companies that address primarily a consumer audience — the so-called B2C sector — as well as 26 business-to-business companies and a handful of others focused on a general audience of business and consumers.
Take your mind off the dot-com carnage and explore these new, helpful or entertaining Web sites while you can:
* Look before leaping: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has upgraded its popular environmental mapping site.
With a few mouse clicks, you can find out whether the Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring a site near a home you want to buy, what federal resources are available to redevelop an abandoned factory, or if there are any environmental hazards on the way to your children’s school.
http://www.hud.gov/emaps
* Chance encounter: Many Web surfers use the Internet as a means to scoop up freebies and get their names entered in as many sweepstakes as possible.
Sweepstakes Online Inc. has targeted that audience with its relaunched portal, adding raffles, games, free stuff and lottery content.
http://www.sweepstakesonline.com
* Streaming university: Two organizations have pooled their expertise and launched an educational Web site called the “Investor’s Streaming University.”
The site, developed by the National Association of Securities Dealers Inc. and the American Association of Individual Investors, will offer 12 video lectures on topics ranging from whisper earnings to margin accounts, advertising claims and limit orders.
The lectures, intended for investors with some experience, range from five to eight minutes.
http://www.streamingu.org