Portal Check
IT'S ABOUT TIME for another check on the web portal industry. Here, I've completed a bit on the state of some current web portals and my impressions on them:
Even with the new domain name (altavista.com vs. altavista.digital.com), new search features (like Discovery and and an "Ask Jeeves"-like addition to the search), and more content zones, and more services than a year ago, AltaVista just doesn't feel like a coherent portal. It doesn't seem to all blend together right.
Also, AltaVista's content zones vary in quality. Some, like the Health Zone, are great. But others, like the Finance zone, stink (to put it bluntly).
AOL (Online Service)
If you manage to connect to it, nothing can beat it in terms of community and online friend building features. But in terms of content, free web sites are beginning to match it, and Internet access is still sometimes slow. However, 12 million members and the AOL brand name can rake in money.
Looks more like a portal for the AOL members looking to dive into the Internet than the rest of us. NetFind, their search engine, is placed prominently, but many site "features" frustratingly point the user to a page that reads, "100 Hours of AOL Free!". Even with the addition of My News, AOL-centric features make this not a great portal for the rest of us.
Still, AOL is a brand name and knows how to play. They can make money with their brand name and the fact that AOL.COM is the default home page of AOL members.
Looking good. Personalization turned on by default. Had problems earlier this year when it tried to integrate the member databases of all its services (message boards, chat, MailExcite, etc.), and some things are a little slim and quirky (the search engine still, in my opinion, stinks), but overall, content, clarity, and presentation--the big 3 things about a web site--are better than the other portals.
Quietly turned itself into a portal earlier this year. No content, unless you are content with "GeoNews" and the GeoCities member pages. Unless your intent is to browse through GeoCities member pages all day, this portal is pretty bad.
Its strength remains in its services. Their free POP3 e-mail and homepages best most of the comparable offerings of the other portals.
I don't know whether to include this as a portal or not, but if I do, this powerful search engine needs some improvement in the portal field. Since Lycos recently aquired it though, I doubt we will.
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