CONSOLIDATING WEB CONTENT

In our March editorial we cried out for some way to consolidate content on the Web. We came across 4Internet, a King of Prussia, PA-based company, that has recently launched its first 120 sites of a 1,500 site Internet network.

"The 4Internet Network’s mission is to simplify the Internet, allowing users to find whatever they are seeking quickly," founder Vince Schiavone said. At the same time, he said, the network hopes to "provide a simple and effective means for businesses to be found in cyberspace."

Schiavone said he founded the company based on the idea of "coopetition."

"Does Macy’s really want to be near Saks at the local mall?" Schiavone asked. "Not really, but they know that being in a mall with other retailers increases their chances of generating more potential customers and, ultimately, more sales."

"By combining cooperation in a mall setting with normal competition, including pricing and marketing promotions, ‘coopetition’ takes place," he said.

4Internet, Schiavone said, takes the mall concept to the Internet by combining up to 40 related commercial sites in one vertical "cybermall."

4Home.com, for example, directs users to 40 of the top Web sites about the home, he said, including commercial sites for Home Depot, Delta Faucet and the Bombay Company. 4Home.com also includes several offbeat sites such as Duct Tape Fun, which trumpets the virtues of duct tape, and Ask the Builder, where users can pose their building questions to a popular columnist.

Another vertical mall site, 4Gifts4.com, allows users to quickly find and order gifts from 40 top merchants, including Godiva Chocolates, F.A.O. Schwartz Toys, NASA’s Gift Shop and a Web site devoted to Lucille Ball and Betty Boop gifts.

Other 4Internet sites online now include 4News.com, 4Coffee.com, 4NewYork.com, 4Maps.com, 4Resorts.com, 4Weather.com, 4Lingerie.com, 4Macs.com, 4Magazines.com, 4Stationery.com, 4Horoscope.com, 4Newcars.com, 4Mortgage.com, 4Mutualfunds.com, 4Autoinsurance.com, 4Healthinfo.com, 4Wine.com and 4Gourmet.com.

A full list of the 4Internet Network of sites can be found at http://www.4Internet.com.

Schiavone said 4Internet’s Web sites all begin with the number "4" up-front in their names to help define his company’s brand and allow users to find the product or service they’re searching for without using a search engine.

"Users simply type "4" in front of a search word in the URL, and then they can effortlessly find what they’re seeking without generating an endless list of references," he said.

The network will be adding 100 sites a month in order to reach its goal of maintaining 1,500 branded sites.

(Contact: Tony DeFazio, Gregory Communications, Inc., 610-642-8253)