Yahoo Said to Expand Porn Shops

Yahoo said to expand porn shops

Yahoo (YHOO) has added to its “Erotic and Adult” shopping
section, according to the Los Angeles Times. “In the online sex
market, size does matter. There is no one bigger than Yahoo,” Dan
Lavin, a principal with the market analysis firm International Venture
Research, told the paper. Access to the area, which offers videos
including “Debbie Does Dallas,” is restricted to visitors who
have a valid credit card and are 18 years old, but there appears to be
nothing preventing someone younger from making a purchase if the item is
found through an item search. A company spokesperson said that,
“under stringent control, adult products have been available
through Yahoo Shopping for more than two years.” Yahoo receives a
percentage of each sale made through the site, the report said.

E-Trade going retail

E-Trade Group (ET) and Target Stores (TGT) have completed an
agreement under which the online bank and brokerage will open within 20
retail locations this year. E-Trade also said Wednesday it will be the
retailer’s exclusive automated teller machine network supplier. It
already operates ATMs in 110 stores. A pilot in-store version of the
E-Trade Zone, measuring 400 square feet and staffed by E-Trade sales and
service representatives, opened last September at a Target in Roswell,
Ga.

IAB goes interactive

At a time when the viability and effectiveness of online advertising
have been widely called into question, the Interactive Advertising
Bureau announced a commitment to become a fully staffed, professional
organization in conjunction with plans for a name change. “We need
to be very focused on our goal: to continue to build confidence in and
promote the value of interactive advertising and marketing,” said
Robin Webster, the IAB’s new president and CEO.

Gomez cuts staff

A 20 percent staff reduction has been made at e-commerce research and
consulting firm Gomez.com, the Mercury News reported. “It’s a new
environment with a new revenue picture,” said Julio Gomez,
co-founder and chief executive of the Waltham, Mass., firm. “The
company can’t grow as much in this environment as it did previously. So
we are cutting expenses.” In the past year, Gomez expanded its
business to include numerous Consumer Reports-like evaluations of
e-commerce segments, including shopping, travel and home buying. Now,
the company is focusing on perhaps its bread-and-butter market —
evaluating online financial services.

Digital City to offer international guides

Local news and information provider Digital City, part of America
Online (AOL), will go global this summer thanks to an arrangement with
WCities, a London- and San Francisco-based provider of international
city guides. The guides will be provided in multiple languages and have
recommendations provided by local experts who provide advice on
destinations as well as reviews and tips about merchants.

MSN tops 5 million

Microsoft (MSFT) said its MSN Internet service has passed the 5
million subscriber mark. Hitting the milestone comes as the company said
a new version of the MSN Explorer access software will be released next
week. Added features include offline e-mail review and spell checking.

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