Games Retailer Saves BarrysWorld (BBC News, February 28th)
One online service that was doing it all right - sticking to one single, promising business model, all while fostering a loyal audience and providing grest service - failed when investor sentiment turned sour towards the whole tech sector. Forced to liquidate, online gaming site BarrysWorld has been saved from total demise by Electronics Boutique.

Multimedia Matchup: Director vs Flash (CNET, February 27th)
A great deal of confusion exists in relation to the capabilities and compatibilities of Macromedia's Shockwave and Flash products, even within the ranks of professional web and multimedia design. Here, CNET compares the two products in an effort to help you decide which is the best package for your needs.

Portal Power (eMarketer, February 27th)
A study of Neilsen/NetRatings usage figures by Booz-Allen & Hamilton has found that almost all US net users have visited a portal at some point, while 80% have visited entertainment sites and 43% have visited financial sites. This article also looks at how much proportional time users spend at different categories of sites.

Flash Backlash (TheStandard, February 26th)
Macromedia's popular design and animation application has largely democratized the web development process, by providing non-techies with a user-friendly design system. This ease-of-entry into the field, though, is the subject of much criticism regarding the tool, as amateur flashers can create sites that are infuriatingly difficult to navigate and utilize.

Olympic Website Designer Faces Tough Financial Road (Salt Lake Tribune, February 26th)
Quokka Sports Inc, the designer of the official SaltLake2002.com site for the winter games has been hit by deep losses. This article outlines the efforts in place to create a world-class site, while staying afloat financially. After reading this, check out an update regarding this developer's financial position.

Time to Get a Better eBiz Plan (Wired News, February 26th)
Many recent casualties of the dotcom crash are returning to the roots of business - education in management, planning, marketing and HR - in order to firmly ground their next online venture in profitable soil.

How the Web Was Won (ZDNet, February 26th)
With so many dotcom ventures drowning just a a year or two after receiving masses of VC funding, it has become clear that in order to survive, one must plan their online initiative with their customers and business systems in mind. This article outlines some of the solutions provided by a variety of infrastructure providers that claim to assist in this area of planning and efficient execution.

Web Communities Don't Bring in the $$$ (TheRegister, February 23rd)
Written by an ex-ZDNet moderator, this article attempts to make the assumption that forums and web-based discussion groups cannot make money. Read this, and then strike up a monthly sponsorship deal to support your forum.

35 Deadly Website Sins (Shelley Lowery on Net-Ads, February 22nd)
Poor design, non-optimized images, browser compliancy issues and other sins can seriously jeopardise the image that your business projects online. This checklist will keep you thinking about what not to do, so that you can make the most from your online presence.

The Internet Predicament (The Washington Post, February 22nd)
A rather scathing look at the Internet economy, but one whose assumptions are valid - the fact that online enterprises will not become financially viable unless business models are fashioned with the medium's strengths and weaknesses in mind.

Passion on the Net Entrepreneur (Boston Globe Online, February 22nd)
Casualties of the Net bubble burst are many. It's when an entrepreneur's dreams, founded upon a solid business model and extensive research, are cut short that we have to acknowledge that investor interest in online companies is well-and-truly waning.

VeriSign, Inktomi Debut Listing Service for Web Site Owners (internet.com, February 21st)
Reading like a self-serving press release, this article outlines the launch of Inktomi's new pay-for-inclusion search service. This follows suspiciously close on the heels of news that Inktomi penalizes those sites who use their free submission option.

Increase Internet Sales With Free Trials (Shelley Lowery on Net-Ads, February 21st)
Contributor Shelley Lowery outlines how companies, whether they produce software, print publications or another digital product can increase their sales by luring potential customers with the offer of free, limited trials.

U.N. Makes Suggestion on Web Names (Las Vegas Sun, February 21st)
Fearing further cybersquatting trends, and confusion amongst domain name registrants, WIPO has proposed a standard set of rules to govern international domain name extensions.

Online Media: Old News? (WashingtonPost.com, February 21st)
Digital news outlets were supposed to change the face of news reporting, and devour the traditional, cumbersome providers of print-based news. To some extent, especially on a technological front, they have succeeded. Why, then, are investors and journos alike starting to lose interest in these 'next big things'?

A Daredevil Races Into New Net Territory (BusinessWeek Online, February 21st)
Darl Davidson, CEO of Totality gives this site architecture and management software the kick it needs to succeed in the real world.

Video Game Group Aims at Pirates (Boston Herald, February 15th)
An alliance of major players within the video game industry have launched a series of lawsuits against both pirates and websites that faciliate in the distribution or promotion of pirated materials. Many rom and emu sites have been threatened by this, while also losing the support of advertisers such as SearchBucks, SearchReferral and Standard Internet. Read more about this here.

Akamai Walks Fine Line with Webhosts (CNET News.com, February 7th)
Best known for its infrastucture and caching products that speed the delivery of content around the wide web, Akamai is now nudging in on territory that has, until now, been the exclusive territory of traditional webhosts as publishers move their content directly into the Akamai network, reducing their reliance on a central server platform.

Inktomi's Free Add URL Penalty (SearchEngineWatch, February 6th)
Online marketers and promotion professionals beware! A shocking admission from an Inktomi representative shows that their free URL submit utility deliberately lowers the ranking of those sites who use the service.