Friday, October 29, 1999

Bits & Bytes -and- Shakers & Stirrers 10/29/99


BITS & BYTES ________________________

Send your announcements to: news@TheCyberScene.com
Read all about the hot people online at:

EDU Launches English Language Programs Site
Philadelphia, PA-Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU), the developer of two of the most popular college campus Internet resources - http://www.Gradschools.com and http://www.Studyabroad.com, has recently launched a new site, http://www.English.Studyabroad.com. The new site is geared towards students who wish to enroll in intensive English language programs worldwide.

About.com Teams With HomePage.com
New York, N.Y. and Pasadena, CA-About.com (Nasdaq: BOUT), a leading network of niche vertical sites, and HomePage.com, an idealab! Company and one of the Web's fastest-growing providers of free personal homepages, announced today that HomePage.com will be the exclusive third-party provider of homepages on About.com. Under the agreement, About.com will receive warrants in HomePage.com of up to 10 percent of HomePage.com's overall equity. In addition, Scott Kurnit, CEO of About.com, will take a seat on HomePage.com's board of directors.

Digital Entertainment Network Founders Resign
Three co-founders of Internet start-up Digital Entertainment Network resigned yesterday amid questions about their extravagant compensations and lifestyles. The company is about to go public. Marc Collins-Rector, chairman of the board, Chad Shackley, executive vice-president and Brock Pierce, director and executive vice-president, retain over 70 percent ownership of the company.

Gamesville.com Appoints Marc Solomon VP of Sales
Boston, MA-Gamesville,com, Inc. (www.gamesville.com), the web's leading 1:1 database marketing company and producer of free, real-time massively multi-player games, today announced the appointment of Marc Solomon to vice president of sales. Solomon will be responsible for sales strategy and management of the company's diverse product lines, including sponsorships, e-mail and Gamesville.com's unique e-mercialsa. He will be based in the company's New York City sales headquarters.

Magidson Opens Gallery, Contributes to Free Speech
New York, N.Y.--Magidson Fine Art announces the opening of their new location at 41 East 78th Street between Park and Madison. On November 2, the gallery will host a premier featuring Damien Hirst's screen print series entitled The Last Supper. These thirteen works on paper compose a portfolio and are available individually or as a complete set. To defend the First Amendment rights of artists, collectors and museum patrons, Magidson will donate $10,000 of each portfolio sale to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

SenseNet Releases Business Solutions
New York, N.Y.-The launch of SenseNet II Office is an exciting event. Picture this: It comes pre-installed and configured on a Dell Box, runs on Windows NT or Linux and in 10 minutes or less your entire company will be connected and running more efficiently than ever before. Now, with the launch of SenseNet II, there is a business management solution that is technically innovative and takes into account companies' needs and wants. After months of research and development, SenseNet, Inc., is ready to announce the launch of its first integrated business solutions: SenseNet II Office and SenseNet II Enterprise.

ThinkingMedia Gets Financed
New York, N.Y.-Thinking Media, Inc., a veteran of Silicon Alley and creator of the Sonata Device Platform, announced $5 million in financing from three leading New York City venture capitalists. The investor group is led by Prospect Street Ventures and includes Flatiron Partners and Travelers/CitiGroup. The investment positions Thinking Media as a primary catalyst for the "pervasive computing" movement.

Ericsson and Wysdom Go Into Testing
Ericsson Canada Inc. and Wysdom Inc. have signed an agreement to test and display Wysdom's Wireless Jukebox MP3 application, using WCDMA technology, at Ericsson's Next Generation Systems Labs. Testing and demonstration will be performed at Ericsson's Next Generation Systems Labs located in MontrŠ¹al, the world's first facility to implement WCDMA technology using existing PCS frequencies with data rates of up to 50 times the speed of technology used today.


CYBER SCENE SOCIAL NOTES ~ 10/29/99


Forgot a name? When you see a person you met earlier, simply say, "I'm sorry, Could you please remind me of your name." Most people will be happy to oblige and be thankful of your consideration.

TCS Intro: 10/29/99


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Courtney Pulitzer's Cyber Scene (tm) ~ October 29, 1999
--------------------------------------------------------------------

WELCOME

I.          This week's specials:
Building on a Tradition
You 'oughta be in pictures, baby
The early bird catches the customer
33% customers do what?!?!
Give me back my Sanity.com!
MOUSEketeers for a new generation
Cocktails and a Book Signing
MethodFive Halloween party
BOO!!!!!! Many Parties

The Cyber Scene in Los Angeles ~ by Heather Mason


II.         Regular Features: (full write-ups on the site)
Cyber Scene Social Notes
Shakers and Stirrers
Bits and Bytes

III.        "Cocktails with Courtney"

December 2 -- A Special Exclusive Holiday "Cocktails with Courtney," sponsored by Vantage Technologies, Inc. and iXL Black-tie at The Metropolitan Club. Benefit for the Fresh Air Fund. Silent Auction. Details to Follow

IV.        Where in the world is Courtney Pulitzer?

ICONOCAST -- www.iconocast.com -- Every Saturday
Media Life -- www.medialifemagazine.com -- Every Monday

V.         Subscribe! : ) http://www.Pulitzer.com Click on "Join the Club"

* Don't forget! If you'd still like to get the Cyber Scene in HTML, please let me know, and I'll switch you to that list. Please send me this in HTML


* Pictures in the Cyber Scene. Some of you may have noticed that I'm now out reporting with my digital camera! Check the website for the pictures! http://www.thecyberscene.com

Welcome


This week was the week of Spirits. It was about fostering good will in the Spirit of Volunteerism with the MOUSE 1999 Champions of Technology dinner to the parade of spooky Spirits at Halloween-inspired parties.

TCS Intro: 10/29/99


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Courtney Pulitzer's Cyber Scene (tm) ~ October 29, 1999
--------------------------------------------------------------------

WELCOME

I.          This week's specials:
Building on a Tradition
You 'oughta be in pictures, baby
The early bird catches the customer
33% customers do what?!?!
Give me back my Sanity.com!
MOUSEketeers for a new generation
Cocktails and a Book Signing
MethodFive Halloween party
BOO!!!!!! Many Parties

The Cyber Scene in Los Angeles ~ by Heather Mason


II.         Regular Features: (full write-ups on the site)
Cyber Scene Social Notes
Shakers and Stirrers
Bits and Bytes

III.        "Cocktails with Courtney"

December 2 -- A Special Exclusive Holiday "Cocktails with Courtney," sponsored by Vantage Technologies, Inc. and iXL Black-tie at The Metropolitan Club. Benefit for the Fresh Air Fund. Silent Auction. Details to Follow

IV.        Where in the world is Courtney Pulitzer?

ICONOCAST -- www.iconocast.com -- Every Saturday
Media Life -- www.medialifemagazine.com -- Every Monday

V.         Subscribe! : ) http://www.Pulitzer.com Click on "Join the Club"

* Don't forget! If you'd still like to get the Cyber Scene in HTML, please let me know, and I'll switch you to that list. Please send me this in HTML


* Pictures in the Cyber Scene. Some of you may have noticed that I'm now out reporting with my digital camera! Check the website for the pictures! http://www.thecyberscene.com

Welcome


This week was the week of Spirits. It was about fostering good will in the Spirit of Volunteerism with the MOUSE 1999 Champions of Technology dinner to the parade of spooky Spirits at Halloween-inspired parties.

Thursday, October 28, 1999

BITS AND BYTES - 10/28/99

EDU Launches English Language Programs Site
Philadelphia, PA-Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU), the developer of two of the most popular college campus Internet resources - http://www.Gradschools.com and http://www.Studyabroad.com, has recently launched a new site, http://www.English.Studyabroad.com. The new site is geared towards students who wish to enroll in intensive English language programs worldwide.

About.com Teams With HomePage.com
New York, N.Y. and Pasadena, CA-About.com (Nasdaq: BOUT), a leading network of niche vertical sites, and HomePage.com, an idealab! Company and one of the Web's fastest-growing providers of free personal homepages, announced today that HomePage.com will be the exclusive third-party provider of homepages on About.com. Under the agreement, About.com will receive warrants in HomePage.com of up to 10 percent of HomePage.com's overall equity. In addition, Scott Kurnit, CEO of About.com, will take a seat on HomePage.com's board of directors.

Digital Entertainment Network Founders Resign
Three co-founders of Internet start-up Digital Entertainment Network resigned yesterday amid questions about their extravagant compensations and lifestyles. The company is about to go public. Marc Collins-Rector, chairman of the board, Chad Shackley, executive vice-president and Brock Pierce, director and executive vice-president, retain over 70 percent ownership of the company.

Gamesville.com Appoints Marc Solomon VP of Sales
Boston, MA-Gamesville,com, Inc. (www.gamesville.com), the web's leading 1:1 database marketing company and producer of free, real-time massively multi-player games, today announced the appointment of Marc Solomon to vice president of sales. Solomon will be responsible for sales strategy and management of the company's diverse product lines, including sponsorships, e-mail and Gamesville.com's unique e-mercialsa. He will be based in the company's New York City sales headquarters.

Magidson Opens Gallery, Contributes to Free Speech
New York, N.Y.--Magidson Fine Art announces the opening of their new location at 41 East 78th Street between Park and Madison. On November 2, the gallery will host a premier featuring Damien Hirst's screen print series entitled The Last Supper. These thirteen works on paper compose a portfolio and are available individually or as a complete set. To defend the First Amendment rights of artists, collectors and museum patrons, Magidson will donate $10,000 of each portfolio sale to the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

SenseNet Releases Business Solutions
New York, N.Y.-The launch of SenseNet II Office is an exciting event. Picture this: It comes pre-installed and configured on a Dell Box, runs on Windows NT or Linux and in 10 minutes or less your entire company will be connected and running more efficiently than ever before. Now, with the launch of SenseNet II, there is a business management solution that is technically innovative and takes into account companies' needs and wants. After months of research and development, SenseNet, Inc., is ready to announce the launch of its first integrated business solutions: SenseNet II Office and SenseNet II Enterprise.

ThinkingMedia Gets Financed
New York, N.Y.-Thinking Media, Inc., a veteran of Silicon Alley and creator of the Sonata Device Platform, announced $5 million in financing from three leading New York City venture capitalists. The investor group is led by Prospect Street Ventures and includes Flatiron Partners and Travelers/CitiGroup. The investment positions Thinking Media as a primary catalyst for the "pervasive computing" movement.

Ericsson and Wysdom Go Into Testing
Ericsson Canada Inc. and Wysdom Inc. have signed an agreement to test and display Wysdom's Wireless Jukebox MP3 application, using WCDMA technology, at Ericsson's Next Generation Systems Labs. Testing and demonstration will be performed at Ericsson's Next Generation Systems Labs located in Montr?al, the world's first facility to implement WCDMA technology using existing PCS frequencies with data rates of up to 50 times the speed of technology used today.

CYBER SCENE SOCIAL NOTES ~ 10/28/99

In an attempt to help faciliate better networking for new media professionals and "Scenesters," here are some points, that will be added during the weeks. They will be archived.


* Forgot a name? -- When you see a person you met earlier, simply say, "I'm sorry, Could you please remind me of your name." Most people will be happy to oblige and be thankful of your consideration.

Halloween: iTurf

Actually, it was iTurf and their party in three levels of the former Barney's store. Psychedelic lights swirled, big cloth dividers stretched above, lights flipped and swiveled and walls were covered in psychedelic graffiti and youth-inspired drawings. What fun to walk through a party where most everyone was dressed up! Anatasia Gochnour of VictimServices.org was festive, Paul Bello (iTurf) and Elise DeRenzo were dressed as tourists and Cecily Criminale of the UN School and Kevin Kosar were in cute outfits too. Phil Miano told me the party was a kickoff event for the three sites' (gurl.com, delias.com and ontap.com) central navigation via iTurf. Laurel Wells told me the Gurl.com gurls just got back from LA three hours earlier for the Gurl.com book tour and parties with The Standard on Tuesday night.

Dennis Adamo and Howard Nevins of VentureHighway.com were hanging out with friends Ofer Cohen of PumPum.com and a neighbor of mine. Nearby was Nicholas Butterworth of MTVi with his fiance Ruth. Tim Coughlin shared some of his digital pics with me (we compared at the party) and introduced me to Stephen "Edward Munch's 'The Scream'" Kahn, CEO of iTurf. Jeremy Kagan of EZCD filled me in on all their successes--24 people now, launching a Latin section and advertisements in 60,000 Clairol circulars. In addition to the six more announcements they'll also have 2,000 CDs in Vogue VH1's Fashion Awards. Some people at this party might take a cue from that fashion show--there were a fair number of men dressed as "I Dream of Jeannie" and other scantily-clad women. Well, we could've stayed on much longer, dancing to Abba and Gloria Gaynor, but we also wanted to preserve energy for this weekend's parties and next week's AdTech flurry! Check out the pics on the site! http://www.thecyberscene.com iTurf -- Tom
(the guy in the pirate suit is the CFO) Philip Miano and Friend CPCS pics
Trent, Anastasia and Kyoko
Nicholas Butterworth of MTVi
and Courtney

Halloween: Uproar.com

The next "uproarious" party was waaaaaay over in the East Village at the Ace Bar, for Uproar.com. Now *this* was a costume party! Sister Mary Paul Debraccio and Susan "Janice Joplin" McNamee were there to greet guests. Paul told me they had a great turnout at their Tuesday night party in San Francisco in the Mission. There were lots of Gist-ers--Andrew Wallenstein, John Pomponio, Brian Willis, Keith Walter and Chris Li. "Wise Guy" Ken of Rouze.com and Jodie Siano of Uproar were checking out the pool game--Debbie Newman was making a killing! Shannon "Pippi Longstocking" Doyle was passing out drink passes as Mike Essl of Chopping Block and some friends came in. Ankur and I sampled some of the veggie treats, but passed on the candy corns as we had some more turf to check out! Uproar Pumpkins Many Gist.com-ers Scott, Ken and Ankur
Debbie Newman and the Flapper Woman!
Sister Mary Paul Debraccio, Susan "Janice Joplin" McNamee
The Fluffy Cat, Sister Mary Paul Debraccio, Susan "Janice Joplin" McNamee

Halloween: BlackPlanet.com party

So, blind-sighted, Ankur and I traversed uptown a bit to the BlackPlanet.com party on Waverly Street. This party gets the award for most unique invite--a black planet metal globe–Lance Rose and Wendy Dubit were two folks I recognized right off the bat as I entered, and soon after snaking through the massive mix of partiers groovin' I saw Risi-Leanne Wright of Bates. Omar Wasow, executive director of BlackPlanet.com was there entertaining and showing off the site in his smashing crushed red velvet jacket. Arul Sundaram (Biz Dev) and Peter Chen (exec. director of AsianAvenue.com) were also bizzy in the buzzy world of fun party-enjoying to the hip hop, rap sounds! Black Planet entranceway Omar Wasow and Moi
Ankur, Courtney, Wild and Crazy guy!
Black Planet.com partiers

Halloween: Steven, Doug, Luke

And with that flurry of photos we fled to the photography.com party downstairs at the Wetlands. Photography.com was founded by three very dynamic and charming men--Luke McCormick (CEO), Steve Eichner (Chairman) and Doug Haxall (CTO). They've got cool cards where each one has a different photo. Steve's was noteworthy in that it was his shot of the Blues Travelers' live album cover that he photographed. The site is fun, beautiful and has lots of content--a daily photo contest, an "ask the pro" section, a site of the week, and searchable database. They took advantage of the site's content at each level. For instance, the search page has a photo of a man fishing (for information). An error message is coupled with a picture of a car crash in Brooklyn. For their e-commerce enabled online store, if there is a product without an image, they have used a photo of a celebrity covering their face. Even though they promise "we're all about pictures and having fun with pictures," these guys are some serious programmers too. The site uses multi-databases including active-server, Unix, NT and story-server (of which they wrote the software for Vignette). I would tell you about the rest of the people and the party, but I honestly couldn't see anything -- the room was pitch black with red lights!

BOO!!!!!! Many Parties

Since I keep getting tested, I decided to live up to the challenge and attend all the parties I got invites to for Thursday, October 28th. Or, at least all the ones I managed to fit into my date book. This time, however, I brought along my trusty and excellent assistant, Ankur Shah (who happens to be the brother of PR@vantage star, Sachin). Ankur and I, in the spirit of the upcoming holiday sported some props and headed out with the camera. Check out all the sites on the site -- http://www.TheCyberScene.com
* * * * First we winded our way to the Snickelways' soiree at their offices where we met up with Tom Flynn, Brendon Kelly and Fedor Kisselgoff (who sported a unique name tag) of Snickelways. Felice Carson of Internet.com and I sang the praises of the best interactive and music city in the country--Austin, TX!! Gerard Battarel, Connie Opfell and Thomas Burns of CapGemini had fun with our props!

Courtney and Fedor
Courtney, Tom, Gerard, Connie

The Cyber Scene in Austin ~ by Will Kreth

Digerati of Web Go Glitter
It was a loungy time a week ago Thursday (10.28) at the Bitter End, where in the b-Side room, the webAUSTIN 99 wrap party was going on. The first of a series of "road show" dates for the Miller-Freeman sponsored conference, Austin – always the gracious host – felt a bit like San Francisco for an evening (one of my old home towns), with a few dozen Bay Area denizens on hand for the occasion. And there is nothing like an evening with a bunch of friendly, over-educated extroverts to make me smile.
The b-Side room, aside from reportedly being haunted by a spirit that tends to go on a crying jag over the magazine rack, is a funky place. When you walk in, you're on a landing that is in-between a split-level venue – with stage, bar, booths and chairs downstairs – and couches and chairs upstairs on the mezzanine. Not standing on the balcony but still towering above everyone, was someone I look up to (literally) - my old HotWired buddy and workshop instructor Jeff Veen. At about 6'7" – Jeff is a gentle giant of a man who has fortunately recovered from a relatively recent back surgery. His daylong web design workshop got rave reviews from some folks I happened to talk to. With Jeff, was his lovely wife Leslie, down to Austin for a visit.
The original maus himself, Bob Sloat was on hand. I've known Bob since 1991, when he sent in a very funny Macromedia Director movie as a resume to the Apple Multimedia Lab. Now Bob's the head of the San Francisco office of IAB (InterActive Bureau –Roger Black's design firm). Noting that another firm recently acquired IAB; Bob had a sly and funny quip about the fallout from all the corporate gobbling that is going on right now. "Have you ever known anyone who's gone through a merger or buyout and said: 'Wow, that was just the best experience I've ever had at a company!'????"  It was a sardonic statement that had everyone nodding and smiling knowingly.
Bob introduced me to conference organizer Crystal Waters. I congratulated Crystal on the way M/F runs their events and her hand in not just bringing in hired gun designers to teach workshops, but also reaching out to local Web designers, programmers, and artists to both teach and speak on panels. However, it wasn't more than a minute or two into our conversation, when the jovial brand called Peter Merholz (of www.peterme.com, Epinions, and host of the conference's Webpardy! contest) arrived with two cans of aerosol spray glitter to dispense on the crowd, and spray into the fan that blew bubbles from a bubble machine above the scene.
How these glitter things get started is always a mystery to me. However, that's not to say it was unpleasant (I would later compare notes with Samir Shah of SXSW, who also seemed mystified). The unsinkable Molly Steenson, now of Scient – said it best after getting sprayed with glitter, with the succinctly put, "I feel so GLITTERY!" About that time...at that somehow always undefinable moment during the evening, the mood went from loungy to hoppin' – as Austin's cheesy-and-loving-it Recliners transitioned from subdued cover-versions of '80s New Wave hits, to up-tempo dance-floor filling cover-versions from pop music's Velveeta song book. 
Amidst the atomized flying glitter and bubbles, I also had the pleasure of meeting the irrepressible amazon Jennifer Accettola, online producer of the webAUSTIN and all of Miller Freeman's WEB2000 road show websites. It may awhile until we see all these people in one place again, but that may be as soon as the SXSW 2000 Interactive Festival (www.sxsw.com) in March of next year. Looking forward to it. Until next time, that all from Austin - where both the people and the weather are always warm, sometimes hot, but never cold!

Tuesday, October 26, 1999

MethodFive Halloween party

Alaina Yoakum wrote in on the MethodFive Halloween party:
"It was fantastic, a real hit. Crain's, Forbes, Editor & Publisher and NY Observer were there, many of our key clients (Dialog/OfficeShopper.com, The New York Times, Webstakes), as well as PricewaterhouseCooper's Andy Zimmerman and the PwC team -- all wearing jester hats with jangly bells. We basically danced and mingled all night. It was a blast watching the PwC suits let loose and party Silicon Alley style. One of our guests, who went to the big 24/7 bash at Limelight after our event, even reported back that our party was much, much better. Definitely a good time had by all."

Cocktails and a Book Signing

Those crazy NetSlaves! Steve Baldwin and Bill Lessard were rubbing elbows and continuing on their mission of freeing the industry's net slaves from the 1's & 0's that bind them to their desks. Sponsored by McGraw-Hill and The Swayne Agency, this party had a great mix of some heady-book-types as well as solid gear-heads. McGraw-Hill was well represented after a job well done by editorial director Susan Barry, associate dir. of publicity Karen Auerbach, publicity manager Lydia Rinaldi, executive editor Nancy Mikhail, marketing manager John Kwasek and art director David Dell'Accio of McGraw-Hill. They all have something to be proud of in getting the word out about this neat and revealing book. Other McGraw-Hillers were Mary Glenn, Michelle Reid, and Steve Elliott. Lisa Swayne, of her own agency was also on hand, early in the evening to meet and greet guests.
Some of the other early arrivers were Irvin Barash of VenCon Management, Philip Kampe of the Gramercy Partnership and Javed Rahman of EquiServ. Stephen Negron of the Center for Technology Solutions, Gian Trotta of MSNBC, Jeremy Dill of Technology Investor magazine and Lee Kaplan of CBS New Media came out to meet the newly-established writers. Michael McNally of Vantage Technologies, Inc. was also there early with Michael Mochnal. PK Fields, who recently left Mirage Resorts, told me Steve Wynn of Mirage does not have any interest in extending into cyberspace. Well there's a missed opportunity!

Fortunately there were no brawls considering the GE Capital representatives of the Equity group were in the same space as some Forbes reporters, based on the recent article in Forbes about GE Cap folks. However, iStream's pres Chip Ruhnke, and Larry Vassel (an old pal from a past lifetime!), a gang from Globix and Steve Warren, David Olson and Heidi Raebeck of the elusive and nice No-End list came for some Halloween cheer and pictures from the fun EarthCam kiosk! (See them at: http://www.earthcam.com/events/PulitzerParty/107.html)

Steve Petri (CigarLife.com) and Deborah Hope (Hope Management Consulting) were two who got some pics in! This one is a scary prediction... Angela Alvarez Azzolino of The Research Center, Lillian Wang of Iguana, Knox Robinson of IndiePlanet.com, Hamilton Boardman of Women.com and Jennifer Frommer of Sony's New Media division were also there early and got some fun spider rings to sport around. The vast cyber world was made a little smaller with visits from German-based Sari Sapon of CDC Communications and Bart Buijze and Marc Schipperheyn of Netherlands-based BFM Tonebeeld. Karen Teig of Roche Pharmaceuticals, Philip Taub of BlueStone Capital and Ishwari Singh of Trade.com were among the guests who stopped by too.

For the raffle of wacky halloween gifts like a tiger outfit, "witchy socks" a glow-in-the-dark knife, handcuffs and two geek outfits, I managed to capture the attention of MyUtility.com's CDO Gerard Heimbuch, Matthew Bruck of Robert Meredith & Co., communities editor of the WSJinteractive David Flores, Shirley Petchprapa of MTVi and the BlueWave crew--CFO Robert Adair and Alexandra Bouillon (London-based) and Andrew Smart. Steven Miller of the NY Times won the silly string. Pam Spector of GoAmerica and Amy Wilson of BroadPoint represented communications Co.s and Sam Stone of the Wall Street Reporter magazine were chatting with me for a bit. Rob Argento told me Zagat's has some new announcements coming up and the FiveSpice(.com)Girls--Helen Moynihan and Lora Krulak--were out and about as usual. Tracy Chan of the Institute of International Research, Michael Madrigale of Teleglobe and Mary Reagan of the Ocean Drilling Program were mingling about with Deirdre Lightfoot and Seth Rosenberg of Foodline.

Near the end of the event I stopped and chatted for a while with Chip Austin of iHatch Ventures and Melissa Blau of Constellation Ventures about various charity events she's chairing and compared notes. Jaclynn Fischman of Telemedia Accelerator was next to our right, talking with David Friedensohn of BigStar.com. And David Boorstin, one of the best corporate identity consultants I ever worked for, was on our left, mingling with the new media sorts. After several hours of socializing the 13th "Cocktails with Courtney" came to a successful close.

MOUSEketeers for a new generation

It is truly amazing to think that just two years ago MOUSE began as an idea between Sarah Holloway and Andrew Raisej. Just two years ago, through a WWWAC Holiday party benefiting MOUSE, they received approximately $1500. And since then, they've received 10,000 shares of StarMedia stock, stock in other companies, significant donations by CitiGroup and hundreds of hours of donated volunteer time and equipment to wire the city's public schools.

The banquet room in Windows on the World, at the World Trade Center, was brimming with the city's top net-CEOs and nentrepreneurs in the business of bringing the Internet and new technology industry forward. Upon arrival for the cocktail reception, I was first greeted with butlers offering Champagne. Taking a glass, I stopped and chatted with Alice O'Rourke of NYNMA, who looked elegant in her long taffeta skirt and Diane Butler of iXL was as beautiful as ever in her lovely cocktail dress. Also up front was James Cramer of TheStreet.com was chatting with friends (looking elegant with a lovely rose-colored shirt). Further inside the buzz and energy from the over 520 guests who arrived was infectious.

Andrew Weinreich of SixDegrees and I chatted a bit as the butlers were ushering us into the dining room where I spotted whole tables devoted to devotees from 24/7, SOHOnet, The Street.com and Reciprocal.

I was seated with the charming Ted Werth of Digital Club Network, the dashing Adeo Ressi of MethodFive, Paul Carpenter and Marc Andersen of Darwin Capital Management, David Eigen of ProspectStreetVentures and Caroline Waxler of Forbes. Henry Bar-Levav of Oven Digital introduced me to the other Oven-ers at his table, which included Lans King, Judith Keenan (who I met in the press room at Digital Hollywood in LA) and other top management, designers and producers. Larry Lux (CEO) and Mark Berniker (executive producer of BizTech) were dining with their colleagues at the Pseudo table and just adjacent to them were the Cablevision folks. After the very nice series of introductions and presentations, starting with welcomes from Joanne Wilson--the dynamic woman who jumpstarted MOUSE's fundraising--and Andrew Raisej--the unrelentingly devoted founder and president. We saw a video presentation done by students and then the six presentations. Two remarkably driven students were honored first--Alexi Franklin and Genevieve Krause, then student Violeta Pantaleon honored Gregg Betheil, Raymond Quinones announced Ferando Espuelas' award, which was received by a representative of StarMedia. Washington Irving HS student Cristobal Vizcaino introduced Mark Swanson of iXL, which is one of the few companies that shows marked support for MOUSE by allowing its employees to volunteer during working hours. Juana Perez honored Charles Raymond, the newly named president and COO of Citigroup. Then the elusive but revered Geraldine Laybourne spoke glowingly of Zoe Baird as she introduced and honored her. Zoe delivered a thoughtful keynote, which Andrew Raisej echoed in his closing comments.

Of course, even at a sit-down dinner these new media sorts can't sit still so the table-hopping ensued during dinner and desert. I hopped over to say hello to Melissa Grossman of Zefer and she introduced me to Frank Dudley (who recently left Viant to head up Zefer's innovation practice), Antonio Pagan (commissioner, NYC Dep. of Employment) and Gina Amorelli (marketing manager). Nearby Burt Alimansky of Alimansky Capital was entertaining friends with his warm and engaging personality (and striking dark suit). He introduced me to Richard Salute and Susan Hoffberg of Arthur Andersen, Damien Cohen of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison and Michael Fitzgerald of Crest Communications. The networking and celebrating continued well after the last glass of wine was poured and on all accounts this was a very successful event.

Give me back my Sanity.com!

Just when you didn't think it could get any crazier, LifeMinders.com set up a coffee shop terminal in Grand Central to get back some sanity. On an eight city tour before Christmas Tim Hanlon, VP marketing and communications, will be letting people know about this customizable reminder service with lots of useful content, backrests and providing free coffee to commuters everywhere! Check out www.lifeminders.com/sanity

33% customers do what?!?!

Just down the street was an invitation-only gathering of Internet visionaries on Tuesday morning, October 26th at the Yale Club. Sponsored by Primary Knowledge, Kevin O'Connor, CEO, DoubleClick; Rudy Nadilo, CEO, Greenfield Online; Jim Nail, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research; Peter Adams, CEO, Primary Knowledge; and Fred Horowitz, president and CEO of NetGrocer responded to results from a customer survey. Jim Ledbetter, NYBureau Chief of The Industry Standard, led the panel, entitled "e-Customer 2000: Measuring and Maximizing Customer Value in the Digital Century," through the results as they discussed and mused over stats like "76% of respondents think they're being tracked without intentionally submitting information" and that "33% respondents don't submit truthful information."

Before we settled down to this, I chatted with Jennifer Walsh and Julia Hartman of Newspage.com and Jim Nail of Forrester about their recent "marketing systems roadmap" report and powerrankings.forrester.com ranking of top consumer sites. Sitting between Steve Gelsi of CBS Marketplace and Ali Hossaini of OxygenMedia, and I heard some highlights like Kevin O'Connor saying that many times they have to educate clients on what exactly they want to be tracking in addition to the measurements. Jim Nail recounted how during his days at AdSmart, three years ago, they agonized over using cookies, which are a no-brainer for sites today. Regarding the comparison to direct marketing and tracking customers Peter Adams brought up the scenario that if companies were to do offline what we do online, it would be comparable to someone following you around in a store and writing down everything you did in there. (Yikes!) Fred revealed that after seven weeks of advertising a pet-food special in the New York Times, only 20 people used the discount Netgrocer offered. However, the campaign was not a total wash-up as it developed branding, trust and many Pet-related advertisers!

The early bird catches the customer

Chris McCann (1800flowers.com), Paul Cimino (Snickelways Interactive), Anna Maria Virzi ("Internet World"), and Lance Podell (DealTime.com) were the contenders for the "e-tailing for the holidays" panel discussion at the breakfastnetwork.com's morning event. It was early Tuesday, October 26th at Bryant Park Grill and they are ready for the holidays. Ravi Chachra (Snaz.com), who was also speaking, told me before the panel how their company offers universal shopping carts for web-users to shop at up to 50 merchants (by Christmas). Snickeways offered experienced thoughts on the topic, with Fruit of the Loom as a client and Chris McCann mentioned that "flowers were just the beginning for us." Stay tuned for a wild shopping year online this holiday season! And this time the vendors will be prepared!

Monday, October 25, 1999

You 'oughta be in pictures, baby

Meanwhile, down in Tribeca at the Screening Room, Yahoo! Internet Life magazine was hosting a small soiree on Monday, Oct. 25, as a kickoff to their Online Film Festival, which will be March 22 and 23 in LA. Guests enjoyed a private screening of "The Definite Maybe" and then were able to chat about it at a cocktail party afterwards. This particular film holds significance, not just because of its unique theme, but also because the two guys who made it, Sam Sokolow and Matt Muhlern, did so on $100,000 and a lifetime of favors. However, despite winning the New York Independent Film Festival they still couldn't sell the film to a major studio. So, being the Internet-savvy sort of fellows that they are, they partnered with Amazon.com who built an Independent Film division around it. Now, all of their distribution and promotion comes from the Net. Watch out "Blair Witch!" Afterwards I chatted with Lisa Hickey and Neil Duffy of BeachBlanket.com, who will have one of their daily Internet TV shorts filmed by Sam. Andy Kramer YIL's first salesman and YIL's publisher Paul Turcotte were on hand to answer questions and talk about their first online film festival. This one won't turn into one of those festivals where indies are competing against Gwyneth Paltrow cast-films, though. This one's gonna have some real meat in it!

Building on a Tradition : NYNMA Cybersuds


A long way from Long Island City and the Silver Cup Studios, but not from the spirit and hype for NY and new media they started five years ago, NYNMA held their 5th Annual Super Cybersuds on Monday, October 25 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. They touted there'd be "3,000 decision makers" there, and 3,000 people definitely made the decision to go there. Well into the event there were hundreds of people waiting for an hour outside. Once in--there were hors d'oeuvres being passed by geek-attired waitstaff and a man standing by the door with a sign "I need an angel." Creative Good was recruiting and if passers-by dropped off a biz card, they'd get CG's Holiday report as a gift. ** This offer is still valid! Drop them an email! ** Leslie Hoffman of the Earth Pledge Foundation told me she's working on revamping President Lincoln's granddaughter's former home into WorkSpace 2000, a showcase of environmental and communication technology featuring a computer training lab, conference rooms, offices and a residence. Check it out at www.workspace2000.org! 

David Verchere of CorporateGear.com exclaimed this night was "Madness!" and I think Marnie Kotak and Ron Kustal of Virtual Growth would agree -- their booth was swamped. Methodfive and infohouse.com were there, as were the Price Waterhouse guys, who didn't have much to say other than they were letting people know about their services. I spoke with Adam Goldman of Interactive Futures while Steve Shaer, IF's CEO was out working the vast trade show space. In front of the Cushman & Wakefield booth, where Alex Chudnoff and Mark Mandell were handing out their maps, I chatted with Amy Lieberman and Glen Lipka of Kokopelli. Anne Shelton of McKinsey & Co. was investigating the many booths and on our way through I stopped and said "hello" to Kyra Feldman of T3 Media who also reported that lots of recruiting went on. Adam Levy of RadWare announced they went public last month. Nearby I spied SmallWorld.com, which was giving out tension balls and MLX.com was handing out bright orange fluorescent keyrings. IBM's group was presented and represented by JP Frenza and Jonathan Hurley. We discussed plans of the first "Cocktails with Courtney" in Boston (coming up!). Mofo.com handed out "the boss" flashlights and James Ontra and Glenn Handler of iXL reported that over 35 people worked their booth -- a representative from each division all day. 

On the outer ring were the iBreakfast and Hudson Valley booths where I met up with Neal Lorberbaum of Techspace. Even LA was represented with Brad Nye of Vic as he walked around. Afterwards Brad, Mads Lillelund, Jennifer Crews and "Broadway Bob" Hess of Lucent and Renee Edelman of PR21 and I dined a bit at Steak Frites.

Friday, October 22, 1999

A Romantic evening for over 150

ERomance had a crowd in excess of 150 attendees who were amused and excited to be part of their "coming out" soiree. Caren Martineau of eRomance overheard someone say "this is like walking into an exotic den." They transformed the Osteria Laguna into a lover's lair--candelabra's dripped with crystals and wax; hundreds of rose petals cascaded over the bar, tables and the floor. Revelers stood transfixed to the video monitors, which played clips from 100 of Hollywood's finest love stories. Hours of music extolled the virtues of love and lustings of the heart. Bacchus himself would have enjoyed the abundance of aphrodisiac canapes.

In the rear of the restaurant, a line formed waiting for lover's tarot readings. Greenwich Street Productions, producers of The Thomas Crown Affair are currently starting production on the film version of Tony n' Tina's Wedding, staged an event within the event. Unbeknownst to the party-goers, the audience was peppered with actors who engaged fellow attendees with their personal trials and tribulations of romance–including a guy who kept searching for his blind date throughout the evening.

It was a huge hit and everyone left with a smile and a sample gift of St.Barth's Vanilla Lotion and Passion Massage Oil, packaged exclusively for eRomance by Sarah's Salves in East Hampton.

Courtney Pulitzer on "Live with Regis & Kathie Lee"

New Gig News
"Live From Regis & Kathie Lee!" The crowd cheered and Kathie Lee welcomed me with a firm handshake as today, Friday, October 22nd, marked my debut with "Yahoo! Internet Life" magazine as a Contributing Editor with an appearance on this popular morning show. This week was "Live Online" week and on the fifth day we covered House and Garden websites, a topic close to Kathie Lee's heart, as she's an avid re-decorator!

TCS Intro: 10/22/99

I. This Week's Specials:
"Regis & Kathie Lee" welcome the web
A Romantic evening for over 150
It's all about branding, baby
'Nother "Small Affair"
Let me tell you a little about bandwidth...
PE discusses IP
A Tweedy Set Downtown
It was a GoodYear
Eisnor is TWO!!
The Cyber Scene in Austin ~ by Will Kreth The Cyber Scene in Portland ~ by Mike Kingsella ** NEW ** The Cyber Scene in Los Angeles ~ by Heather Mason ** NEW ** The Cyber Scene in Paris ~ by Martine Savary

The Cyber Scene in Los Angeles ~ by Heather Mason


Carol Perruso, president of LA Times.com, dimmed the lights and power-pointed her way through the redesign of the online version of the Times. She correctly observed however, that white-type on a dark blue background is not effective on screen. Even a straw-poll she conducted showed that almost everyone favored the redesign over the old, proving that it is not only effective for a company to have a website, but it is equally important to have one with a user-friendly interface.

While the presentation was hard to read, it was informative. Some of the questions from the audience, afterwards, focused on whether there was an increase in world readership (there was) and whether the reader demographics online were different from those of the hard copy (slightly). But Carol really got on her soapbox when questioned about whether this site spells demise for the offline version of the paper. She went into an almost obsessive rendition of her day (but nonetheless very effective anecdote) with news in all its incarnations. She ended with “you will never spread your laptop on the floor on a Saturday and read the paper.”

True.

Recovering from the dim light, I ran into an old friend, Kenny Stevens from Digital City, and then turned to meet Jon Gibbs, of STV.com, a streaming media company. There were several E! Online folks working their way around the room at this VIC Breakfast. A group of Chiat Day representatives were gathered around one of the banquet tables. Networking in the early morning though is always a little less fervent than the night soirees.

On my way out, I visited the sponsor tables and met Susan Corben, of Creative Assets. We spoke about the different groups of people who are jumping into the Internet and the challenge of finding positions that fit their skills from the offline world.

The Cyber Scene in Los Angeles ~ by Heather Mason


Carol Perruso, president of LA Times.com, dimmed the lights and power-pointed her way through the redesign of the online version of the Times. She correctly observed however, that white-type on a dark blue background is not effective on screen. Even a straw-poll she conducted showed that almost everyone favored the redesign over the old, proving that it is not only effective for a company to have a website, but it is equally important to have one with a user-friendly interface.

While the presentation was hard to read, it was informative. Some of the questions from the audience, afterwards, focused on whether there was an increase in world readership (there was) and whether the reader demographics online were different from those of the hard copy (slightly). But Carol really got on her soapbox when questioned about whether this site spells demise for the offline version of the paper. She went into an almost obsessive rendition of her day (but nonetheless very effective anecdote) with news in all its incarnations. She ended with “you will never spread your laptop on the floor on a Saturday and read the paper.”

True.

Recovering from the dim light, I ran into an old friend, Kenny Stevens from Digital City, and then turned to meet Jon Gibbs, of STV.com, a streaming media company. There were several E! Online folks working their way around the room at this VIC Breakfast. A group of Chiat Day representatives were gathered around one of the banquet tables. Networking in the early morning though is always a little less fervent than the night soirees.

On my way out, I visited the sponsor tables and met Susan Corben, of Creative Assets. We spoke about the different groups of people who are jumping into the Internet and the challenge of finding positions that fit their skills from the offline world.

Upcoming Events ~ 10/22/99


UPCOMING EVENTS________________________________
For the most comprehensive, up-to-date listing on all the events ~ Check out: http://www.TheCyberScene.com/ and click on "Calendar of Events" Add your own events too!

Archipelago, NexTrade, Attain, Island, Brut, Redibook, Bloomberg Tradebook, Instinet, and Strike Technologies will demonstrate the latest in transactional trading floor technology - for the first time ever - on a trading floor built specifically for the financial Information Technology (IT) community. The special exhibit will be showcased at the eighth annual Financial Technology Expo (www.financialtechexpo.com), November 16-18, 1999, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

NYNMA's 5th Annual Super CyberSuds(TM) -- The trade show for new media in New York & Silicon Alley's largest networking event. -- is here again!!!! You don't want to miss it either! Mon., Oct. 25, 4-9 PM Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. (between 6th & 7th), NYC

Non-profit:
The Technology and New Media Group, a part of the Entertainment, Media and Communications Division of UJA-Federation of New York, will hold its Annual Achievement in Technology and New Media Awards Gala on Wednesday, November 17, 1999, at 6:30 p.m. at The Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street. The guests of honor will be Candice Carpenter, Co-Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, iVillage Inc. and Mike Levy, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sportsline USA, Inc. Barry Diller and Joe Namath will serve as Award presenters. Tickets to the cocktail reception and dinner are $360. For reservations or information, call (212) 836-1129.

A SCOOP___________________________________________

Methodfive announced that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is making a significant minority investment in the company and setting up a strategic relationship worldwide. This deal bears many similarities to the Omnicom investment into Agency.com, Razorfish, Organic, etc., with some key differences.: Methodfive is the first strategic Web development company of its type that PwC has invested in and will play a prominent role in any other acquisitions made in the sector by PwC, including, potentially, rolling them under methodfive. This is not a means to diversify a portfolio of companies. PwC and methodfive have been crafting a joint "go to market" offering that will be presented to both PwC and methodfive clientele, as well as new business prospects worldwide. There will be no artificial boundaries concerning companies that methodfive or PwC can and cannot approach due to political issues that arise in a holding company situation, such as with Omnicom. In most cases, methodfive and PwC will set up joint project teams.- methodfive will agree to train all of PwC e-business consultants worldwide on their best of class online development planning process. In exchange, PwC will agree to keep the process branded "methodfive" in all engagements and methodfive will receive access to all PwC training programs worldwide. Adeo Ressi : CEO of methodfive said "essentially, methodfive is syndicating its methodology worldwide into one of the largest consulting companies."

CORREKSHIONS
Being the old-schooler I am, I blanked out on Deja.com's big ad campaign and name change and wrote them up as DejaNews.

SHAKERS & STIRRERS ________________________

Send your announcements to: shakers@TheCyberScene.com
Read all about the hot people online at:

Sunny Bates Associates, which specializes in recruiting the senior-level talent in demand at Internet businesses, has just added Robert Egan and Troy Maier to its team of influential players in the digital community.
Rob Egan comes to SBA from a top-ten search firm where he served on the management committee and filled executive positions in a range of industries worldwide. With 14 years of experience in marketing and sales at Atari, Procter & Gamble, Kraft General Foods, and Grand Metropolitan, Egan brings an insider's understanding of brand-building and the contacts to strengthen SBA's network in Boston and beyond. A world traveler and Outward Bound Board Member cleverly disguised as a Kellogg B-school ('87) packaged goods traditionalist, Rob relishes his leap into the hot space where media meets technology.

Troy Maier brings hands-on technical know-how to SBA, having spearheaded the installation of a new Y2K-compliant operating system across all the divisions of Bankers Trust (Deutsche Bank/Bankers Trust). In light of that experience, Maier maintains, "The two most important qualifications for senior tech positions are great interpersonal skills and the ability to manage chaos."

Christopher Kresge has been named vice president of sales and marketing for Openshop.com, an eCommerce solution provider based in Germany. Christopher will be working out of the New York City office and will be responsible for the northeast territory.

Michael Coggins has been named Global Account Manager for Openshop.com. He was recently promoted from vice president of channel development. Michael will also be working out of the New York City office

Walter Karol has been appointed CTO of Openshop.com . His responsiblities will include product development and training.

R/GA Interactive has made 2 further additions to its team, naming Michelle Cheesman as account director, and John Antinori as senior producer. Cheesman is responsible for providing strategic direction on the IBM account, and oversees the IBM account management team. She comes to R/GA from Playboy Online, where she was business development manager, specializing in the broadband and interactive television markets. Antinori is the senior producer on the Bed, Bath & Beyond account. He was most recently senior producer/creative director at Engineering Animation, Inc., a PC games developer. He brings to his new position twelve years of experience developing computer games and children's software for a variety of platforms.

Dominique Ellner has been in London for the past 7 months setting up the Pixelpark UK office as their Director of Operations. She writes in "it has been really extraordinary. Now this office is fully underway, Pixelpark has gone public on the Neuer Markt (pxl.fse) and now I am off on a 2-year leave of absence to earn my MBA at Harvard University. Look out new media..." Contact her via email, dom@ellner.net

CYBER SCENE SOCIAL NOTES ~ 10/22/99


R.s.v.p. When invited to an event, proper etiquette obliges you to reply as promptly as possible. As the bible of etiquette, "Emily Post," deems, it is inexcusably rude to leave someone who has invited you to a party.

Thursday, October 21, 1999

Eisnor is TWO!


Shanelle Rein at Eisnor wrote in about their 2nd Anniversary Party -- I've published her recap:
Their party was at Idlewild (145 E Houston Street) where the decor is fashioned after the inside of an airplane. People danced, drank and had loads of fun. Their General Manager, Sam Travis Ewen, was the dj for the night. He played a mix of old school favs, hip hop and techno. They gave out low budget (our style) goodie bags (brown paper bags branded with stickers from our clients) that included an assortment of water guns, blow pops, rubber balls, power & crystal bracelets in the Eisnor colors (lime green and orangish red), embroidered silk fish & elephants, client stickers, fake tattoos, candy, tattoo bracelets and Eisnor thank you cards.
They had great finger foods (spicy shrimp, crab sandwiches, assorted foccacia, assorted cheese & grapes, peanut covered chicken & cookies). Everyone was drinking the club's signature drink "Idlewild." The whole Eisnor team was there wearing their mission t-shirts w/ the tagline: Brainwashing Consumers for Profit. Di-Ann Eisnor, CEO and Jen Nash, Creative Dictator were there mingling with old & new friends; basically happy to see that what they founded two years ago has blossomed into 2 additional offices (San Francisco & Boston) and 30 employees. All in all, it was great success. We will definitely let you know about any future events. Other cool attendees were: Nathalie Kim - Marketing Manager/Nickelodeon, David Bernstein - VP/IConnect.com, Michael Winter - Associate Media Director/SIG, Leon Stiel - Chief Strategy Officer/Oven Digital, Samantha Saturn, currently working with Rocketboard.com but a new media icon and Engsan Kho, Director of broadcast design/pseudo.com.

A Tweedy Set Downtown

Keeping in tradition with their popular boozy-gatherings, the Downtown Alliance served up yet another bizzy-group of networkers on Thursday, October 21st at the Beekman Pub. Well over 200 people came and stayed on after the expected hour, enjoying the zitti and passed-hors d'oeuvres sponsored by Milbank,Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. Lisa Novitt, director of the information technology district, told me the vibe was great and upbeat. So many of the young urban hipsters of technology companies from the downtown (and a few mid-town) region came out for this fun event, they spilled out from their private back-room to the bar area and took over the booths.

A Tweedy Set Downtown

Keeping in tradition with their popular boozy-gatherings, the Downtown Alliance served up yet another bizzy-group of networkers on Thursday, October 21st at the Beekman Pub. Well over 200 people came and stayed on after the expected hour, enjoying the zitti and passed-hors d'oeuvres sponsored by Milbank,Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. Lisa Novitt, director of the information technology district, told me the vibe was great and upbeat. So many of the young urban hipsters of technology companies from the downtown (and a few mid-town) region came out for this fun event, they spilled out from their private back-room to the bar area and took over the booths.

The Cyber Scene in Portland ~ by Mike Kingsella


The Cyber Scene in Portland ~ by Mike Kingsella


Eyescream Interactive Adds New Client to Roster!
As of October 21st, Airborne Express has chosen Eyescream Interactive as their interactive agency of record. I spoke with Kim Kalapus from Eyescream over the phone yesterday morning, and she let me know just how exited they were to have a client such as this.

Pint of Portland Hits Highest Attendance Yet!
With a crowd of 230 at the renowned Bar 71 in downtown Portland the Pint of Portland enjoyed its largest crowd yet, breaking a record of 160 folks. According to John Craft, event organizer, there was about a 40% increase in new faces and the distribution list for the pint is over one thousand people. Most of the comments about the evening "related to the fact that the Pint has become a mainstay in the Portland interactive community." And that's a good thing. For more information on the Pint, check out their web site at http://www.pint.org.

Portland Advertising Federation Gearing Up For First Interactive Event!
I also spoke to John Craft regarding the PAF interactive committee and what they are up to. On November 11th, at the Governor hotel in downtown Portland, there will be a dot com panel. Confirmed panelists include 800.com, Cameraworld.com, and Flowerbud.com.