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Tuesday, September 29th, 1998 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs HotBot's Search Portal Gets Redesign To help ease growing consumer frustration with Web searching, Wired Digital has unveiled a new version of its Web navigation portal, HotBot, specifically designed to provide Web users with more tools to effectively articulate their search questions and produce relevant results in less time. HotBot attracts more than eight million users each month. HotBot's latest incarnation offers: - an expanded arsenal of targeted search tools -- topped by the ability to search Web content published in nine languages; - more accurate results through the infusion of relevant editorial content -- site recommendations, site-specific search tools, news headlines, company profiles, and stock quotes; - and, for the first time on HotBot, content channels designed by Wired's editorial staff to assist Web surfers with broader information searches in 16 categories. "With more than 200 million documents now available on the Web, consumer frustration with finding relevant information appears to be at an all-time high," said Mary Murphy, senior vice president of marketing for Wired Digital. "We are extremely pleased to be enhancing HotBot's founding mission -- to better understand users search questions and get them to relevant search results fastest -- at the precise moment that our portal brethren appear to be focused on other consumer needs." HotBot now hosts 16 content channels divided into four comprehensive topic categories that intuitively map to how people are using the Web today. The topic categories include -- to stay informed (news, sports, entertainment, reference, health), to research and plan purchases (cars, travel, homes and real estate), to manage careers and money (finance, business, jobs, education), and to put technology to use at home and work (games, downloads, computers, Web basics, Web development). Female Entrepreneurs Invited To Share Tips The QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest, which runs through October 31, 1998, asks female small business owners to submit an entry of 50 words or less in response to the question, "Which tried-and-true `Balancing Acts' enable you to successfully manage your business and family?" Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies, will lead the judging panel for the QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest. Mrs. Fields has had first-hand experience with "the balancing act," having raised five children while at the same time building one of the most successful retail businesses in the country. The winning entries will be compiled in a free booklet entitled Recipes for Success, which will be made available this year to the public. Those eligible to enter the contest are small business owners, 18 years of age or older, who are U.S. residents, whose companies are located within the United States, have been in operation for more than 6 months, and employ a total of twenty employees or less at time of entry. Limit one entry per person. All entrants will receive a free trial version of QuickBooks Pro 6.0. Ten finalists will receive one free copy of QuickBooks Pro 6.0. The Grand Prize Winner will receive $2,500 and an all-expense paid trip to New York. Additionally, the Grand Prize Winner will meet with Debbi Fields at her headquarters, in Memphis, to participate in a photo and video shoot with Mrs. Debbi Fields. Additionally, the grand prize winning entry will appear on the QuickBooks Web site. Participants can enter the QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest via the Internet, fax or by mail. Contestants can enter at www.quicken.com or by accessing the QuickBooks website at www.quickbooks.com. To enter by fax or mail, include the following typed information: -- name -- company name -- type of business -- number of employees -- complete business mailing address -- fax and e-mail address -- daytime phone number -- entry of 50 words or less in response to: "Which tried-and-true `Balancing Acts' enable you to successfully manage your business and family?" Participants can fax their entries to the attention of the QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest at (212) 213-7199. Alternately, contestants can mail their entries to: QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest, c/o Manning, Selvage & Lee, 79 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10016. To obtain a full set of rules send a self-addresses stamped envelope to: QuickBooks "Women In Balance" Contest, c/o Manning, Selvage & Lee, 79 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10016. Primedia Announces Latin American Development Primedia Inc. announced that the company will extend its brands into Latin American markets through joint ventures, acquisitions and licensing opportunities. Juan Manuel Romero has been named to head the Latin American efforts for Primedia International, effective immediately. "We recognize the value and importance of these untapped markets and it is important that we sow the seeds for future expansion in markets that have tremendous opportunities in targeted media," said William F. Reilly, chairman and chief executive officer of Primedia. "Juan comes to Primedia with experience in Latin America at Booz, Allen & Hamilton and other consulting and financial advisory firms. He is an expert in the Latin American arena." Primedia began its international development efforts in emerging markets with its entrance into China two years ago. Since then, the Company has built joint ventures with Chinese companies which have resulted in the launch of six magazine titles in the last year, with increased frequency, and two new titles planned for next year. Utilizing the same model for development, Primedia plans to achieve the same success in Latin America by developing joint venture and licensing initiatives to leverage existing core U.S. products. Prior to joining Primedia, Romero served as an associate at The Strategic Partners Group, Inc. in New York, a strategic and financial advisory start-up founded by Booz, Allen & Hamilton professionals, focusing on Latin America. Romero's expertise with Latin American businesses started with the beginning of his career when he worked in Mexico City with SCA Consulting. After leaving Mexico he served as a lead consultant in Booz, Allen & Hamilton's mergers and acquisitions group in New York, where he worked on cross-border transactions. WanderingMan Announces Its New On-Line Java Resource Center WanderingMan Consulting has announced the release of their new Internet-based Java resource center. The WanderingMan Java site focuses on original articles, code, product reviews, editorials, book reviews, and tutorials for Java and Internet developers. Features include a monthly Macintosh/Java guide, a CORBA corner, Java certification tips and tricks, a Linux/Java guide, monthly product and book reviews, code samples, and a large set of categorized Java links and tools on the web. "From the beginning, we wanted Java developers to have a site that contained everything to do with Java: articles, code, product reviews, book reviews, thousands of links, tools, job opportunities, training - just about anything a developer could want" says Michael Bogan, president of WanderingMan. "We not only developed a robust site, we also developed a site that was easy to navigate, and that had a little attitude." 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