AOL/Time Warner the first of many media mergers to come By JIM BROOKS Unless you've been in hiding the last week or so, you have heard the announced merger of America Online and Time Warner. The new company -- to be called AOL Time Warner Inc. -- is the marriage of some of the finest editorial content available (magazines including Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Progressive Farmer, Mad Magazine and Fortune; TV Networks that include the Turner networks, HBO, Cinemax, CNN, CNN/SI, Court TV, TNT; and entertainment in Warner Bros, Hanna-Barbera, Castle Rock) with the nation's largest Internet provider (AOL). Throw in the fact that Time Warner also owns its own cable system and broadband Internet provider network, and you've got the makings of an 800-pound Internet gorilla -- one that may one day soon bring a wide array of services and content to your door and your computer or TV. Time Warner's holdings are massive, if you really start to dig. We've all heard of Time/Life books; don't overlook several book-of-the-month-clubs and a list of publishing houses. Or my childhood favorite comic book publisher, DC Comics. Time Warner has a long list of recording labels in its stable -- Atlantic, Rhino Records, Elektra, Asylum, Reprise, Warner Bros -- and music publishing houses. And don't forget that the deal also includes Ted Turner's massive collection of movies that were the heart and soul of Turner Classic Movies, another of my favorite cable networks. America Online has long been scorned by many longtime Internet users who have referred to it's simpler approach to online computing as "the Web with training wheels." AOL's simple and easy-to-use user interface has made it the Internet provider of choice for -- quite literally -- millions of Americans. Twenty million Net users can't be all wrong. WHAT'S AHEAD? Analysts say the AOL/Timer Warner merger is only the first of what will become a trend of old media companies marrying new media partners. What can it mean for users in the near future? The possibilities are pretty dazzling if you think about it. Just consider being able to access all of Time Warner's content -- music, film, video, TV, magazines, books -- via a broadband cable Internet hookup. What's more exciting is the fact that this trend is likely to continue, and as more old/new media companies establish partnerships, we'll see more useful and innovative ways to use the Internet. GM INKS NET DEAL. The next GM truck or car you buy in the near future may also earn you free Internet access. The automaker has signed a four-year deal with free Internet provider NetZero that gives it exclusive rights as the only automaker whose products will be features on the service. NetZero offers free Internet access -- with a catch. NetZero is an ad supported service, which means a small window with ads is displayed on the computer screen every time you use it. An ever-changing lineup of ads are displayed in this window in the hopes you'll see something that will entice you to click on the window -- which will take you to a Web site to get more information or sell you a product. The deal will mean that GM will distribute 20 million NetZero access software CDs, according to the Associated Press and SiliconValley.com. GM will also have access to the demographic data that NetZero collects on its users, which includes shopping preferences and the make car they last purchased. If the deal works well for GM, they have the option to purchase part of NetZero. Studies show that more people are using the Web to research the cars they buy -- shopping for both price and features. MAC-ONLY SEARCH. Staying competitive in a crowded market is tough; and search engines have worked diligently over the past couple of years to set themselves apart. Some have become Web portals; others try to offer ancillary Web-based services. Still others want to be the base for your Web community of friends and family. All of these moves are grabs for marketshare in an increasing difficult market. Google.com, a search site that's been online since early 1998, announced last week its new Apple-specific search engine. As an Apple fan and user myself, finding Mac-specific information can just sometimes be difficult to do. Let's face it -- more than 90 percent of the U.S. views the Web at a PC. Despite the gains from the iMac, finding information and files can be troublesome. Enter Google.com. Seeing a need for the growing Apple market, Google.com's new Apple search engine quickly delivers specific information related to Apple and the Mac computer platform. This isn't the first specialized search engine from Google. They currently offer custom search engines that target files and Web sites specific to the Linux operating system and the U.S. government. To use Google's new Apple search engine, point your Web browser to www.google.com/mac.html. For information on Google's other search engines, visit their main site at www.google.com. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME |