Teenage girls’ web site Wicked Colours, which was launched in a blaze of publicity a couple of years ago, only to collapse, is to be relaunched by teen internet entrepreneur Nick Bell. The 18-year-old, through his NBUK Group, has bought the assets of Wicked Colours, which includes a database of 200,000 people from WebSwappers, a swapping site founded by Nicholas Negropronte. WebSwappers itself only acquired the site last December, and it has been in limbo since then, with no editorial staff. NBUK, which owns Teenfront.com, says it was looking at bringing back the original editorial team. "The previous editorial team was laid off in December under the previous owner. We were initially interested in restoring the team but they are all now in new jobs," said NMUK Group Rebecca Flounders, who is heading the content team. According to Flounders there will be a core team of four working on the site, supported by freelancers.
AOL has enhanced the content of its service with the introduction of a parents’ section. The new Parenting Channel is aimed at expectant mothers and parents with babies and toddlers.
BT is to start a trial for internet access via satellite. The new service is likely to appeal to those who live in rural areas where cable or ADSL is not available. Initial costs are likely to be around £400 for a connection and dish plus around £25 a month for access. While the service will allow fast access to the Internet, making downloads quick, sending e-mail attachments and files will be at regular landline speeds.
From time to time I get asked which sites I think are essential. In no particular order they are:
Companies House (www.companieshouse.gov.uk) – if you need to double-check that a company is bona fide, this site will confirm if it files its accounts on time, plus you can find out who the directors are. Basic information such as when it was incorporated and its registered address is free. The site also has a database of disqualified directors.
Google (www.google.com) – searching the web has never been easier since Google burst on the scene a few years ago. In that time it has just got better and better and unique features such as auto-correcting your spelling make it less frustrating to try to find what you need.
NewsNow (www.newsnow.co.uk) – NewsNow displays headlines from many news sources and you just click on a link to be taken directly to the story. Where it comes into its own is the ability to compare how several places are reporting a story.
Leslie Bunder
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