NewsEdge's aggressive e-content strategy focuses on eTopics, a product that delivers editorially customized business content from 400 sources to corporate Web portals, extranets, and e-commerce exchanges, and iTopics, a service that integrates content into enterprise intranets. [See Paula J. Hane's May 15, 2000 NewsBreak.] Using these products, customers can select topics from NewsEdge's library of over 1,500 business-oriented categories from which editorial experts regularly filter and review content. Over 50,000 articles that are received each day flow through the NewsEdge Refinery process where a search algorithm is used to determine the selection of articles. Editors select the best five to 10 stories for each topic and they become part of the news feed that's delivered to the customer. eTopics feeds start at $10,000 for an annual subscription to 10 eTopics and vary based on volume and the number of topics selected. eTopics' current customers include Salary.com, HRvillage.com, and B2Bexchange.com.

With eContent Publisher, the new e-content tool from NewsEdge, the customer gets editorial control of selecting the articles from the news feed. eContent Publisher is simple to use. Customers receive the news feeds in their chosen topic, review the content headline or complete article format, select the stories to post, and then receive the JavaScript required to post the stories on their Web site. This allows the user to provide content that is more relevant to a particular Web site's audience. In order to give the customers more flexibility, the articles are available in different formats such as XML, SGML, HTML, or straight text. eContent Publisher is available separately for $3,000 per year and is to be used in conjunction with eTopics.

NewsEdge has also announced the release of ReachOut Mail, a daily e-mail news service for corporate intranets, extranets, and public Web sites.  ReachOut Mail supplies industry-specific news headlines that are also filtered through the NewsEdge Refinery process, reviewed by editors, and delivered to a subscriber's e-mail address. Customers can select from NewsEdge's editorial library of over 1,500 business-related topics. Once a topic is selected, a daily e-mail will be sent informing customers of the day's relevant headlines. The customer can review the headlines, select those of interest, and be immediately taken to the full-text story. ReachOut Mail starts at $24,000 per year and requires the purchase of eTopics.

While ReachOut Mail conveniently provides headlines and links to the respective full-text stories, it also serves as a marketing tool to help drive return traffic to corporate Web sites. When customers select a headline from their daily news message, the clickthrough data to the public Web site, including the name and e-mail address, are captured. The Web site can use this data for targeted marketing to send related content of interest.

A company can also use ReachOut Mail for its intranet and then use the captured data for its own marketing. For example, information professionals can find out within their company who has a particular subject interest and market additional information to them. ReachOut Mail can also be used as a knowledge management tool to discover what subjects are of interest to employees and help harness their knowledge.

"ReachOut Mail not only provides relevant daily news in specific areas of interest to online customers, but also serves as a tool to improve site traffic, reinforce brand, and deliver targeted marketing messages, whether users are employees accessing the intranet or individuals on the public Web," said Kevin Sperry, director of market development at NewsEdge.

NewsEdge's e-content strategy and products continue to raise the bar for itself and its competitors in the burgeoning e-content marketplace and the need for better content on Web sites. "Web sites are about generating action—be it more traffic on corporate sites, habitual use in e-communities, or e-commerce transactions," said Charles White, vice president of eContent services at NewsEdge. "NewsEdge's eTopics, and more recently ReachOut Mail, are designed to make the job of creating that action easy for those who own or run Web properties."
 

Other Developments at NewsEdge
The summer was a busy one for NewsEdge. First, the company announced its second quarter 2000 results ending June 20, 2000—the first complete quarter since its strategic realignment. NewsEdge reported an increase of eTopics customers to 125 (from about 60) and new eTopics orders for more than $2 million. In addition, NewsEdge finished the quarter with a cash balance of $20 million, up from $16.7 million in the first quarter.

At the end of July, NewsEdge announced a strategic partnership with Primedia's IndustryClick (http://www.industryclick.com) to supply its eTopics content for Internet and wireless applications within IndustryClick. The NewsEdge Refinery will be processing, coding, and tagging Primedia's Intertec business-to-business magazine publications for use on IndustryClick's vertical Web sites. NewsEdge will syndicate content from Primedia's Intertec publications to its customers.
[See the July 31, 2000 Weekly News Digest.]

In August, NewsEdge expanded its partnership with Northern Light (http://www.northernlight.com). NewsEdge will now be marketing Northern Light's Web publication archive services to its eTopics and iTopics clients. eTopics and iTopics articles will cover the current 30 days and if there's a need for older articles, customers will be able to select the archives quickly and conveniently. [See the August 21, 2000 Weekly News Digest.]