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Virtually Door to Door
Calvin Reid -- 11/4/97
Encyclopedia Britannica launched its online service (www.eb.com) in 1995, providing original Web articles in addition to screening links and Web-based information for accuracy, for an annual rate of $150 for consumer subscribers. College licenses boomed, said EB spokesperson Nick Farina, and EB Online is now available to 47% of all U.S college students through EB site licenses. But with only 11,000 home subscriptions, EB has decided to slash the consumer price (to $85 annually; $8.50 monthly); and it has launched a new free service called Britannica Internet Guide, a Web navigation service and search engine (www.ebig.com). EBIG is an online database of more than 65,000 sites reviewed and rated by EB for quality and depth. If that's not enough choice, users can use the EBIG Alta Vista button to search the entire Web for unvetted sites. EBIG is and will remain free, said Farina. No banner ads either, but the site will solicit appropriate sponsors for its subject areas. "The Web has matured," Farina told PW; "People are looking for information now, not just surfing."

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