And until cable or xDSL modems give home users video capability, small text-based items like stock prices and news headlines are the only content capable of being pushed to large audiences. Even the word push is falling from favor in product descriptions and press releases. It's a news and information service. The most surprising roadblock for push, though, comes not from technology, but from the intended audience. Push media's promises are often met with outright resentment from computer owners glad to be free of TV's broadcast model.
Consumers are smarter than media organizations thought.
When push came along, they said, 'I've seen this one-way communication before. Internet users loathe spam, but eagerly sign up for regular mailings they deem useful. Netscape's In-Box Direct emails HTML from more than 125 publishers to an estimated 3 million subscribers. Because consumers have grown acclimated to it over time, rather than having it thrust upon them as a new paradigm by publishers desperate for larger audiences. We've built on that by enriching email with HTML and links to the Web.