Financial sites such as AOL, Yahoo, and Quicken continue to improve and receive high traffic. Brokers such as eTrade have ramped up their offerings. New entries by online banks promise more battles for financial coverage. Savvy firms realize that a sophisticated use of the Net requires an organization that can support and supplement the online capabilities. The Web is great for handling thousands, even millions, of visitors.
Email is much more difficult.
Each message is potentially unique, yet many similarities and overlaps occur. One getting a considerable buzz is eGain. This could happen if the European privacy directive is fully enforced, and U.S. companies are prohibited from handling online data with Europe. The story demonstrates how Europeans feel quite differently about controlling their own data. Microsoft and IBM won't advertise on a site without adequate privacy protection and information.