On the Net ... with UPI

REPORT: INTERNET TRAFFIC JUMPED ON SEPT. 11

Although Americans used the Internet to seek information during and after the Sept. 11 attacks last year, its role in commemorating the first anniversary was no less important, according to comScore Media Metrix. The Internet audience measurement company said compared to previous Wednesdays this summer, visitors to news sites on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002, increased between 37 percent and 148 percent. Among the more popular sites was cnn.com, which drew 3.4 million U.S. visitors, up 49 percent compared with the average Wednesday. Also popular was msnbc.com, with nearly 2.6 million visitors, up 43 percent. Time magazine's time.com climbed throughout the week to reach 1.56 million visitors, up 148 percent and nytimes.com reached 954,000 visitors, up 54 percent, according to comScore figures.

SBC, YAHOO GET INTO DSL BUSINESS

SBC Communications Inc. and Yahoo Inc. have begun offering their co-branded high-speed Internet service to small business and residential customers. The digital subscriber line, or DSL, service is available to new customers in the 13 states where SBC operates. SBC spokesman Steve Lee said the company plans to begin moving its 1.7 million existing DSL customers over to the new premium service during the fourth quarter. The basic service, which sells for $42.95 a month, can download at 384 kilobits per second and upload at 128 kps. It includes personalized features and premium services as part of the package. SBC and Yahoo launched a co-branded Internet dial-up service earlier this year that combines SBC's network access with Yahoo's content and features. The two companies formed a strategic alliance last year to compete with cable companies, which have dominated the broadband Internet market.

SBA LAUNCHES SPANISH WEB SITE

In an effort to capture the growing Hispanic business market, the U.S. Small Business Administration has launched a new Spanish-language Web site. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Hispanics now make up the largest ethnic minority in the country with 35 million people. Also, the SBA said statistics show 78 percent of all Hispanics have access to the Internet. Further, estimates show Hispanic businesses employ some two million people and account for $200 billion to the U.S. economy. The Web site can be found at sba.gov/espanol.

OHIO GIVES RESIDENTS ACCESS TO INFO ONLINE

The state of Ohio is spending $2.5 million to give its residents access to 22 computer databases from Ebsco Publishing, which includes articles from more than 6,000 sources. The collection includes more than 3,000 journals, 1,900 periodicals and 240 other news sources. In a statement, Ohio officials said about 2,600 peer-reviewed journals suitable for advanced research are included. The service will be available at all of Ohio's schools, colleges, and public libraries, and library cardholders will be available to access the it over the Internet. According to the statement, it would have cost more than $18 million for all of those entities to subscribe to the collection individually. The collection forms the basis of Ohio's statewide Core Electronic Information Collection.

REALPAGE BUYS REALHOUND.COM

RealPage, a provider of online services for managing apartment complexes, has bought RealHound.com. Located in Irvine, Calif., RealoHound.com is a maker of software for analyzing real estate portfolios. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. RealPage said it will continue selling RealHound's software. It also will incorporate RealHound's technology in a software package called OneSite Portfolio, which monitors in real time the performance of groups of apartment communities. The OneSite system generates reports on 75 standard criteria and can be customized as well, according to RealPage. The Dallas company said a principal of RealHound, Andrew Blount, will join its product development group.

'ELICENSING' GOES ONLINE IN CALIFORNIA

The state of California has initiated its "eLicensing" program, an interactive system that allows online real estate license renewals and change transactions. Available transactions include broker and salesperson renewals; broker, salesperson, officer and branch duplicate license requests; salesperson requests to change employing broker; mailing address changes; and automated fee payment and processing. Other features include customized menus, e-mail confirmations, status tracking of online transactions and clear instructions. The eLicensing service is available at dre.ca.gov.

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