Compuserve going after corporate customers [CNN]

[Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>]

Forwarded message:

>             COMPUSERVE SETS ITS SIGHTS ON CORPORATE INTERNET USERS
>                                        
>    InfoWorld
>    25-OCT-97
>    By Rebecca Sykes
>    
>    
>    
>    CompuServe last week announced an online product targeted at business
>    Internet users.
>    
>    The offering, called C from CompuServe, will combine CompuServe's
>    features, such as its forums, in new ways to appeal to Internet-savvy
>    business users who require different functions from the Web than
>    consumers, according to Bob Kington, executive producer of CSi, the
>    company's online service.
>    
>    The Internet "is great for surfers; it's not good for busy business
>    people," Kington said. Business people "want to get on, get their
>    information, and get off [of the Internet]."
>    
>    C for CompuServe will assist them in doing so by packaging
>    CompuServe's assets in new ways. Instead of following the model of
>    CSi, the company's current online offering that gives paying
>    subscribers full access to all forums and other CompuServe resources,
>    C will offer access on three levels.
>    
>    * The Guest level will provide free, read-only access to CompuServe's
>    500 forums to all Web users. Guest-level users also will have access
>    to forums' reciprocal links to thousands of Web sites selected for
>    their relevance to the forums' topics.
>    
>    * The Member level will operate on a pay-per-transaction basis to
>    provide access to hundreds of research databases. Users enter their
>    credit-card information online once and then are charged small amounts
>    for functions they perform.
>    
>    * The Subscriber level will offer three options. One will feature full
>    interactive access to forums, including posting and receiving
>    messages, and will cost less than $10 per month. The other two
>    options, which will each be priced quite a bit lower, are a
>    subscription to integrated e-mail, voice mail, fax, and pager services
>    and a subscription to Computing Pro, a value-added service for
>    computing professionals.
>    
>    The service, free to current CSi users, will be available by year's
>    end.
>    
>    Asked whether CompuServe was acting prematurely given the impending
>    acquisition by America Online of its online assets, Steve Conway,
>    CompuServe vice president of corporate communications, said it was
>    just moving ahead with plans it had before AOL made its bid.
>    
>    CompuServe Inc., in Columbus, Ohio, can be reached at (614) 457-8600.
>    America Online Inc., in Dulles, Va., can be reached at (703) 448-8700.
>    
>    
>    Rebecca Sykes is a Boston correspondent for the IDG News Service, an
>    InfoWorld affiliate.
>    
>    Article Dated 24-OCT-97
>    
>    COPYRIGHT 1997 InfoWorld Publishing Company