GREEN LIGHT FOR GO.COM… AGAIN
According to the New York Times, Go, which was the Walt Disney Co.'s attempt to build an Internet portal, will test a new design beginning today (9/15).
The newspaper says the new Go is a much leaner model, focused almost entirely on searching, rather than all-purpose vehicle previously introduced.
Go.com—and the broader concept of the Go Network linking all of Disney's online efforts—was started in December 1998 and included ESPN.com, Disney.com and ABCNews.com, as well as a controlling interest in Infoseek, a search engine and portal. Disney assumed that all of its content, combined with promotion on ABC and other properties, would give Go a lift that competitors like Yahoo and others did not have, the Times reports.
To add insult to injury, Disney was sued for copyright infringement by competing site GoTo.com, primarily because Disney's original Go logo—a green circle inside a yellow box, resembling a traffic light—was too close to GoTo's logo—a green circle inside a… oh, you get the picture. Disney settled that suit for a cool $21.5 million (hitsdailydouble, 5/26).
"This better work or [Disney honcho Michael] Eisner will order that freak dog-like character Goofy to attack," one frightened online staffer said.
