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New Media News Every Morning

Active Network, online sports and recreational community, raises $65 million funding

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The Active Network has raised a whopping $65 million worth of funds led by the Canaan Partners, backed up by ESPN and four other returning investors.

Based in San Diego, Active Network is an online community designed to reach out to active people whose interests include sports and recreational activities, lifestyle, nutrition, and fitness. It has the largest directory of facilities, venues and classes, and other recreation-related listings, and provides weekly and monthly newsletters, online tools, and related content. Being a social network in itself, members are also allowed to create personal profiles, upload videos, and interact with other members.

PEHub reports that, in an informal talk with Norman Dowling, Active’s CFO, the fund raised will be used to acquire more small niche sites instead of big ones that have already made a name for themselves.

Originally posted on September 10, 2007 @ 10:19 pm

Will the marriage of church and Internet click?

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godtube.jpgWith 82 out of the 128 million Internet users in the country conducting spiritual or religious matters online combined with the declining number of young people going to church have inspired some evangelists and Internet entrepreneurs to spread the “Word” online.

GodTube.com, CrossRoadMinistries.com, and RentAPriest.com are some of the startup sites addressing this matter. The big question now is: will it click?

According to an interesting article from Pittsburgh Tribune–Review, some local parishioners and church authorities say it won’t. After all, the church is its people.

“The Muslim, the Jew, the Christian – all believe that God has revealed himself to the community. To believe in God or worship apart from the community is a deficient approach to faith. Me sitting behind a computer trying to appeal to my desire to know God can be – at least – dangerous,” said Rev. James Wehner, director of the St. Paul Seminary, in the news article.

On the other hand, some so-called non-traditional church authorities believe it is OK to use the Internet as the medium for they claim that “methods change but the message does not”.

Originally posted on September 10, 2007 @ 9:37 am

ESPN founder launches CollegeFanz.com

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collegefanz.jpgBill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN, announced the launch of CollegeFanz.com, a compelling interactive online experience. The site is rich in sports content and information, providing a rewarding experience for collegiate fans, their friends and alumni. Rasmussen has taken the art of distributing sports information to a new level with a layered business model supported by great content, a high degree of creativity and sophisticated technology. CollegeFanz.com offers every college and university an interactive online presence to highlight a virtually unlimited variety of programs designed specifically for their fans.

College fanz will find countless exclusive features and innovations throughout the site. The Registrar, FanzRoom, FanzFone, Sports Talk, Campus Store and Sports Venues combine with photo and video galleries to create this unique online environment. CollegeFanz.com welcomes each visitor to a virtual campus bustling with seasonal collegiate activities. As the college year progresses, fanz will experience an ever changing campus featuring seasonal sports and activities from countless campuses.

Originally posted on September 8, 2007 @ 11:19 am

The New York Times introduces online complement to college and university courses

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nytimes.jpgThe New York Times introduced today a new online initiative that pairs Times content with faculty course material for both credit-bearing and continuing education courses. Educators will now have the opportunity to select Times articles, archival content, graphics and multimedia content, including videos and webcasts, gathered around specific subjects, and make them available to students online, along with other course materials. Students will benefit from access to thematic content that is drawn from the vast array of Times reporting on a countless number of issues.

This innovation is a significant expansion of The New York Times Knowledge Network, a program that has provided copies of the paper, accompanied by curriculum guides, to faculty at colleges and universities for several years, bringing the resources of The Times into classrooms as part of the learning experience. Now, with this new component of the Knowledge Network, Times content will be readily available to students online, whether they’re enrolled in an on-campus course or continuing their education through a distance learning program.

This new component of Knowledge Network is available via the Epsilen Environment, a newly developed web-based software package that provides a wide range of tools and services for faculty members and students, including ePortfolios, Global Learning System (courseware), group collaboration, object sharing, blogs, messaging, and social and professional networking.

Originally posted on September 6, 2007 @ 1:36 pm

Grandparents.com launches community for modern grandparents

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grandparents.jpgThere are more than 78 million grandparents in the U.S. and every 20 seconds, someone new joins the club. Today’s grandparents, more than half of which are baby boomers, are looking for new and interesting ways to expand upon the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Launching today, Grandparents.com is a destination for active grandparents that helps enhance the bond between grandparents and their grandchildren through expert editorial and easy-to-use communications tools.

Grandparents.com features grandchild-friendly activities, smart travel ideas, great gifts, and fun, creative ways for grandparents to connect with their grandchildren. Of utmost importance, Grandparents.com helps grandparents impart their personal legacies for generations to come. Grandparents.com maintains an editorial team of experts including Susan Avery, formerly of New York magazine, and Beverly Beckham, parenting writer for the Boston Globe and a grandmother of three. The team delivers content that is always current, informative and fun to read.

Grandparents.com provides a range of online tools, including message boards in its Forum section and user feedback features throughout the site. Grandparents can easily start their own journals and blogs and share photos with their friends, grandchildren and other family. Video will soon have a strong presence on the site and will enable users to both watch exclusive video content from Grandparents.com as well as share their own videos.

Originally posted on September 5, 2007 @ 9:51 am