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Lycos
As the Internet has grown in size and complexity, Lycos, Inc. has offered consumers a fast, easy and efficient way to manage its vast resources. By evolving from a portal, which implies a doorway that users pass through on their way to other destinations, to a hub and comprehensive network of sites, Lycos is able to serve all of the basic needs of its Internet visitors, acting as the home base and primary Web resource for its users.
The Lycos Network is currently the second most visited hub on the Internet, reaching more than 48 percent of the Web audience (source: Media Metrix.) Its network of sites includes Lycos.com, Tripod, Angelfire, WhoWhere, MailCity, HotBot, HotWired, Wired News, Webmonkey, Suck.com and MyTime.com. The Lycos Network provides leading Web search and navigation, communications and personalization tools, homepage building and Web community services and a cutting-edge shopping center. Integrated, these sites help each individual user locate, retrieve and manage information tailored to his or her personal interests.
Lycos believes that communities are at the core of the hub. An Internet community personalizes the Web, allowing people with common interests to seamlessly find, communicate and collaborate with each other, acting as participants, rather than observers. An online community personalizes the Web, enabling members to have individual relationships in a global medium. Through its acquisitions of Tripod, Inc., and WhoWhere, Inc., in 1998, the Lycos Network has become the largest and fastest growing online community with more than 5 million registered Tripod and Angelfire members.
History
Founded in June 1995, Lycos was one of the earliest search and navigation sites designed to help people find information more easily and quickly on the World Wide Web. The core Lycos technology, which identifies and categorizes online information, was developed at Carnegie Mellon University.
In April 1996, Lycos, Inc. became a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock market system under the symbol LCOS. Having become a publicly traded company just 10 months after it was founded, Lycos holds the distinction of being the youngest company to go public in NASDAQ history.
In May 1997, Lycos began its international penetration through a joint venture with European media powerhouse Bertelsmann. Together, Lycos and Bertelsmann have launched localized Lycos sites in 11 European countries to lead the industry in providing localized Web portal services in a variety of languages to appeal to individual countries and cultures.
In February 1998, Lycos acquired Tripod, Inc., the leading community site on the Web. With the acquisition of Tripod, Lycos became the most full-featured community-oriented home base on the Internet, providing free homepages to all users.
In April 1998, Lycos extended its international dominance through a partnership with Sumitomo Corporation in Japan to bring localized Lycos services to Japan.
In April 1998, Lycos acquired WiseWire Corporation, whose proprietary technology for directory building has been an integral part of content aggregation and search results on the Lycos site since late 1997. WiseWire’s technology powers Lycos’ Web Guides, which are automatically and collaboratively built via user input. This "peer review" increases the amount of quality search results on Lycos. The acquisition of WiseWire and integration of its technology also established Lycos as the only online service in its category to provide its users with both a World Wide Web search engine and directory.
In August 1998, Lycos took another significant step in its move to become the leading online service by acquiring GuestWorld, the Web’s largest provider of free online guestbook services. As a result, GuestWorld is the exclusive provider of guestbook services on Lycos’ Tripod, and will also continue to be available for free to homepage builders across the Web at http://guestworld.tripod.lycos.com/. The acquisition augmented Lycos’ growing pool of homepage building tools and further distinguished the Lycos Network as the premier Web community.
In August 1998, Lycos again improved its audience reach and strengthened its position as a premier Web destination by acquiring WhoWhere, Inc. and its complete line of Web-based applications, including its leading directory services, popular MailCity e-mail service and Angelfire, a leading Web community. These features make the Lycos Network the most complete hub, providing patented search, comprehensive directories, personal homepages, e-mail, loyal and diverse communities and popular shopping functions.
In October 1998, Lycos signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wired Digital, Inc., home to one of the most innovative and sophisticated families of products and services on the Web, including HotBot, a leading Web site renowned for search excellence.
In November 1998, Lycos launched the "Go Get It" national advertising campaign aimed at getting new and experienced Internet users to visit Lycos.com. The broad-reaching campaign promotes the streamlined user interface and enhanced directory of Lycos.com. The campaign is represented by "Lycos," a black retriever who finds anything that the user is looking for at speeds that make searching easy and fun.
In February 1999, Lycos announced the audience reach of the Lycos Network had risen to 48.8 percent, according to the Media Metrix report of January traffic figures. Up 27.1 percent in ten months, the Lycos Network is the fastest-growing Web portal.
In February 1999, Lycos entered into agreements with USA Networks, Inc. (USAi) and Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch, Inc. (TMCS). Under the agreements, Lycos, TMCS and USAi’s Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster and Internet Shopping Network/First Auction will be combined to form a company to be named USA/Lycos Interactive Networks, Inc. USA/Lycos Interactive Networks will be one of the largest e-commerce entities in the world and the only global Internet portal with local content, auctions and a direct commerce business.
In March 1999, Lycos formed a joint venture with Mirae Corporation to bring localized versions of Lycos.com, Tripod and MailCity to Korea.
In its short, but illustrious history, Lycos has rapidly evolved from an Internet search engine to a full-fledged online service and now an Internet hub, providing the Lycos community with a complete array of online services and content including chat, e-mail, shopping, personalized news and more.