UMass Goes
Dot Com
Everyone knows
that UMass can be a big, confusing place that's difficult to navigate.
Well, now it's all under one roof - one virtual roof, that is.
UMass and the Alumni Association have signed
a licensing agreement with zUniversity.com, a private Internet company,
to create a free umbrella web-portal that houses all of UMass's web sites
under one banner. By logging on to www.zMinutemen.com,
users can browse UMass news and sports headlines, enter UMass's huge network
of informative .edu web pages, shop at the university's e-store and join
the Alumni Association.
They can also shop, conduct a web search,
or follow national news headlines, weather reports, or stock quotes, all
from one location on the 'net. In addition, the site can be personalized
to match the user's specific interests.
Using zMinuteman.com also supports the campus
and the association financially. UMass will take 25 per cent of zUniversity's
revenue from advertising sales and from services offered by the portal,
such as e-mail, and 50 per cent of its revenue from the online sale of
products. While alumni surfing the 'net through zminutemen.com will help
put money in the university's pocket, that's not the primary goal of the
portal, according to alumni relations marketing director Katherine Petrecca
'96G.
"We're hoping people will make it
their start page and use it to stay in contact with the campus,"
she says.
And the parking is free.
