Reader’s Web Tips

Time again to run some Web Tips from readers. By coincidence, both happen to be about Yahoo services. Thanks to all of you who’ve been sending in ideas. Coming next week: Web services/sites worth paying for. Have a suggestion? E-mail me at poynter@sree.net (and let me know if I can quote you).

From Larry Schooler of WFDD Radio at Winston-Salem, N.C.:
Along the same lines as your tip on Google Groups — I’ve found some interesting leads (and, occasionally, interviews) from the shareholder message boards at Yahoo! Finance, boards which they keep on every publicly traded company. It’s a great tool for people covering major corporations to find out some inside information that won’t be in a press release. A lot of times, the board attracts company employees looking to vent or to sing the company’s praises. Go to finance.yahoo.com, then put in the ticker symbol, then click “messages.”

SREE NOTE: Larry’s right. This is a useful site that all business reporters should know about. 

From Michael Schreiber of Columbia Journalism School:
Yahoo has introduced a web-based radio player that learns what you like to listen to: launch.yahoo.com. It’s commercial free except for a spot for the service every 10 minutes or so. The pay service is $40 a year, and it has no ads. When you sign up, you tell it what you like, then it starts playing stuff for you, and you can rate each song and it will learn your tastes better and better. Or go through their catalog — which has everything — and incorporate artists and particular albums you like. So far I’m loving it. Right now I’m listening to a rare George Benson track off my favorite album by him. White Rabbit. Very cool album. The best part: If it plays something you don’t like, you can skip the song, and tell it never to play it for you again. YAHOOOO! (with southern accent)

SREE NOTE: Thanks to Mike, I am now addicted to this player. This is not, however, a downloading service for MP3 files. It’s meant for people who are at their PCs all day.

Want to share a site you find useful? Please e-mail a SHORT tip, including your name, affiliation, city, and phone number (for verification only) to poynter@sree.net.

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