Independent Sites Create New Publishing Dynamic
November 17, 1998 (6:26 p.m. EST)
By Malcolm Maclachlan, TechWeb News 

SAN FRANCISCO -- The killer application on the Web is revolution, said a
business owner who sells his products over the Internet. 

For Srini Kumar, such revolution is not just fun and rewarding -- it's a
business model. Kumar is the founder of Unamerican Activities, a company that
sells subversive bumper stickers, T-shirts, and other merchandise through
retail and on the Web. 

Kumar is actively encouraging others to copy him. That was part of the goal of
webzine 98, a conference he helped organize, which took place here Saturday. 

Through , keywords, e-commerce and other initiatives, large corporations are
controlling more and more of the content on the Web, said Betty Ray, a
conference organizer and Webzine creator. The combination is helping create
more passive use of the medium among new users, she said, who were not around
for the do-it-yourself beginnings. Even the growing differences in the browsers
and other technology changes are making it harder for independent site creators
to keep up, she said. 

Even the growing differences in the browsers and other technology changes are
making it harder for independent-site creators to keep up, Ray said. "Even a
year ago, there was more of an exploratory spirit on the Web," she said. 

One goal of the conference is to help create a network of Web-based magazines,
said Molly Steenson, co-founder of the webzine Maxi. Maxi is part of a larger
network of women's webzines called Estronet. Through Estronet, Maxi can sell
more ads and reach more readers than it would on its own, Steenson said. 

Steenson created Maxi along with writer Janelle Brown because they did not feel
traditional women's magazines spoke to them, she said. Sex columns and reviews
of new clothes and beauty aids run next to political editorials. 

It is a combination that has earned Maxi some harsh criticism, she said. Maxi
was even ripped in a piece in The New York Times, which showed the influence
two women can have with a Web page, Steenson said. 

One hope, some said, is such Web-based magazines will encourage others to start
their own webzines. Right now, people have a window of opportunity to break
through the media monopoly that dominates expression in this country, Kumar
said. 

Kumar has turned his rebellion into a profitable business. Selling a line of
anticorporate bumper stickers and T-shirts, he and his business partner now
have sales approaching $10,000 a month, Kumar said. 

He soon realized the site would allow him to do more than have a direct
relationship with a customer, Kumar said. The business owner is now working to
position Unamerican as a portal site that leads people to independent content
all around the Web. 

"I came into the Web thinking the Web is going to change the world," Kumar
said. "I still have faith."




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