Archives for February 1999

Guatemala: Central America’s best-kept secret

February 14, 1999 by JD Lasica

Travels through the heart of Guatemala, from Lake Atitlan to the Mayan highlands

TIKAL NATIONAL PARK, Guatemala — Edgar is getting on my nerves.

I am hiking through the lush rainforest of northern Guatemala with a friend, Colleen, and our guide, Edgar Diaz. Noise and movement follow our every step, for the tall hardwood trees are filled with howler monkeys, macaws and clamoring urracas, whose nickname, the alarm bird of the jungle, fits all too well.

We pass by a ceiba, a tree sacred to the ancient Maya; hundreds of inch-long spikes jut from its slender trunk like a giant thorned rose. I ask about the jaguars and pumas, said to prowl deep in the shadows, but Edgar wants to talk roots. [Read more…] about Guatemala: Central America’s best-kept secret

Protecting the privacy of Internet users

February 14, 1999 by JD Lasica

Smart ads are a worthy tool — if safeguards are built in

This column appeared in the April 1999 issue of The American Journalism Review.

The worst-kept secret of online advertising is this: Nobody clicks on banner ads. And that’s bad news for a Web publication’s bottom line.

At least one online newspaper is taking steps to turn that around through a technique called targeted advertising — essentially, tailoring ads right down to the individual user.

It’s a gambit worth exploring, as other Internet companies have done. But online publishers considering such a move should not minimize the importance of posting clear policies to reassure users worried about their privacy rights. [Read more…] about Protecting the privacy of Internet users

Seven more sites for freelancers

February 3, 1999 by JD Lasica

And a new service matches online editors with content talent

This column appeared Feb. 3, 1999, in the Online Journalism Review. Here’s the version on the OJR site.

Second of two parts. See Part 1.

These may well be the glory days for freelance writing on the Web, with dozens of sites paying rates that compare favorably to print publications. For both veteran journalists and aspiring writers, the Internet has opened up potentially lucrative new markets.

A new online service devoted to just that notion will debut later this month. Content Exchange, created by Editor & Publisher columnist Steve Outing and freelance writer Amy Gahran, will bring together those who create content for online media and those who buy content. [Read more…] about Seven more sites for freelancers

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