THE HINDU - CHENNAI
September 21, 2000
Site-seeing made simple

Just when experts are studying the slow death of a dotcom, another is born, fully formed.

In a zone where the Darwinian cycle of life, survival and death is on fast-forward, Internet companies come across as staunch optimists. Especially so in this city. In the last six months, some companies have launched websites, existing ones have reinvented themselves, and other established websites have found it necessary to launch operations in Chennai.

But the smart ones are not newborns. On Wednesday, Indias-best.com launched its Chennai side of the vortal - Chennaibest.com. Its parent, the Deccan Yellow Pages Group, however, has been in business since 1986.

Other websites on the city are also extensions of their original business. Like with Explocity.com, originally a Bangalore-based media company.

Some of these dotcoms are traditional yellow pages companies, which have shed their inhibitions to realize their colourful selves on the web. Chennaibest.com packs in some city-based news, but focuses on the business houses and tries to be innovative. For instance, its virtual city section takes you on a trip through Anna Salai. During the 'drive', it introduces you to the retail outlets on the road.

Likewise, its panoramic section will allow you to zoom into various stores, and may be even shop. For e-commerce is the destination.

The site gives away its target eyeballs - the NRI - with its 'Learn Tamil' page. For the NRI, the site offers easy information on places of interest in the city.

If it is any indication of dotcom maturity, Chennaibest.com dishes out a media mix that will keep it healthy and running. Darwin would find Chennai's private websites better poised to survive, than the ones in the Government sector, which are finding it a challenge to even stay alive.

Ask the Chennai Corporation, whose site is already R.I.P.

By Feroze Ahmed