PRESS RELEASE: WebScanner

PRESS RELEASE

WebScanner Personal Agent Software Reshapes Net-Mining And Web-Marketing

AMSTERDAM, (May 20, 1998), MEDIASCAN Technologies announced today
WebScanner release 1.0, a robot toolbox that provides web promoters,
marketers and information technology professionals solutions for
knowledge mining the Internet on PowerMacintosh platform.

WebScanner is a suite of sophisticated Internet robots that perform
collection tasks for knowledge-mining and marketing purposes. WebScanner
uses advanced filtering technology that enables the user to recognize 
new links that match given criteria. Unlike push channels WebScanner is
compatible with all the web's 320 million pages, not just those few
channels, and hence it supports true individualistic and personal 
freedom to scan interesting net contents.

In addition, WebScanner has a capacity to scan search engines to further
optimize their output. WebScanner also crawls the web in a required depth
while collecting email addresses from web pages. This feature is designed
for promotion and information query purposes and provides the user
sharply targeted groups not obtainable otherwise.

WebScanner is ideal for information and knowledge mining professionals
such as web promoters, web publishing companies, magazine editors and
journalists, and other knowledge-workers, whose daily survival depend on
the availability of fresh personalized information.

WebScanner comes pre-configured to scan over 100 sites, including News,
Business, Computers, Technology, Search Engines, Music, Personals and
Travel. Build-in Site Editor lets the user extend target pages according
to personal preferences. The user may also maintain and expand filter
profiles to suit custom needs.

WebScanner is a fast-executing standalone MCL application and its use is 
not like those annoying slowly operating Java-based web pages. And since
WebScanner is not dependant on external web servers, it also enables to
maintain perfect security and anonymity on personal content selection.

World Wide Web usage has grown exponentially over the past few years, and
according to surveys the growth will continue while web personalization
techniques are expected to be the next killer app on the internet.
WebScanner provides an ideal solution for any size company or individual
to scan and extract meaningful information from the ever-expanding web
sites and search engines.

Using advanced filtering technology, WebScanner allows the user reject
given contents and find specific and new contents on the web pages. Links
can be viewed directly in Netscape or Microsoft's Explorer, and can be
automatically fetched on the hard disk for fast offline browsing.

Data and email collection speed depend on the modem type. A standard
28.8k modem lets the user robo-surf 500 sites in an hour. WebScanner may
also work in the background while the user is running other applications,
including other Internet programs. This feature makes WebScanner an
efficient and useful agent for transparent knowledge mining purposes.

WebScanner release 1.0 costs $249, with introduction offer for $149, plus
free filter and site listing updates.

MEDIASCAN Technologies is a start-up company in Amsterdam, developer of
web filtering technology for internet professionals and casual users
alike. Amsterdam is a hippy international small city in the heart of
Central Europe. For further information contact Peter Tolonen
<psto@xs4all.nl>, or visit the website at
http://www.xs4all.nl/~psto/webscanner/.

WebScanner uses CL-HTTP hypermedia server technology developed by John C.
Mallery in MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Further information is
available on page http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/iiip/doc/cl-http/home-page.html.

Received on Tuesday, 19 May 1998 14:25:10 UTC