Intermind Corporation, a rapidly-growing communications company in Seattle, announced today the immediate availability of Intermind Communicator software, which Web users can begin using at more than 35 major Internet and intranet Web sites, such as PBS, Spiegel, Addicted to Noise, DealerNet, Def Jam, The Palace, CyberWireless and Visio -- with several hundreds more expected in the fourth quarter. Hailed as the ultimate custom Web publishing, subscribing and anonymous feedback system, Intermind Communicator is a peer-to-peer communications system, with multiple patents pending, that works inside the leading browsers -- and runs over any Web server or network. It empowers any individual or organization to easily personalize their Web communications -- sending and receiving only content of mutual interest while retaining subscriber anonymity as desired. The system provides Web publishers a persistent and targeted communications relationship with site visitors, offering increased site traffic, brand loyalty and unprecedented levels of feedback.

"We believe Intermind Communicator is the most significant advancement in Web communications since the browser," said Dave Arnold, president and chief executive officer of Intermind. "Intermind Communicator is only the first of many pioneering products and services we will bring to market that will change the face of network communications and electronic commerce."

Using a revolutionary new approach known as "hypercommunications," Intermind Communicator allows subscribers to easily select Web content that is of most interest to them, and then automate the retrieval, filtering, sorting, displaying, and updating of personalized information and multimedia content right inside their browser. This intelligence is built into distributed objects known as Hyperconnectors, which publishers place on any Web server for visitors to subscribe to. Subscribers can provide detailed feedback to publishers at any time, and have full control over what they subscribe to and from whom, while retaining complete anonymity, if desired. As finding and staying up to date with the right information on the Internet and intranets becomes harder for users as information proliferates, Intermind Communicator saves valuable time by delivering only the right information, as defined by each user. Additionally, since an estimated nine out of 10 visitors never return to a site -- even if it's bookmarked -- Intermind Communicator creates a persistent channel for custom content. Subscribing is easy, fun and free for download at Intermind's site -- or any of the more than 35 initial participating sites.

"This is a wonderful tool for relationship building, yet is set up to protect user privacy. It's a great way to reach out to users with customized, relevant content, and addresses the problem that we all experience with Web-based information -- being flooded by an ocean of information," said Tim Sloane, director of messaging, Aberdeen Group.

Until now, Web sites were plagued with finding ways to retain and engage the more than 80 percent of Web site visitors who wish to remain anonymous, as well as measure whether visitors respond to various content and return or respond in the future. With Intermind Communicator, publishers such as PBS and Spiegel -- or even students and teachers -- can create persistent, customized relationships with a willing audience -- while gaining unprecedented feedback about users' interests, demographic make-up, and the effectiveness of each communication they send.

"One of the most compelling benefits that Intermind Communicator brings to Spiegel is the ability to establish and reinforce buying relationships with our customers over the Internet. We did research other solutions available in the market, but Intermind cost-effectively enables us to establish the type of ongoing, interactive relationships that we want with our customers who shop online," said Randy Heiple, corporate director of print and electronic production, Spiegel Corporation.

Because the system is peer-to-peer, it works with any Web server or networking system, requires no additional server software or hardware, and takes about five mintues to customize and personalize content, and only about five seconds to subscribe.

Intermind Communicator allows companies and every individal with access to any web server to publish Hyperconnectors on an incredibly wide range of topics, encouraging innovative, entrepreneurial uses for hypercommunications that can create new business opportunities and redefine how business is done on the Internet. BullsEye Inc., for example, is using Intermind Communicator to deliver press releases form high technology companies directly to the editors that write about them -- filtering out releases that are not of interest, saving vast amounts of time for its users. And DealerNet, for example, will use the system to help potential car buyers gain information on the precise make, model and price range of the cars that they wish to buy. Addicted to Noise, an online music magazine, offers Hyperconnectors on their site for their audience to receive updates on new album reviews, exclusive interviews with music artists, and editorial news columns.

Simultaneously launching their own Hyperconnectors for Internet or intranet users to freely subscribe to include; Aberdeen Group, Abricom, Addicted to Noise, Adam Engst, Apple, Bess.net, Bullseye Inc., CKS, Cole and Weber, DefJam, DealerNet, Fallon McElligott, GFI, Group Bull, Novell, Packard Bell, Hot Coupons, iWorld, Guy Kawasaki, Mediacast, Microtempus, NextLink, PBS, Redhook Brewery, Republican National Committee, Seybold, Silicon Valley Bank, David Strom, Spiegel, Thomas Kemper Soda, The Palace, University of Illinois, Visio, Washington Trails Association, Wireless 800, Inc., Will Zachman and Zona Research. Several hundred companies are expected to adopt use of Hyperconnectors in the fourth quarter, and many thousands of individuals will also take advantage of the ability to publish Hyperconnectors at no cost for personal, non-commercial use.

Anonymous Feedback System

Intermind Communicator establishes an unprecedented, anonymous feedback system between Web publishers and subscribers that is mutually beneficial to both parties. Subscriber feedback promotes better content as publishers continually update and tune it to reflect their audience's specific interests. Never before have publishers -- in any mass media communications -- been able to understand and measure the reactions of their audience to the information they send them in such a targeted manner. With the ability to analyze the usage of their Web site, as well as the aggregate demographic profiles of their users, organizations have vital information to help them build site traffic, loyalty, and brand recognition. They can also significantly increase the reach of their content to their intended audience through the automated delivery capabilities of the product.

"This is the ultimate in custom publishing and narrow casting," said David Strom, publisher of Web Informant. "The fact that it uses the Web browser and HTTP is nice but that's not the point. It's about directing specific information to a target audience and providing a feedback loop to an audience that doesn't really have one."

Intermind Communicator's feedback system creates a more open relationship, and allows subscribers to retain their anonymity as they desire. Neither Intermind nor any third party can identify any subscriber unless such information is volunteered by them -- providing users with the freedom of choise. And to promote users' right to control privacy and accuracy of reporting data, a Big Six accounting firm will be retained to perform regular system integrity audits at Intermind's site. Intermind will also donate a portion of its annual profits to educational institutions and non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting personal privacy rights and the security of electronic information transmitted via the Internet.

The beginning of "hypercommunications"

Originally, people formed "natural" communications relationships by simply talking with or writing to one another. The more one learned about the other person, the more relevant communications became. Technology has been used primarily to speed up and automate this process so that greater amounts of available information could be communicated and potentially retained. But productivity has hit a ceiling because of the volume of available information and technology's inability to intelligently filter, sort and receive relevant information -- leaving us to search for new solutions in order to return to the personalized communications that were so valuable in the first place.

A new technology called hypercommunications solves this problem by providing a simpler, more enriching way to exchange information over electronic networks. Unlike the broadcast model of mass media or the server-driven model of the Internet, hypercommunications allows every individual to create and choose their own information relationships with every other individual and organization important to them, on a peer-to-peer basis. These personal, smart communications channels, called hyperconnections, automate the delivery, filtering, notification, processing, displaying and updating of relevant information in a way that has never been possible before. In short, hyperconnections do the same thing for people that hyperlinks do for the electronic documents of the World Wide Web: make it easy to quickly get just the information you want.

According to Matthew Dornquast, director of interactive technology at Fallon McElligott, "We have been eagerly awaiting a technology like Intermind's that enhances our direct communications efforts on the Internet, E-mail can do the job but it is not nearly as flexible as the Web. This technology takes the best of both and empowers the individual in a way that is secure, not intrusive and darn useful."

Intermind's patent-pending new Hyperconnector distributed object system brings the power of hypercommunications to the World Wide Web. Hyerconnectors give users of the Internet or an intranet a powerful new way to select and organize incoming and outgoing communications with each other. For example, a Web site publisher can create a Hyperconnector that includes a menu of interest areas that subscribers (readers) may want to select from -- such as press releases, newsletters, product tips and so on. Because Hyperconnectors create "smart" personal communications channels, the subscriber need only choose to link up with information publishers of their choice, on topics of personal interest to them. Relevant content can be automatically delivered, filtered, sorted, displayed and subsequently updated without any further effort. The subscriber can also provide feedback, change their interest areas, or delete the relationship altogether in seconds.

Ed note: We were notified by Internind that they expect a Mac edition my early 1997.

 

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