Monday, June 11, 2007
Free Access to Subscription-Only Web Content (Britannica, WSJ, TheStreet.com, etc.)
Congoo is a news portal that lets you access restricted, subscription-only content through a custom toolbar called NetPass.
The majority of information on the web is locked behind subscription or password-protected walls that you can't access using Google or any other search engine. This is often referred to as the invisible web. NetPass is one way to access part of this untapped resource.
Some of the more prominent subscription content sources that can be accessed through NetPass include Encyclopedia Britannica, Morningstar, Zacks, Wall Street Journal, and TheStreet.com. The balance is mainly populated with regional newspapers such as Anchorage Daily News and The Times of India.
Like most toolbars, Congoo's NetPass makes money when you conduct a search via the toolbar and click on an ad on the search results page. They're partnering with Yahoo for search.
Although I am usually reticent to install toolbars, Congoo does work. However, you may only be able to access 4 to 15 articles a month per content publisher. If you are a financial news hound, you will likely be happy installing NetPass. If you're not, it probably isn't worth the trouble since the non-financial content sources aren't too stellar.
Labels: Technology
