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About is a network of more than 700 identically packaged sites on topics ranging from stocks to sexuality to Swiss travel. Each is run by a "guide," who writes articles, maintains link libraries, and hosts a community area. Thanks to frequent updates, About's sites are worth visiting often -- whether you're looking for quilting patterns, investment advice, or specialized Web indexes.
Lycos has come a long way from its beginnings as a search spider at Carnegie Mellon University. Today, it's a hub for multiple search engines and indexes, news headlines, communities, free Web pages, and localized portals in 30 countries. Best of all, you can easily customize your My Lycos start page by just dragging and dropping content blocks.
Microsoft's MSN site offers a little of everything: news, weather, local business guides, apartment searches, software downloads, an online calendar, and the occasional Britney Spears video clip. You can use Hotmail, launch MSN Messenger, or log on to chat from the main page. MSN Mobile service delivers much of the same content, as well as e-mail to wireless devices.
Unlike glitzier competitors, Yahoo! has kept a simple text-based look and feel over the years. And though its Web index still dominates the home page, you'll also find dozens of links to auctions, photo services, GeoCities home pages, e-commerce hosting, instant messaging, and more. Behind its unassuming appearance lie high-quality, tightly integrated content and tools.
