The company is creating a series of what Levin calls "vertical portals" — Internet directory sites filled with news and chat rooms for people with special interests. Time Warner's Acme City site, for example, caters to fans of the company's TV shows, movies and music.

These sites have become what are known as vertical portals—that is, portals with a tightly focused content area geared toward a particular audience. Family Education, for example, appeals mainly to parents and children.

People want easy access to sites that are related and linked to whatever topic they are interested in," she says. "This is what a good portal will offer." Yahoo senior producer Alan Jones agrees. "A lot of people have been thinking about portals as a one-stop shop for everything that an online user might need," he says.

"But I think now what we are starting to see is the development of vertical portals for specific interest groups.