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Emerging business model uses Internet for branding and customer service
While bulletin boards and chat rooms have long been a staple of entertainment-oriented Web sites, these amenities are slowly finding their way onto corporate Web sites. Though the technology is still in its early stages, many Fortune 500 companies are interested in hosting these functions as a way to retain existing customers and attract new ones, according to attendees of VirComm, a recent conference on business-based virtual communities. Kraft Foods, for instance, may sponsor a cooking Web site,...