Shark.com is no Lawsie scam
Summary Description Greg Norman is at pains to defend the integrity of his new Web presence.
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Roullas Top10 Simon Vandore

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Editorial InformationArticle Location http://www.newswire.com.au/9908/shark.htm
Article Topic Internet
Story Order
Story Group 990808
Post Date 04/08/99 12:21 PM Status Posted Entered by Angus Kidman on 04/08/1999 12:21 PM


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Introduction
Launching his new 'lifestyle' Web site Shark.com yesterday, golfer Greg Norman denied he is selling editorials to the highest bidder.

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"Shark.com aims its point of view at a broad demographic, not necessarily just golfers, and while advertising will be a significant revenue stream, this is not a John Laws situation. People will come to Shark.com because of the integrity of the content," Norman told journalists during an online press conference.
"Our goal is not the quantity of content but the quality of content, as well as a unique point of view and in saying that, there will be situations and comments [that] will be written that are not mine and not that of my sponsors or advertisers, and there will be times that my editorial opinion will be mine and mine only," he added.
The Laws quote and others were omitted from an official transcript of the online conference provided to journalists, but as the interview took place on a public Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server, Newswire was able to capture the full chaos. Around 20 journalists were allowed to fire constant questions at Norman, who could only respond to about one in five. Some doubted that the chat participant was the real Greg Norman, and at one point someone claiming to be his son entered the chat room, adding to the confusion.
Shark.com, produced by Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises and local Internet developers LibertyOne, targets men aged 25 to 55 with a household income over $55,000, using the slogan 'Attack life!'. It will cover sports, fitness, travel, fast cars, career success and the views of the Shark himself. Norman stressed this was not a fan site or a golf site, but a publishing venture with advertising from companies with whom he is already involved. The site will be 'ecommerce enabled' later this year.
"Shark.com will wash its own face," he said. "My name is on it and like anything my name is associated with, I am very meticulous with it, as I am all of my business."
Throughout the press conference, Norman spoke entirely in the language of business, sounding more like a loan shark than a Great White. But he denied his commercial activities (such as a winemaking partnership with Mildara Blass, dubbed Greg Norman Estates) and sedentary pursuits like Web surfing were affecting his golf.
"I've always enjoyed surfing the Internet with my son. My work does not interfere with my game because I allocate what I feel is the appropriate amount of time necessary to keep my game sharp and to perform at the highest level . . . This is just a natural extension of where my business is going and if I'm not involved with the Internet then the whole world is passing me by."


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Bulletin SummaryShark.com is no Lawsie scam
Launching his new 'lifestyle' Web site Shark.com yesterday, golfer Greg Norman denied he was selling editorials to the highest bidder. "Shark.com aims its point of view at a broad demographic, not necessarily just golfers, and while advertising will be a significant revenue stream, this is not a John Laws situation. People will come to Shark.com because of the integrity of the content," Norman told journalists during an online press conference. Shark.com, produced by Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises and local Internet developers LibertyOne, targets men aged 25 to 55.

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