Lists.com to Develop Commercial E-Mail List Brokerage

Orlando, FL-based Lists.com Inc. said it is developing a search engine and directory for email lists on the Internet and is also developing a commercial mailing list brokerage and fulfillment service system.

Lists.com has been in development for the past year, and the company said it is now accepting signups to become beta testers for the service on its Web site.

The company said it is developing a complete ’email portal’ service to help users search, select and subscribe to mailing lists. The free service, which apparently would compete with DejaNews and others, will allow users to easily join (and remove themselves) from lists of interest.

The commercial mailing list system, which would compete with companies such as NetCreations and others, will allow Internet users the ability to “opt-in” to receive commercial information. The system will also allow Lists.com to sell services to advertisers that will allow them to directly reach these users. Ads that are delivered to users that have requested commercial information will be delivered via Lists.com’s network protecting the email addresses of its users, the company said.