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1. All The Phones In China
Hong Kong-based auction site emaimai.com had all their ducks in a row for a successful company--a profitable business model, top-tier management, a strong technical team, and a first-of-its-kind web trading place in China, all aimed to follow in eBay's profitable footsteps. One major problem--it was the fall of 2000 and e-commerce had gone from the investor's "buzz word" to the kiss of death, and second-round funding was virtually unattainable. In order not to go down with the dot com bombs dropping everywhere, it was time to reinvent emaimai or watch it die.
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2. An Ethics Lesson
By staying afloat, EthicalShopper.com has gone against the e-commerce tide of recent times and is a living testament to how much widespread failure was due to gluttony. The 2000 Venture Forum graduate was recently acquired by Greenmarketplace.com, who will add to the company's already robust affiliation structure. The guilt-free shopping e-tailer is still selling earth-friendly, socially conscious merchandise and expects to--really expects to--start turning a profit this year.
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3. Civic E-Source
At his "State of the State" address in early January, Governor Gray Davis announced the arrival of 'My California Homepage,' the Golden State's new and improved web presence. Atypical of a politician, Davis wasn't just blowing his horn when he said his efforts had "personalized government in a way no other state ever has done." Across the board, government has been generally slow in advancing its online accessibility, with a large majority of civic sites acting as mere information hubs. From budget complexities to technology learning curves, governing entities have a long and complex path in figuring out how they can bridge their own digital divide between state and citizen. E-commerce could be the best prototype they have to begin sorting it out.
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Other Newslinks:

Layoffs not necessary to save E-Commerce. According to a study released this week from Gartner Research and Consulting Group, the most costly areas of an e-commerce business aren't employees. "Nine Ways to Cut Costs and Save E-Business Initiatives," cited IT equipment and the lack of consolidating contracts with networking service providers as business costs that can be revised to save jobs.
click here for the full story from E-Commerce Times

Some angel investors are taking advantage of the current increased deal flow and decreased valuations. While it's true that a large flock of angels have bowed out of seed investing, formal angel groups are increasing their investments now that valuations for startups have fallen.
click here for the full story from Red Herring

Public not shedding any tears over the dot com deaths according to a poll conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project. Too many web sites that were mostly bad was one of the reasons Americans welcomed the internet's downturn.
click here for the full story from Industry Standard