For a start, let's cut through the PR spin and admit that it's actually just ebay.com with a very thin veneer that defaults to New Zealand as its search region.

You can get the same functionality from ebay.com at this page by selecting "New Zealand" as the target country.

Today On 7amNews/ShockHorrorProbe Two sophisticated F-15 fighter jets have disappeared over Scotland, an army reconnaissance plane has just crashed in Germany killing two servicemen and two weeks ago a training exercise went horribly wrong in Kuwait when bombs dropped by another US jet killed several observers. Does the US military have a problem or is this all just a horrible run of bad luck? Find out more...

It's not as if this country isn't well serviced by its own online auction sites such as TradeMe.co.nz and others is it?

I guess people who are too afraid to use a "power search" will find the locally branded eBay site useful -- but other than that I repeat -- why bother?

"Help, I'm Bored"
The dot-com sizzle has subsided and now we're left with the plain meat and potatoes that make up our regular web-based menu of local content.

In yesterday's readers' comments section, regular Aardvark reader Peter Belt asks where all the good local sites are.

Through this column, I do my best to highlight new, innovative or interesting spots on the local web landscape but I'm sure there are a whole lot out there that I've never seen and which are languishing for lack of promotion.

If you have, or know of, a local website that is:

• interesting and informative
• regularly updated (at least weekly)
• innovative and exciting
• just plain funny

You'll be helping those sites to reach a wider audience while also broadening the horizons of myself and others.

I'll get the ball rolling by suggesting a new site launched just yesterday at geekpages.co.nz. Yes, put down that expresso, untie that pony-tail, slip off those Guccis and come out of the closet -- be proud to be a geek!

Readers Say (updated hourly) A question for the DMA... - Russell The DMA Replies!... - Keith Urgent Geekpages Message!... - Julian Spam, Privacy... - Christopher Email spam... - Steve Amazon.com... - Nick From Yesterday... Oh where are the good NZ sites?... - Peter Have Your Say

www.stuffed.co.nz?
Yesterday seemed to be a bad day for some of NZ's big websites.

The news site stuff.co.nz had all sorts of problems which were first noticed at around 4 pm but which persisted for at least a couple of hours.

Clicking on almost any link on the site gave this page. Oh dear.

Around the same time, TVNZ's NZoom site decided to pack a wobbly and refused to dish up web pages at all. Was it a mad rush of millions trying to learn the latest Oscar results perhaps?

More On The DMA
In the wake of yesterday's comments, I was contacted by a representative of the DMA who has organised a telephone interview this morning to discuss the issue of their attitude to junk email.

I'll be publishing the outcome of this interview tomorrow -- let's see what they really have up their sleeves.

As always, your feedback is welcomed.

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