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By Alan Kirkpatrick
Lavonne Luquis ('88) says she is
learning the price of successfully cornering a piece of the Internet,
and she's more than willing to pay it.
"Of our work, I can truly say that it's never boring," said the
co-founder of Latino.com Inc., which claims that its LatinoLink
was the first newsmagazine for Latinos on the Web (www.latinolink.com).
Based in San Francisco, LatinoLink went online in 1995.
"We're opening a new office in New York, and these days I spend
more time than I'd like sitting on planes. I wish the flights
between San Francisco and New York were faster.
"That said, the pace and flavor of each city is quite distinct
Ð which helps keep life very interesting," she said.
Before launching LatinoLink in early 1995, Luquis spent a year
as city editor at The Olympian in Olympia, Wash., and seven years
at The San Juan Star in Puerto Rico. She was named 1998 Hispanic
Businesswoman of the Year by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
That Luquis took an interest in the World Wide Web is hardly a
surprise, considering the global reach of her education. Her company's
Web page includes this biographical insight:
"Born in L.A., Luquis spent her childhood crisscrossing the U.S.
by car and the Caribbean by plane. Her circuitous education Ð
12 elementary, middle and high schools in as many years followed
by stops at the University of Puerto Rico in R'o Piedras, the
American Institute for Foreign Studies in Florence, Italy, and
the University of Colorado at Boulder Ð produced a bachelor of
science degree in journalism (with distinction) in 1988."
"My years in Boulder still elicit fond memories," she said. "The
mentoring I received at the J-School from Joanne Arnold and Doug
Cosper was very timely. Joanne encouraged me to attend an NAHJ
conference and helped secure funds to pay my way there, and over
the years the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has
been a constant in my life. Doug was a terrific writing coach
and remains a great friend to this day."
After her stint in traditional media, Luquis became one of the
School's first online success stories with LatinoLink. The e-zine
received favorable notices from The Wall Street Journal and Hispanic
Magazine, and it was designated a NetGuide "Platinum site" and
among Lycos' "Top 5% of All Web Sites."
LatinoLink established content partnerships with Netscape, Yahoo!
and Snap Online, and it has attracted such major advertisers as
IBM, AT&T, Microsoft, Compaq, MCI, NCR, Sony Pictures and New
Line.
LatinoLink receives approximately 400,000 visits and a million
hits a month, with nearly 90 percent of its viewers visiting at
least once a week, according to the LatinoLink.com Web site. It
includes news stories written by its staff and other information
selected from national dailies and wire services. Sections include
news, arts and entertainment, sports, business and finance, Q&As
with Latino entrepreneurs, an interactive horoscope and commentary
on wide-ranging subjects. It also provides free e-mail, chat,
bulletin boards, a national job bank and information on Latino
history. It offers a members-only service for meeting professionals
online.
More recently, Luquis has put her energies into forging Latino.com,
which she announced in October will build on LatinoLink's content
in establishing a site with greatly expanded national and regional
coverage of news, sports and entertainment. Expected to go online
in January, Latino.com will conduct polling and employ other methods
of obtaining more statistical data about the Latino community,
she said. The company also has plans to establish bureaus in cities
with large Latino populations, including Miami, Los Angeles and
Chicago.
"We intend to be a cultural town square reflecting the common
interests and rich heterogeneity of the Latino community," she
said.
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