Talk:NetZero

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the NetZero article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the subject of the article.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic. New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help. Assume good faith Be polite and avoid personal attacks Be welcoming to newcomers Seek dispute resolution if needed Article policies Neutral point of view No original research Verifiability

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

California: Los Angeles Low‑importance California portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject California, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the U.S. state of California on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. Greater Los Angeles portal This article is supported by Los Angeles area task force (assessed as Low-importance). Companies Low‑importance Companies portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Companies, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of companies on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale. WikiProject Companies To-do: Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Article requests : Wikipedia:Requested articles/Business and economics/Companies Assess : Category:Unassessed company articles Copyedit : Category:Company articles needing attention Infobox : Category:Company articles needing infoboxes Maintain : Portal:Companies Stubs : Help expand stub articles located at Category:Company stubs Other : Tag company articles with the {{portal|Companies}} template Tag company talk pages with the {{WikiProject Companies}} project banner Answer requests for comments Internet Low‑importance Internet portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Internet, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the Internet on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Archives (Index)

2014 2018 2020

This page is archived by ClueBot III.

Request to add historical context regarding Bigger.net (Pre-dating NetZero)

The user below has a request that an edit be made to NetZero. That user has an actual or apparent conflict of interest. The requested edits backlog is very high. Please be extremely patient. There are currently 298 requests waiting for review. Please read the instructions for the parameters used by this template for accepting and declining them, and review the request below and make the edit if it is well sourced, neutral, and follows other Wikipedia guidelines and policies.

I am writing to request a factual update to the history of Free/Ad-Supported ISPs. I have a Conflict of Interest (COI) as I was the founder of Bigger.net (TGGH, Inc.), but I am providing third-party verifiable sources to support these additions. Currently, the history of the ad-supported model often begins with NetZero (1998). However, verifiable records show that Bigger.net launched the ad-supported "Banner Window" model in 1997, prior to NetZero, and was recognized by major media and federal patent filings of the era. I propose adding the following text to the "History" section: "Prior to the launch of NetZero, the ad-supported ISP model was pioneered in 1997 by Bigger.net (operated by TGGH, Inc.). The service utilized a proprietary 'always-on-top' banner window to display advertisements in exchange for free internet access. The company's technology was later cited as 'Prior Art' in US Patent filings by competitors, and the brand sponsored the National Air Race champion 'Strega' in 1997." References & Citations: US Patent 6,757,661: Filed by NetZero/United Online. This patent cites the Bigger.net ad-delivery method as "Prior Art" in the patent description, acknowledging the pre-existence of the banner window technology. Source: Google Patents - US6757661B1 (Search for "Bigger.net" in text). Sponsorship & Commercial Viability (1997): Archives confirm Bigger.net was the primary sponsor of the "Strega" P-51 Mustang air racing team in December 1997, predating the public launch of most competitors. Source: Wayback Machine - Strega.com (Dec 1997) (Footer: "web page creation by @bigger.net", Logo on aircraft wing). SEC Filings: TGGH, Inc. (d.b.a. Bigger.net) history is documented in federal SEC Form 10-12G filings from 1999, confirming the operational timeline of 1996–1997. Media Coverage: USA Today (Cover Story, 1997) and The Wall Street Journal (1997) covered Bigger.net as a competitor to AOL, with the WSJ noting its disruptive potential against incumbents. Thank you for reviewing these sources to ensure the historical record is accurate. ~2026-17021-4 (talk) 02:34, 9 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]