Mine Mine Mine

Ever notice how many times you see the word "my" in front of topics of interest? "My" eBay, "My" Yahoo, "My" Florida.

What is the message here? Apparently, in this age of personalization, companies want you to be able to "own" your own version of their product. They want you to customize your experience, presumably so you keep coming back.

An Internet search came up with at least the following sites that promise to make your visit personal:

http://my.american.edu

http://my.ca.gov

http://my.ebay.com

http://my.excite.com

http://my.monster.com

http://my.msn.com

http://my.netscape.com

http://my.nytimes.com

http://my.opera.com

http://my.ucla.edu

http://my.yahoo.com

http://myfamily.com

http://myflorida.com

http://mypyramid.gov

http://mysimon.com

http://myspace.com

http://myswitzerland.com

http://myway.com

Whether they truly allow your experience to be unique would be subject to your own investigation. But the implication in their titles is that you, and only you, will have a visit like no other. Clever marketing ploy.