I will give example of Bidz.com. Bidz.com uses Flash technology to constantly update in real-time auction bids right before your very eyes! The price goes up, up, up and time clicks away ... down, down, down!. Add flashing green highlights for added new bids and red flashing for ominous approaching 0 minute and to say least, it is quite thrilling.

On Bidz home page, there is a link that says 3-minute auctions. This is a separate category all by itself. If you click that link you are taken to 3 minute auctions, usually consisting of jewelry. (Note: See end of article for "The 3 minute auction - too good to be true?")

A word of caution: It takes a little finesse to bid at these fast-paced auctions - and I mean FAST! You must be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when bidding. The highest bid I came across on my visit was for $1500. My advice would be to practice on dollar starting bids. Bids quickly escalate to $15 and $30. In words of BidZ:

"If you are bidding on items in 3 Minute Auctions category, you will not be notified if you are outbid. These auctions move very quickly, so you have to monitor your winning bids very carefully."

Back on 3 minute auction page of BidZ, what do you see? From left to right: product picture, item number, title, price, bids, and time left. The "bids" and "time left" are where auction action is at. But just as its nearing 0 minutes left, it jumps up to more time left - what gives? According to Bidz.com:

"Your site is missing from Azoos.Com's Internet search engine! To submit it, simply click *ADD URL* button found at www.azoos.com.

As one of Internet's 20 most visited unique search engine databases, Azoos offers sites like yours valuable traffic that only your competition is enjoying! Submitting your site to Azoos takes only ONE minute and GUARANTEES INCLUSION .... TODAY!

Thousands of users visit Azoos EACH day but can't find YOUR site. With a simple look and an easy-to-use search tool, Azoos appeals demographically to NOVICE INTERNET USER - a targeted group likely to make purchases from sites like your own! Featured in a recent issue of SEARCH ENGINE WATCH, Azoos is one of Net's hottest up and coming search engines for end users -- Make sure YOUR site is included TODAY!

If your company's website can't afford to miss out on even a few thousand potential hits, it can't afford NOT to be listed with Azoos!

Goto www.azoos.com and click "ADD URL" -- let traffic flow....!"

Sincerely, Joanna R. Heth Internet Position Analyst http://www.azoos.com/

The Internet's COOLEST Search Engine! Why should we crawl web...when we can RUN it?

***Add YOUR Company's Web Site To Azoos.Com TODAY!!!***

I honestly don't know who sent me that e-mail. Whoever sent it didn't bother to sign his or her name. The e-mail simply said "Check this out!"

I have to admit, that e-mail got me more than a little curious about Azoos, so I did a little digging and I found following press release:

Not only has Azoos.Com managed to remain one of THE fastest services of its kind when it comes to including user- submitted URLs in its vast database, it’s now also one of THE fastest search engines on ‘net! Thanks to implementation of new technologies developed & improved by its software engineers during last six months, Azoos has joined ranks of those search engines capable of returning results in less than 1 second!