Discussion of the online information industry emphasizes the effects of non-price competition on its structure and the firms involved. Q-analysis is applied to data on medical databases and hosts, changes over a three-year period are identified, and an optimum structure for the industry based on economic theory is considered. (Author/LRW)

The Internet has brought about a revolution in the concept of information provision for end-users, and opened up a diverse new market. The Internet has challenged the need for and role of traditional online services. Despite the benefits of the Internet, users face a number of dilemmas: finding needed information in a vast sea of information; time…