AT& T Internet chief: Make Web sites smarter

Organizations using the Internet to conduct business need to do it more intelligently, said Kathleen Earley, president of AT&T's data and Internet services group.

Earley, delivering the keynote address Thursday at the ComNet technology exposition in Washington, D.C., said organizations must build better World Wide Web sites that offer users quick access to information and online services. Web pages that take eight seconds or longer to download frustrate time-pressed Web users, she said.

She urged organizations building and using Web products to cooperate to enter a new era of productivity as the newness of the 5-year-old Web begins to fade and as expectations for its impact peak.

"We all have to get a whole lot smarter about how we work together," she said. "How well are we each serving our users?"

More efficient Web sites will become increasingly important as citizens turn to new wireless handheld devices to access data. Web navigation on the small devices will have to be easier, and Web surfers on the move will have to be able to get to the information using fewer clicks, she said.