A system for marketing to customers belonging to a common interest group

摘要

An improvement to the operation and management of an online community Web site on the global computer network to enhance its value as a marketing tool is disclosed. In order to increase traffic to a merchant's Web site and also to increase interest in the merchant's business in general, the merchant provides a pass-key device (55, 155, 255, 355, 455, 555) that can interactively link to the merchant's Web site. The pass-key device preferably has attributes closely related to the theme of the merchant's business so that its attributes and the interactive nature provides an incentive for the members of the merchant's online virtual community to obtain a pass-key device and surf the merchant's Web site. The pass-key device's interactive functions may include, such things as, automatically providing a unique password to gain access to the Web site's limited-access features and downloading music or stories related to the theme of the merchant's business or the Web site.