Citibank officials say their ultimate goal is to link the full gamut of retail bank services into an on-line network.

The two organizations, which already operate individual Web sites (www.npr.org and www.mpr.org), intend to develop a collaborative on-line network that would open this summer.

On the on-line networks, there's more of a tendency to just talk.

"There is also a lot of really great stuff on the Net that children's on-line networks would never capture," he said.

Mercury Seven, which operates an on-line network at www.channelseven.com, will become an autonomous unit of X-ceed.

Microsoft redesigned its on-line network to make it seem more like television.

The hot sites are crucial assets to the big on-line networks, keeping keyboard-tapping customers on the line, running up metered time and revenues.

Examples include factory automation and large on-line financial networks.

"Like with cable television and on-line networks, the culture is getting more specific," Mr. Friedman said.

Yearly, the on-line network saves about $300,000 in prisoner transportation costs alone.