Aug. 21--Winston-Salem has just gotten a new shopping mall -- but you won't have to drive to it.

Users create a "Shopper" icon that walks through the online environment, traveling past storefronts, mall carts, kiosks and billboards. Go up to a storefront -- say, Best Buy -- and you are transported to that store's Web site.

Eventually, the creators hope to get more elaborate, creating three-dimensional store interiors that shoppers can enter and browse around, then click on the items they want to purchase and speak to salespeople -- icons that are controlled by real-life salespeople. Some storefronts could have live salespeople on the site within in the next two months, said Mark Stein, the president of VirtualE Shopping.

National retailers

The Winston-Salem mall is one of about 250 planned virtual malls. The first mall, in Columbus, Ga., opened on July 9, and about 36 are now up and running, Stein said.

The Winston-Salem mall is currently filled with national retailers, but Stein hopes to attract local retailers to help make each mall unique to its community.

The whole thing works on a pay-per-click basis, with advertisers bidding what they are willing to pay for each customer who clicks through from the mall to their own Web site, starting at 10 cents per click. The higher the bid, the better placement you get in the mall. "There's no rent; they just pay for traffic," Stein said.

The mall, he said, will also function as a social network. People who are too busy to get together for a real shopping trip can log on and stroll the mall together, engaging in text conversations as they go.

Simple Technology

External hard drives have become a necessity for many computer users, as their collections of video, music and other files have grown. And one of the simplest and most stylish brands of external hard drive is the SimpleTech Signature Minis, a line of pocket-sized hard drives that are powered by the USB port and hold a tremendous amount of data in one tiny package.

Best of all, it's plug-and-play technology, with no complicated installations or programs involved. Just attach it to the computer and drag files in or out. They range from 160 to 500 gigabytes, in various flavors -- er, colors, ranging from blueberry and kiwi to black cherry and espresso, and all have the same streamlined look, designed by Italian sports car design firm Pininfarina. Prices range from $99 to $229, though they are frequently on sale for less in the Sunday newspaper ads.

One of the company's latest options is extra handy for people wanting to store their favorite files safely. In addition to the external hard drive space, each Signature Mini comes with two free gigabytes of online storage space, which can be expanded further for a monthly charge.

For more information, go to www.simpletech.com.

To be a cougar, or not to be, that is the question in the minds of the women behind the Web site firstwivesworld.com, a social network and news site for divorced women. Editor-in-chief Jill Brooke and "Chief Executive Girlfriend" Debbie Nigro are using their site to debate the phrase "cougar" in reference to a woman who prefers to date younger men. And they are asking for opinions and suggestions for an alternate term.

Brooke likes the term, declaring it "empowering," but Nigro complains that "it just makes it sound like older women are pouncing on innocent young men, when truthfully we are 'treating them' to the experience of wisdom and an occasional expensive dinner."

The debate can be found in the "House Bloggers" section of the site.

Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.

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