The search sites began to accumulate a utility belt of services to keep users hooked on their offerings. Things like free, web-based email, calendars, and address books, proved to be the most sticky tools of all. Once web users locked into a given portal and began to rely on one particular site for their personal email, for their scheduling, for the most intimate details of their lives, portals locked these users to repeat visits. A portal was now where you returned to again and again throughout the day, not just to search, but to manage your life.
