Another Internet company was born last week, one boasting all the usual offerings: free e-mail, Web site hosting and chat, among others.
     What was unusual, however, were the names on its board of directors: the Rev. Jesse Jackson, actor Edward James Olmos and former "Melrose Place" star Andrew Shue.
     The trio were among those on hand last Tuesday for the unveiling of the new company and its site, OneNetNow.com, at UCLA's Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Sammy Sosa, the Chicago Cubs slugger, is also on the board but didn't attend.
     The site is scheduled to launch early next year. According to a news release, it promises to be "the first online community Web site specifically designed to reflect the diversity of ideas and perspectives that is America."
     What that means remains a bit murky. Mike Kasaba, president of the company, described it as a "for-profit corporation with a conscience."
     He said the site aims to attract the growing multicultural audience that leading Web companies are neglecting. Asked what kind of content might accomplish that, he said the site might invite Christians and homosexuals, for instance, to engage in an online debate.
     The roles that Jackson, Olmos, Shue and Sosa will play were also unclear. Kasaba, formerly with the Web site design firm USWeb, said the directors will serve in an "advisory role, not fiduciary." He said these high-profile board members have been given equity stakes in the company, but he declined to elaborate.
- GREG MILLER