Its Internet address is a little confusing, but http://www.abuildnet.com is anything but that.
The highly rated site by Littleton, Colo.-based BuildNET is regarded as one of the World Wide Web’s most comprehensive directories of building goods and services. And a quick walk-through on-site shows why.
This site is useful for anyone in the construction industry and a good example of a well-designed Web site for those who are not. Aside from the fact that it boasts 1,200 pages of information on building companies, opportunities and resources, and access to thousands more linked points of information on the Internet, this site offers free Web page assistance for industry types not yet online.
It also incorporates user-friendly tips at spots where one can really use them. For example, on the site’s search page, it reminds users that if they plan to do frequent searches, they should bookmark the page. It’s a simple tip, but not one that especially the novice user thinks of.
The site’s vast trove of directories is organized by such categories as construction, service providers, architecture, suppliers, resources and manufacturers. These are further subdivided into such listings as consultants, home builders, contractors, construction equipment, software and the like.
If users don’t wish to search that way, they can click on a map of the site to take them where they wish to go within the site.
Giving visitors the tools to help themselves is a hallmark of this site. In addition to links to the latest downloadable versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, there also are links to online newspapers and magazines.
Sponsors of the site include Peach Media, MOD-TAP Residential Cabling Systems, Greenblock, Eastern Star Electric and JDS Development. This site, by the way, should not be confused with http://www.buildnet.com, an online guide (currently under construction) to new homes in the Chicago area.
