When the Web originated, everyone was talking about “community.” The notion was that having a place to display your HTML would foster a sense of belonging and purpose, as well as attract visitors to your site.
Today, a very different kind of community is being used by some of the better Web sites. Rather than create a “be-in,” this new notion of community works from the outside in. These sites are highly personalized and are primarily database driven. Here are three examples:
— www.wirelessdimension.com is a site that will research cellular carriers and tune a search to match your criteria.
— www.scorecard.org is a site developed by Phil Greenspan for the Environmental Defense Fund. It tracks chemical polluters in your neighborhood.
— www.ipxstream.com is a site that tracks recent developments in IP Telephony(Internet protocol) – the Technology that allows for high-quality, low-cost telephone communications.
Although these sites serve different interests, they accomplish the same goals: they allow visitors to find information quickly and easily. For example, if you want to search for a cellular plan, the Wireless Dimension site cuts through the confusion by focusing on a particular metropolitan area. You can also compare service plans side by side. But the service is not perfect; it doesn’t yet provide information on roaming areas, nor does it list roaming surcharges.
The second site, Chemical Scorecard, reduces the data clutter by searching the Superfund, a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency that locates, investigates and cleans up hazardous waste sites throughout the U.S., and other federal databases for dirt on local polluters. In addition, the site has a nifty feature that lets you send form letters to corporate officials.
Finally, IP xStream provides information on IP Telephony issues, including the progress of standards;
listings of net-based resources; and various international concerns on IP regulations. The site also has a subscription service where visitors can receive the latest news via e-mail.
Personalized sites have become powerful tools that are a far cry from the old, hang-up-and-dry HTML format. Moreover, these sites keep people’s interests peaked and keep them coming back for more.
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David Strom manages the WebInformat mailing list from which this column is adapted. (www.strom.com)
