What are Portals and Vortals
Sites like Yahoo, CNN and MSN are
considered portals and are gateways into the Internet for many users. A Portal attracts a
broad (horizontal) range of users, whereas Vortals appeal to a more narrowed (vertical)
audience.
Vortals focus on a group of
people with a specific passion or interest. They are sometimes called 'online
communities' or ' vertical portals.' If you are interested in horses, for example, go to
horsenet.com. Here you can chat with others interested in horses. You can also buy
horse-related products and books and find information about horses.
We can build your Portal, Vortal or Community.
This Portal development may include adding several features or components that are
not normally found on a typical site. For example, you may need a discussion forum
so that your visitors can share ideas or experiences. To get this forum working on your
site requires installing a third party software (component).
Reusing Existing Components vs Building From
Scratch
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The reuse of existing components or the modular approach to building a portal is faster
and cost effective
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We can create a custom portal from the ground up
or we can integrate pieces that have already been developed. The reuse of existing
components or the modular approach to building a portal is faster and cost effective.
Using these components as the building blocks
that form the framework of the site we then can add your content. Look at the menu of
components below and decide what you want to build.
There are many other components or modules you
may wish to add to your Portal/Vortal. Many of these are free and most can be purchased
for less than $300.
Reusable Components: The Building Blocks of Your
Site
| Shopping Cart |
For online purchase of products or services |
| Chat |
This allows users to chat online |
| Calendar |
Shows events or lets users post events |
| Search |
Keyword or phrase search of the whole site |
| Classified Ads |
Allow users or members to post their own
classified ads |
| Rotate Banner Ads |
This component displays ads for a specified time
on each page |
| Application Form |
Visitors can complete an application and send it
via email |
| Auction |
Conduct live auctions |
| Quiz |
Use it for online courses or for fun |
| Survey and Poll |
Get helpful information about visitors coming to
your site |
| Links |
Allow visitors to add their favorite links |
Installation of the component is only the first
step. It will then need to be integrated into the site and administered.
Portal Success or Failure?
Portals can grow and have many areas of interest
for the visitor. When compared to printed publications, they can range from family
newsletters to the Washington Post!
But there's more to the success of a portal than
building it. Many people are surprised that a good Portal is an ongoing process. Once it
is designed, developed and published, the Portal then needs visitors. This requires site
promotion.
A June 2000 article in The Industry Standard
suggests that large news portals are spending 50% of their budget on advertising and that
many of the new online publications are losing money.
 Concept, design and text development
Site development
Installation of components
Graphic and animation development
Banner ad creation
Updating/improving content
TURNKEY
PORTAL PACKAGE $2500 (does not include cost of components)
Here is a plug-and-play portal designed to get your online community up and running. It is
like ordering off a menu: you describe what you want and we can create the portal. Pick
any 6 of the items listed below and we will get your portal or vortal going. We will spend
50 hours building your portal including the integration of the six components that you
select.
Home Page - including 3 additional pages.
Form - 1 feedback form which
will be e-mailed to you each time someone fills it in.
Discussion Forum - Here your
visitors can post questions and comments. This is the heart of the community.
Links - This component allows
visitors to add links to your site. It is similar to Yahoo! or other search engines.
Classified Ads - Allow your visitors to publish their own
ads.
Survey - Use this to get customer
feedback and at the same time provide a spontaneous way to view compiled results.
Poll - Many people like to know the
opinions of others.
Test Poll - Let your visitors
test their knowledge.
Banner Ads - Advertise your products
or receive income from others. We will create two banners ads for you.
Search - Allow your visitors to search your site for words.
Auction - Conduct an online live auction.
News - Allow your visitors to post information and news.
Site Statistics - We will set you up
so that you can easily monitor the number of visitors coming to your portal.
Handbook - These instructions will help you to keep your site
going after we have created it.
Guest Book - Here your
visitors can post their names and comments.
Fill in the Rapid Reply
form
VORTAL PLUG-IN PACKAGE $1000 (not including
cost of components)
We will plug in 6 components into your existing site. We call this the vortal
plug-in because it is a simple inexpensive way to start a vortal. Pick any six components
above.
Fill in the Rapid Reply
form
Portal Development Rates |
