<i>&gt; This database of free marketing sites gives one the information they</i>
<i>&gt; need to prepare and post their ads.</i>
While I think this site is both useful and well organised, and likely to
become even more valuable a resource as it grows, I was referring to
another type of service as a "Collation Specialist". (Bad term. Anyone got
a good idea for a name for it ?)
Perhaps an example would better convey the idea. Please forgive the
length, but the details are necessary to make the point.
A customer comes to the CS's office or mailbox with a request. She
intends to set up a comprehensive site which provides extensive original
content and services to students, as well as a carefully structured
environment of pointers to, and summaries of, resources already existing
online for students. Special concentration is to be given to offers and
resources that make life easier for students living in dorms.
The purpose is to develop a long range relationship with these students,
providing useful services and products for the present, and to continue
that relationship beyond graduation. The idea is somewhat similar to the
GMC First-time buyer program. Treat them right, keep their business for
years. The possibility for marketing to such a group is tremendous. Each of
these people would feel a unique affiliation with this group, and hopefully
individual contacts would have been made to strengthen the connection.
That's the vision. The task of the CS is to find and identify current
resources, covering the entire spectrum of the nets technologies. Then, to
organise and rate these resources based on the objectives of the site in
design. Finally, to integrate the original content with links and resource
descriptions in a way that enables the webmaster of the proposed site to
intelligently use the information in site development.
While the links and resource descriptions should be only a small part of
the total content of the site, their careful integration with original
content would add tremendously to its utility.
In order to bring the task to a 1:1 value on the business/consumer
level, the webmaster must use this information intelligently and develop
creative methods for presentation. But the 1:1 model has already been
employed. This process would be used for different purposes, in different
subject areas, for each client.
The thing which will make this scenario possible is development of ever
more powerful search and data mining tools, as well as a mastery of the
search process by the CS. The above scenario could conceivably be
accomplished in one day. I believe this will be a highly requested service
in a very short while, and that it will take people specialising in just
this type of work to do it well.
Again, technological advances creating more opportunities and demand for
1:1 services.
Paul Myers
arkham@buffnet.net
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