Citation
(2009), "What’s on the web", Strategic Direction, Vol. 25 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2009.05625iag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
What’s on the web
Article Type: What’s on the web From: Strategic Direction, Volume 25, Issue 9
BizReport.com
BizReport.com provides news from the world of internet businesses and e-commerce. They also offer a range of marketing information divided into categories such as e-mail, loyalty, mobile, social and viral.
Then there are other goodies – including business blogs, events and white papers, legal issues around e-commerce and jobs. There is a free daily e-mail newsletter too.
BizReport is linked by a broad range of online finance and investment portals, technology companies and e-commerce sites.
The site itself is well-constructed and the front pages are all quick and coherent. Links are good (none broken that we could find) and the site is updated really regularly. This is a once specialist area that is moving mainstream very fast – monitoring this site will keep you up to date. Recommended.
Fine forum
Formed in 1997, the UK Trade Association Forum has been encouraging the development and sharing of best practice among UK trade associations and promoting the role of effective trade associations to government, industry and the wider public. Through the Directory section, the Forum provides comprehensive links to information on UK trade associations and the business sectors they represent. It also provides its members with a range of services and activities designed to assist them in the strategic development and day to day running of their organizations but is not a policy setting body.
News, events, member forums and a jobs section are featured on the home page. The links are quick and easy and the overall content pretty useful. We were not too sure about the overall design; while some of the pages had a serious, quasi academic feel, others seemed to be tottering on the brink of fun or quirky. Otherwise however, a good and useful site.
Direct line
The Institute of Directors is a UK organization representing individual company directors. They provide a network that reaches, so they claim, into every corner of the business community. Their primary purpose is to ensure that director-level views are taken into account when the government is reviewing policy, legislating or simply seeking the views of the wider business community.
The IoD is a non party-political business organization founded by Royal Charter in 1903, currently with around 55,000 members. It is naturally however, more in tune with Conservative philosophy and is often considered to be a somewhat right wing organization.
The site is as professional as you would expect from such a body. Whilst it is specifically aimed at attracting new members, there are some good news and current thinking sections and a detailed account of the Institute’s activities (many and varied). Worth a look every so often even if you are not a member.
Small but helpful
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to “aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation”. It is still going strong half a century later and offers much sensible advice to small businesses worldwide (not just in the USA) on how to weather the current recession.
The site has nice clean and unfussy feel to it with some good sections. There is a huge free newsletter resource (though this is rather US-centric) and lots of other free stuff.
New ideas
Springwise and its network of 8,000 spotters scan the globe for smart new business ideas, “delivering instant inspiration to entrepreneurial minds”.
So how does it work? The Springspotter Network consists of: thousands of “business-savvy” individuals from all over the world, who e-mail the site whenever they “spot” a promising new business idea. Accepted contributions get rewarded with “cool gifts”, and may appear in one of the company’s newsletters (Springwise new business ideas and trendwatching.com).
They specify that they are always looking for new individuals who recognize a new business idea or initiative when they come across one, at home (ie in the USA) or overseas.
They ask you to e-mail them whenever you find a new business idea. There are no strings attached. To get a feel for what they are looking for, just scan through the archive of ideas on the site. It is fun even if you do not want to join them.
And finally
“The psychology of committees is a special case of the psychology of mobs” Celia Green.
Best of all
For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one!
If you have any favourite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, or wish us to consider your own site, please drop us an e-mail and we will ask our reviewers to check them out.