Webnex Inc.

3Com Intranet Solutions Center

In the summer of 1997, DF Communications partnered with Webnex Inc., a Los Altos-based Web design and development firm, to form a team to manage the ongoing development of content, and maintenance for 3Com's (now defunct) Intranet Solutions Center web site.

The site was originally launched in May of 1997. Designed to be a content-rich resource for intranet and networking information, it has distinct areas geared to assist both IT professionals and top-level executives in planning their intranet implementation and deployment. 3Com did not have the internal resources to dedicate to enhancing and maintaining this dynamic site and was searching for a team of experienced and highly knowledgeable professionals to do the job.

Working with the 3Com Systems Marketing Programs Manager, the Webnex team analyzed and evaluated the existing site structure and content as well as traffic patterns, to determine the overall effectiveness of the site in meeting the client's marketing and business objectives.

Each member of the team was assigned primary responsibility for a section of the site, and set out to identify different areas that could be improved via re-structuring and/or by adding more value to the existing information structure. We each developed a mini-proposal for our respective sections with specific recommendations for both short-term and long-term implementation objectives and an estimate of the resources required to fulfill them. Then we reviewed and evaluated each other's recommendations to come to a team consensus and create an implementation plan for the entire site.

Acting as Content Manager, DF Communications had primary responsibility for evaluating the Building Blocks section of the site. This section consisted of a set of hard-coded Web pages with directory listings for different categories of 3rd party Intranet and Intranet/Web-related products and vendors, as well as a directory of 3Com products. The listings were long lists of links to the sites of manufacturers and vendors of these products, organized into very broad categories. Our assessment and recommendation was to restructure the Building Blocks section, turning it into a repository and comprehensive resource for information on intranet-related tools and technologies.

The first step would be to move and consolidate relevant background and technical information (i.e. white papers, FAQs, etc.) into this section of the site and rename it Tools & Technology. Then conduct a thorough review and re-organization of the categories for the product/vendor directory with an eye toward providing contextual information (i.e. how various products relate to or are used for an intranet). This was accomplished during the first phase enhancement to the site.

Once the new categories were finalized the next step would entail converting the existing information into a flat-file, searchable database that could be easily expanded and enhanced to add value to the user in a variety of ways.

The database could be set up to allow for searching by product name, product type (categories), and by manufacturer/vendor name (for a list of all products by a particular manufacturer).

The value of the directory would be greatly enhanced by providing a summary page of basic information about the product --its features and highlights-- and basic information about the manufacturer, with links to the manufacturer's site as well as links to other relevant information such as online product reviews, demos, newsgroup discussions, or automated mailing lists. This would require a set of customized templates for the different types of searches that might be done (i.e. a Company Profile, a Product Profile, and a Product Type Summary).

Another important issue that needed to be addressed was how to simplify the process of updating and adding new information to the directory. We recommended a Web-based Vendor Input Form that would be used to automatically update the database. This could be supplemented by some sort of mailbot --automatically generated e-mail reminders for the vendors that would summarize the information currently on file, provide the date it was entered or last changed, and the URL for the form to update it.

Other recommendations included enhancing the Intranet Advisor section of the site by adding an Executive's Basic Guide to Intranets, which DF Communications authored and was included as part of the first phase launched in the fall of 1997.



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