Community Web Portals

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about community Web portals. There is a lot of confusion about what they are, the benefits of having one, and how to go about setting one up and running it.

I've created a new information category called Community Technology Topics, and over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be writing on various aspects of community Web portals to try to answer some of these questions. I've been involved in designing and managing community Web Portals since 1993, and will try to share my experiences with you. Some of the issues I will be discussing will include:

• The importance of rich local content.
• Dynamic, ever-changing content and how to manage that.
• Distributed control.
• Typical services available via a community portal.
• RSS (Real Simple Syndication), what it is and its benefits.
• The importance of business, civic, and arts/entertainment directories.
• Providing services to community and civic groups.
• The role of training and its effects on workforce development.
• The role of community portals as economic development tools.
• Key success factors in a vibrant and active community portal.
• Benefits of community portals.

Stay tuned to learn more about this important community resource.