Portals
History, Features and Typology
Hermann Rösch
University of Applied Sciences
Cologne
European Association of Aquatic Sciences Libraries and Information Centres,
May 7-9th 2003, Institut fuer Meereskunde, Kiel, Germany
10th Biennial Conference
Hermann Rösch: Portals – History, Features and Typology
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Structure / Outline
Developmental History of Portals
Portal Types
Features of Portals
Future Developments
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Measurements for the Success of Search Engines
and Web Catalogues
Page Impressions: number of viewings of a website with
advertisements
Unique Users: number of individual users of one website within
a certain time period
Ad Clicks: frequency of clicks onto a specific banner
advertisement
Visits: number of connected usages of a web service
View Time: duration of stays on one webpage or of visits
Clickstream: number of pages clicked on during one single visit
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Internet Portal
Community
Building
Services
Personalisation
Application
Tools
Content
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Operators of Internet portals
Search Engines or Web Catalogues
Internet Service Providers (AOL, Telekom)
Browser Producers (Netscape/AOL, Microsoft)
Media Groups (Walt Disney, Bertelsmann...)
Possible Operators from other Areas:
E-Commerce Businesses (amazon)
Traditional Trade Combines, Distribution
Chains
Hosts as Content Providers
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Corporate Portal
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Academic Portal
Search Engine
Internet Catalogue
My Account
Personalisation
Grapevine
Collaboration
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Horizontal Portals („Hortals“)
 Broad Coverage (Topics, Interests, Applications)
 Try to be Complete and Exhaustive (Contents, Subject
Areas)
 Aim at Mass Market or Unspecific User Groups
e.g.: Internet Portals (MyYahoo), Corporate portals
(for Entire Businesses)
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Vertikal Portals („Vortals“)
 Limit their Service to Single Subjects, Topics, Subject
Areas, Sectors, Lines of Business, Business
Connections
 Aim to be Exhaustive in a Defined Area
(„Depth instead of Breadth“)
 Addressed to Defined, Selected Focus Groups
(„Community-oriented“)
e.g.: B2B-Portals (Global Petroleum Portal);
Subject Portals (SOSIG, EEVL, HUMBUL...)
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Internet Portals
For Users primarily:
 Search and Orientation Tools
 Communication Channels
For Businesses:
 Advertising opportunity
 Distribution channels
 E-Commerce Market
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Corporate Portals
Corporate Portal as Instrument for:
 Information Management
 Knowledge Management
Business-to-Business (B2B)-Portal:
 Open up Lines of Business and Product Markets
 Bring together Suppliers, Service Providers,
Producers and Distributors
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Academic Portals
Academic Portal as Infrastructure for:
 Changed Information and Communication
Needs
 Information Management and Knowledge
Management
Relating to: Individual Universities, single Subject Areas,
Academic Community
Possible Operators: Libraries, Academic Societies, Interest
Groups, Publishers, other Commercial Bodies
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Studio di
Studio
di Portali
Portali
MICHELANGELO
MICHELANGELO
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Features (1): Unified Access Point
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
1. Unified Access Point


One LoginCentral
for allAccess
Subsequent Activities
Access to an Overview of the most
Important Applications on the Entry Page
Motive:
Raise Usage Frequency
Motive:
Stop Internal Fragmentation (Business,
Sector, University, Subject Area)
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Features (2): Simplicity
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
2. Simplicity


Based on
Common
StandardsAccess
(Browser)
Intuitive,
Self
Explanatory
Based on Standard Internet Browsers
Motive:
Raise Attractiveness
Motive:
Save Time
Rationalisation, Navigation, Ease
Information Searches
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Features (3): Powerful Search Tools
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
3. Powerful Search Tools

Combination
of Search
EngineIndexing
and Web
Combine Automatic
and Manual
Catalogue(„Search“
(„Search
and
Browse“)
and
„Browse“)
 Search Tools for Specific Formats (Charts,
Pictures, Audio or Video Files) or for Specific
Motive:
Motive:
Document Types
(Project Plans, Preprints,
Increase User Bonds
Increase User Comfort, Accessibility
E-Journals...) and Transparency
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Features (4): Accumulation of large Quantities of
Information
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
4. Accumulation of Large Quantities of Information
Extend Regarding
Contents

Work relevant
Information
Information for
Research and
Teaching
Include Relevant Contents
From Internal or External Sources
Free of Charge and Liable to Costs
Motive:
Motive:
and Unstructured
Increase UserStructured
Bonds Optimise
and Rationalise the Process of
Information Provision
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Features (5): Structuring, Processing and Editing
Information
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
5. Structuring, Processing and Editing Information
 Processing Information
Web Catalogues;
Context Related
Integration of
With Regard to Stock
Structuring and
Internet Sources
Ranking
Relevant Web
Resources
Assessing
Cooperatively
 Quality Control via
Motive:
Choices Motive:
Increase User
Bonds Save Time Identifying and Assessing
Annotations
Information;
Assessments
Process External Sources
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Features (6): Integrating Special Features into a
Unified Information Environment
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
6. Integrating Special Features into a Unified
Environment
ExtendInformation
Regarding
Synchronise
Include Diverse
Applications
Previously Isolated
Applications
Sources in one
Interface
 Integrate Isolated Programms, Databases,
Contents
Motive:
Motive:
 Option to Search
Different Sources
Increase User Bonds Harmonise
Simultaniously
Synergetic Effects
 Optional Direct
Access
to Resources
via the
Integrated
Information
Management
Original Interface thus Keeping its Search Tools
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Features - Résumée
Portal Features Mentioned (1-6):
 Belong to the Area of Information Management
 Contribute to Modernise Information Management
Three Additional Functions of Portals:
 Belong to the Area of Knowledge Management
 Found the Transition from Object to Subject
Orientation
 Supplement the Information Function with
Communication and Transaction Functions
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Features (7): Personalisation
Internet
Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
7.
Personalisation
Clients
 Get their Individual Entry Pages
User Specific Profiles via
 Define which Portal
Features
are to be Included on that
Check Box
Procedures
Evaluation of actions
Page
Cookies
 Set their own Interest Profiles
Rule-based Partitioning
On this Basis Portals
Offer
Motive:
Motive:
One-to-One
Work
Information; Reduce
 a Combination Choose
of PushandSpecific
Pull-Technologies
Marketing
Ballast;
Proactive
Services; Intelligent
 the Use of Personal
Data
Assistants
Agents
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Features (8): Communication and Collaboration
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
8. Communication and Collaboration
„Community
Building Services“:
Community
Building
Channel
Services:
E-Mail, Communication
 Encourage
Standardise
Chat Rooms,
Jumble
(E-Mail,
Chat Room, Discussion
DistributeList)
Sales
Ensure Quality
 Publicize Individual Knowledge
Motive:
Motive:
 Make Collaborative
Work Processes Possible
Increase User Bonds Knowledge Management, Communication
 Offer Room forwithin
Additional
Information
Services
the Related
Unit (Business,
Sector,
University,
Subject
Area) Possible
 Make Collective
Assessment
Processes
(Peer Review)
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Features (9): Validating Information
Internet Portal
Corporate Portal
Academic Portal
9. Validating Information

Members of Portals Assess Individual
or Publications within its
Information Information
Sharing
as
a
Result
of
Contexts
Collaborative Tools
 Peer ReviewMotive:
of Documents Published by or
Ensure Quality; Validate Decision, Work and
Accessible via
the Portals
Research
Relevant Information
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Summary (1)
Achievements of Portals:
 Modernising Information Management
 Use of Knowledge Management Features
 Transition from Object to Subject Orientation
 Supplement the Information Function with
Communication and Transaction Functions
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Summary (2)
Achievements of Portals (cont.):
 Reducing Information Overload
 Reducing Complexity through Personalisation
 Increasing User Bonds through Increased
Interaction
 Commercial Potential through Strategic Alliances
and Commercial Business Connections
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Internet Portals – Areas of Future Development
 Existing Horizontal Internet Portals
- Market is Reduced to a few Competitive
Providers
- are Supplemented by a Variety of
Vertical, Interest Specific Portals
(Subject and Regional Specialisation)
 Diverse Vertical Portals Amalgamate into Meta
Portals or Portal Consortia
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Corporate Portals – Areas of Future Development
 Business wide Portals are supplemented by
- Business Internal Vertical Sub Portals
- Sector Specific B2B-Portals
 Partial Convergence of Business wide Portal,
B2B-Portal and End User Orientated B2C-Portal
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Academic Portals – Areas of Future Development
Development and further Specifying of different
Portal Types
 Local, University wide Portal
 Subject Specific, Vertical Portal (Subject Portal)
 Sector Portal (Central Portal, Meta Portal)
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Thank you very much
for your Time and Patience!
Questions and Suggestions:
hermann.roesch@fh-koeln.de
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