TechFocus
Wired to web portals
The internet has come a long way from static web pages which only provided the information with no chance for the user to interact. Today web portals have changed the ever-curious user's experience. Web portals have always been sought after ever since the emergence of web browsers. This is due to the fact that for many users, it is the starting point of their web browser. Portals are often the first page the web browser loads when users get connected to the web. The reason they are so popular is that they offer a well-trained concierge who knows where to search and find; a well-assorted newspaper kiosk that keeps the latest market information about the surfer's personal stocks ready; free communication possibilities like email or discussion boards, and many other features to personalise the user's web-browsing experience. A number of web developers have understood this need for Bangladesh too and have therefore attempted to create portals and information directories for the Bangladeshi surfer. A few have been listed below: www.bangladesh.net
Www.bangladeshinfo.com
Www.bangla.com
Www.bgyellowpages.com
Www.bangladeshdir.com
www.bizbangladesh.com These portals do precisely what the word 'portal' suggests, that is, they provide a portal a door or a window into Bangladesh. This could benefit both, a Bangladeshi and a foreigner who would like to know more about Bangladesh. Bangladesh.net, which claims itself to be 'The Ultimate Portal of Bangladesh' provides users with a huge list of links to both English and Bangla newspapers and job sites of Bangladesh, in addition to running their own selected titbits-of-the-day news. It also categorises links according to the kind and interest of the user, like links for Kids, businessmen, stock market news, Entertainment, etc. Users are offered an option to sign up for a free email address and provide web-hosting facilities. The website provides an overwhelming amount of links and information, which are just too many to mention or list here. However, it could do with some modifications and improvements. As soon as the page opens, it is as if the user is just bombarded with links and information. With animated advertisements distributed throughout the page, the user tends to get into a dilemma as to what he should look at first. The links could also be more organised in presentation. Instead of combining all the channels into a whole list, they could be separated categorically. The site could in fact do better with an opening page containing a few links and then broadening the user's choices from there. With Bangladesh.net becoming the Ultimate Portal, Bangladeshinfo.com says that they are the Leading Portal of Bangladesh. Wonder where they get their surveys done from before labelling themselves as Ultimate or Leading. Anyway, Bangladesh info.com has a much more organised interface with the day's news headlines scrolling across, and other information presented in a pleasant and organised fashion. Among all the portals, I found this one to have the most visually pleasing homepage. But from the looks of the website, it seems as though it has concentrated mostly on serious issues like the news and business, and put a tiny little space for entertainment and sports, since these have not been highlighted much in the main page. In contrast, Bangla.com's homepage seems to concentrate more on entertainment than serious business. The page has links to a variety of joke, games, matrimonial and other websites. But what sets it apart is its collection of YouTube videos related to Bangladesh and Bangladeshis. This is something that I haven't found in any other Bangladeshi portal. Bangladeshdir.com is another right-on-the-face website that just starts off with too much information. Besides, they provide a search engine and reviews of websites relevant to Bangladesh. They provide a list of commonly searched for items through the Top Search link. All in all, it's a simple site with not too many options to choose from. Both bizbangladesh.com and bgyellowpages.com are primarily business portals. Bizbangladesh.com allows the user to post their company profiles, list their products and post trade leads. They also allow companies to host their website through the portal. The site basically contains everything that a Bangladeshi businessman would need, including stock market news, a business directory and even a currency converter. Bgyellowpages.com is a spin-off of the actual Bangladesh Yellow Pages book. Being computerised, it basically extends the services of the main book, by allowing you to quicken your yellow page or white page search by just a click of a button, rather than having to skim through the book and strain your eyes. The website is filled with advertisements from a variety of companies, but the advertisements change dynamically so fast that it's difficult to keep pace sometimes. Other links featured are banks, a Bangladesh tour, export-import policies, etc. According to the analyst and consulting company Ovum--as described in their study "Enterprise Portals: New Strategies for Information Delivery", 2000--the ideal portal is based on eight functionality areas: search and navigation , information integration, personalisation, notification, task management and workflow, collaboration and groupware, integration of applications and business intelligence, and infrastructure functionality. Although all portals listed above don't completely match these criteria, there is always room for growth and evolution.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments