What’s on the web

Citation

(2007), "What’s on the web", Strategic Direction, Vol. 23 No. 10. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2007.05623jag.001

What’s on the web

The businesswww.realbusiness.co.uk

“This is web site for owner-managers who want to ‘grow’ their business. Share your hopes and fears with other entrepreneurs, make contacts and chew the fat with your peers.” Aimed at entrepreneurs and fast-growth companies, this site is colourful and informative. It contains various well-written articles regarding topical issues along with articles on new ideas and innovations. The news blogs and forums are good, offering a mix of fun, random pieces along with more serious material. The “Ask Ric” section to which site users can ask questions regarding their IT problems is also quite handy. One section definitely worth checking out is the “27 Ways” page which has loads of useful hints and tips for entrepreneurs. This site certainly seems to have it all; it has a fresh layout, is simple to use and packed with information. One of the best sites we have come across for a while.

And less sowww.businessxl.co.uk

Business XL is a magazine produced by Vitesse Media plc which targets high-level management and large businesses; the magazine itself is available on free subscription. The company’s portfolio includes magazines, books, newsletters (print and e-mail), web sites, events (awards, conferences, seminars), research and database rental. The business XL web site itself rather reminds one of a banking site with its layout and color scheme. Also, the entire aim of the site seems to be promoting the magazine. However, various articles and supplements concerning topics such as finance, strategy and flotation, which could be quite useful, are available to download from the site. Possibly worth a quick glance if you have a spare five minutes.

Explaining the issueswww.management-issues.com

Somehow this site has combined newspaper style with a fresh vibrant appearance – not something designers usually manage to do but certainly aesthetically pleasing. The content is also extensive, offering pages on “hot topics”, blogs, advice, interviews and events. Lots of the usual global business news coverage is provided as one would expect, along with additional information such as white papers. We particularly liked the “thought for the day” bit, although do not click on it unless you want to be directed to another site! Several books are advertised on the web site, all of which look as if they have been thoroughly vetted before being allowed on. There is a “This week’s highlights” section as well, which contains an advice clinic along with several of the best articles of the week, and lots of information about the company’s columnists. Overall this site is definitely one to earmark if not bookmark.

Technology simplifiedwww.techweb.com

A web site dedicated to all things related to technology. News articles regarding the latest technological issues are featured prominently on the site; we found the extent to which crime is now committed through technology quite surprising. The site unfortunately (and surprisingly) seems to be quite slow to load, possibly due to the fact one seems to be routed to a different site address with every page. In addition to this a couple of the advertisements are rather irritating. Still, some of the information contained on the site is fairly interesting and the “security” page provides numerous articles alerting one to hacking risks which are well worth reading. One feature that is particularly good is the “TechEncyclopedia” which gives definitions and explanations of many IT terms. Product reviews also feature on the site along with newsletters and white papers. Not the best site layout in the world but some of the information it offers is both interesting, and, in some cases, eye opening.

I’ve started so …www.bytestart.co.uk

Proclaiming itself as a “small business portal” the target audience of this site is fairly obvious. The homepage is not overly inspiring; too many links to other pages on the site and not enough information about said links mean it has a rather cluttered, “bitty” look to it. However when one gets into the site proper there are lots of bits of useful information and interesting reading material hidden away. The news page contains some good articles as does the “legal and people” section (which also offers various pieces of information regarding company legal matters). The rest of the site is comprised of other assorted pages offering advice on matters from starting up a business, through to marketing and sales. There is a search engine to help sort the wheat from the chaff, but this site needs to have some time spent on it if you are looking for anything in particular.

And finally

Voice mail tips: Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People do not call you just because they want to give you something for nothing – they call because they want you to do work for them. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they are not there – it looks like you are hardworking and conscientious. If you diligently employ the method of screening incoming calls and then returning calls when nobody is there, this will greatly increase the odds that the caller will give up or look for a solution that does not involve you. The best voice mail message you can ever hear is: “Ignore my last message. I’ve taken care of it”. If your voice mailbox has a limit on the number of messages it can hold, make sure you reach that limit frequently.

Contact uswww.emerald insight.com

For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one! And if you have any favorite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, please drop us an e-mail and we will submit them to our reviewers’ usual rigorous analysis.