I have identified several types of web sites meeting the criteria you
have specified. These are government web sites oriented towards
providing information, government web sites providing both information
and e-commerce capabilities, private business web sites oriented
towards providing information, private business web sites primarily
oriented towards providing information, but also providing limited
e-commerce capabilities, private business web sites oriented towards
e-commerce, and charitable organizations providing both information
and e-commerce capabilities.
An example of a government web site oriented towards providing
information is the Internal Revenue Service web site at www.IRS.gov.
The web site provides taxpayers with extensive information regarding
the tax code and tax collection statistics. As an additional benefit,
publications and tax forms can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format
at no charge. Links for paying taxes online are also provided. The
goal of the web site is to facilitate taxpayer compliance with the
Internal Revenue Code.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office web site at
www.USPTO.gov is another example of a government web site oriented
towards providing information. In this case, the web site provides
inventors with information about the patent process, scams to avoid,
and allows inventors to search the database of existing patents to
assess if their invention is unique. Information to assist inventors
during the patent prosecution process is also delivered through the
web site.
The City of Irving, Texas web site provides both information and
extensive e-commerce capability. Located at
http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/, the web site not only provides extensive
information about the city, but also allows citizens to pay traffic
tickets, renew drivers licenses, register their vehicles, and purchase
toll tags either using the web site itself or via links to the Dallas
County web site. The web site promotes the image of Irving as a
modern city and provides citizens with convenient access to government
services.
The ExxonMobil web site at http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/ is an
example of a private business web site geared exclusively towards
providing information. Job applicants, investors, and the general
public can learn about the company and its products and services. The
objective of the web site is to promote the company's image so that
investors will buy its stock and consumers will buy its products.
The Viagra web site produced by Pfizer at
http://www.viagra.com/index.asp is another example of a private
business web site geared exclusively towards providing information.
In this case, the web site is devoted to a single product. While
Pfizer would no doubt like to sell Viagra online, such sales are
illegal in the United States. Instead, the purpose of the web site is
to encourage consumers to visit their doctors to obtain a prescription
that would be filled at a pharmacy. The web site also provides
information for physicians about the product so that they will feel
comfortable prescribing it.
The Specialized bicycles web site at http://www.specialized.com/ is an
example of a private business web site that is purely oriented towards
providing information, but also provides limited e-commerce
capabilities. As a brand that is sold only through a dealer network,
the primary purpose of the web site is to inform consumers about
products and motivate them to visit a dealer. However, the company
also sells a limited selection of bicycle accessories, primarily
surplus inventories, that do not directly compete with the current
model year offerings stocked by its dealer network. Bicycles, its
primary product, are not available online at all.
Amazon.com is a private business web site focused on e-commerce. As a
diverse seller of consumer products, the web site is designed to
facilitate customers finding not only specific products they are
looking for, but also promotes cross-selling and impulse purchases.
To encourage customers to buy more, nearly all orders of at least $25
receive free shipping.
The Arthritis Foundation web site at www.arthritis.org is an example
of a charitable organization that includes both information and
e-commerce capabilities. Patients and their families can learn about
the various types of arthritis both through online articles and the
purchase of books and pamphlets from the organization itself.
Donations to the organization can also be made online. The objective
of the web site is to promote the mission of the Arthritis Foundation
to provide patient information and to gather funds to promote
arthritis education and research.
Sincerely,
Wonko |
Request for Answer Clarification by
leftclicker-ga
on
14 Nov 2004 10:02 PST
Hi Wonko.
I was really hoping for some 'official' descriptions of types of web
sites as described by the likes of Gartner, Forrester etc rather than
examples.
With reference to my Q. above:
1. I need a high level description of the type of site and what market
segment it fits into.
-- For example: Tourism Sector, B2C, Hotel Reservations; B2B, wholesale bookings.
-- I need information that segments the C2C, B2C and B2B etc in terms
of the types of site that are used within each market segment.
2. What are the main drivers for the type of site? In other words,
what are the business goals for this type of site?
-- For eample: Drivers are to increase turnover, reduce staffing
costs, streamline processes, reach new markets etc.
Could you please provide links to relevant resources.
-- Here, I'd like links to the sites/white papers/resources etc that you got the
summary information from.
Thanks.
Alan
|
Clarification of Answer by
wonko-ga
on
14 Nov 2004 13:09 PST
Regrettably, after a lengthy search I am forced to conclude that a
comprehensive classification of web sites is probably only available
from a proprietary source. I have inquired to see if a listing of
categories is available without charge. Here are my findings:
The only classification method I could find by Gartner was similar to
the one I already provided you regarding the purpose of the web site.
Forrester's web site did not have any information regarding web site
classification schemes.
"Business-to-consumer Web sites gravitate to four major types: the
informer, the influencer, the facilitator and the seller. Determining
your Web site's overall goal will have the greatest impact on
customers."
"Customer Relationship Management and B2C Web Sites" By Adam Sarner,
Gartner (February 24, 2004)
http://www4.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=425719
Gomez Associates maintained ratings on a variety of types of web sites
and industries for several years, but has subsequently exited the
business. I was only able to locate a listing of their categories
using the Internet Wayback Machine at www.archive.org. As a result,
the web page does not function normally.
"Consumer Guides" Gomez Associates (2002)
http://web.archive.org/web/20011217203858/www.gomez.com/indexCom.asp
I suspect what you would most like is the complete listing of
categories and subcategories used by comScore Media Metrix. I have
provided links to a couple of their press releases that give partial
listings of their categorization scheme, and I have requested a
complete listing of their available categories. I will let you know
what their response is regarding its availability.
"comScore Announces June Web Rankings and Major Enhancements to
Careers Category Reporting" comScore (July 16, 2004)
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?id=483
"MEDIA METRIX RELEASES U.S. TOP 50 WEB AND DIGITAL MEDIA PROPERTIES
FOR JUNE 2000 & REVEALS NUMBER ONE WEB SITES WITHIN NEW CATEGORIES"
comScore (July 20, 2000)
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?id=197
Sincerely,
Wonko
|
