Factors and Issues in Creating an Internet Strategy
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045630 |
| Date | 01 March 1998 |
| Pages | 155-159 |
| Published date | 01 March 1998 |
| Author | David Raitt |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Factors and Issues in Creating
an Internet Strategy
David Raitt
email:draitt@estec.esa.nl
1. Introduction
An organization may make use of the services provided by the Internet in a variety of ways, for instance for
electronic mail or public relations-type
activities.
The rapid development of the Internet, and in particular the
World Wide Web (WWW), coupled with the commercialization of very advanced information technology to
exploit it, opens avenues for an organization to make more effective use of this resource.
This editorial, more in the form of a brief paper, is intended to review some of the factors which an organiza-
tion (a term being conveniently used here to cover a wide range of companies, universities, local and central
government, institutions , etc., and their library and information units) may need to consider when deciding
whether or not to establish a Web presence or, if it already has one, whether it is using it optimally.
2. Internet General Capabilities
The Internet is a massive, searchable, dynamic,
widely-available, distributed multi-platform informa-
tion system which possesses a number of general
capabilities the major ones of which are listed as
fol-
lows:
•
e-mail
• WWW browsing
• telnet, remote access, network computing
• ftp, downloading, software distribution
• news and discussion groups, chat
• telephoning, fax
• audio broadcasts, real-time audio
• imaging, 3D, live video
• tele/video conferencing
• archiving
• integration with directory services (e.g. LADP,
X500)
• interactivity (real-time calculators, converters,
searching , etc.,)
• hypertext linking
• online ordering, invoicing and payment, eft
• intranet add-ons
• push technologies for future Internet channels
These capabilities can be used in several ways, for
example:
• information broadcasting - where Web site are
used to provide information on their products
and services, employment and other opportuni-
ties,
reports on activities and the like (this may
be in the form of selective dissemination of infor-
mation direct to mailboxes or screens)
• distribution - where a company or organization
makes available and distributes its products and
services over the Internet either freely or for pay-
ment
• transactions - where products and services are
actually bought and paid for over the Net. This
may include online ordering, registration, licens-
ing,
credit card payment and electronic funds
transfer
• interactivity - which includes conversational
exchanges (such as bulletin boards, e-mail,
audio/video links, discussion lists) as well as
information search, retrieval and processing.
Not all the capabilities noted above may be neces-
sarily required or used by an organization; on the
other hand, there are some which could prove use-
ful to certain staff
(e.g.
audio broadcasts, push
tech-
nologies) and others which could provide potential
benefits (e.g. cheap telephoning, tele/video confer-
encing).
The use of the Internet for conducting business
(whether it be providing a library service or trying to
sell products) efficiently and effectively should be
considered as one of the prime drivers. It is neces-
sary to evaluate what Internet information, services
and facilities staff within an organization need for
their work and how the Internet can be used as a
facilitator of their scientific and technical as well as
business communication and collaboration. The
Internet can be used, for instance, as the primary
vehicle to reach branches, SMEs, contractors, co-
operating institutions, as well as
schools,
universities
and the general public.
EDITORIAL
The Electronic Library,
Vol.
16,
No.
3, June 1998 155
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