 The calling into question of the new economy has prompted firms already on the Net to downsize their internet projects. After e-commerce sites and centralized portals, a new tendency is emerging, based on a more pragmatic approach of the web's stakes, namely local web sites. Typical of this new tendency is the success of companies like e-local which just raised 30 million FF to develop "city-guides". These web guides displaying practical information and local news for every city are blossoming. According to a survey by CoSpirit Research on consumers' attitudes offline and online, 70% of the shoppers use the internet to get information, though they generally prefer buying in a "physical" shop. A local web site's mission is to address people close to the company by providing local information and services. This sort of site is administered in a decentralized way; a chain does not need to put effort on the management of its central portal anymore. All it needs to do is to favour the emergence of a network of local web sites, managed by the points of sale themselves and who are in position to bring value added services that will generate traffic to the stores. |
Workshop web sites
The Science Generation program's ambition (developed by Altavia Junium together with Altavia Novactive, on behalf of the Aventis Foundation - Institut de France) is to is to develop an interactive platform for scientists, decision-makers, etc. to think together on a new mode on society's choices on the biosciences topic. An information portal and relay sites broadcast local initiatives (such as conferences). One purpose of the portal and the relay sites is to gather information from workshops' discussions in the regions. The portal and relay sites have been developed on the Novadeck technology. Relay sites have been easily duplicated thanks to its original dynamic web sites' generation system. From a site template, it is possible to create in a few clicks one web site per community. Relay web sites are entirely dynamic and can be personalized. They are administered by their users (with no technical background). Members of the relay web sites contribute to the site according to their administration rights (administrator, moderator, co-ordinator, editor...). They have access to a dialog and experiences' exchange area which is constantly up-to-date, thanks to, among other things, direct contributions of its visitors. The syndication functionality gives the possibility to share content between the relay sites and the portal. Content display on the site is personalized according to the profile of the user (parent, child, scientist,...). Webmail gives the possibility to all to manage their email account and to send and receive newsletters (in accordance with their administration rights).
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Science Generation relay sites are a perfect illustration of the decentralization and democratisation tendency of web site management. Thought as a communication tool for regional workshops, they give the possibility to "standard" users to express themselves and share ideas thanks to a publication interface. Selected content can be shared on different relay sites or published at the national level thanks to the content syndication system. Such a reactivity could not have been reached with a traditional content management system. It would have been necessary to use the services of a technical intermediary, thus reducing to nothing the main principle of Science Generation.
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