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PA e-Comm News APRIL 5

Basically Useless Information – Where did the phrase “wet your whistle” originate?
(Answer later)

Forrester sees a light at the end of the tunnel for e-commerce. The report projects that e-commerce will continue to expand independent of the tech recovery, but the tech recovery will help to propel even more e-commerce. According to the report, consumers boosted their online purchases by 12% in 2001 and the average corporation bought 9.5% of its materials on the Web in the fourth quarter of 2001, up from 7.1% in the third quarter. In October 2001, Forrester predicted the technology sector would see 2.2% growth in the second half of 2002 but its latest report increases that projection to 3.9%. Forrester said it expects double-digit growth to resume in 2003 with 10.4% growth in the tech sector. These increases will be driven by corporate IT spending and new technologies like Web services and wireless capabilities for consumers. Increased broadband use also will drive faster growth.

A new report by J.D. Power and Associates indicates most online investors are satisfied with their experience and are still optimistic, with 90% of those online investors planning to continue trading online. Most online investors have changed the way they invest online since September 11th, taking a more conservative approach and concentrating on diversifying their portfolios. In the survey, Scottrade ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction followed by Merrill Lynch, Fidelity and Schwab.

eBay has struck a partnership with Altura International in order to affiliate better with the catalog industry. Altura is a California firm that provides e-commerce solutions to catalog companies and is backed in part by Amazon.com. The deal provides for dozens of catalog companies to auction overstocked or discounted merchandise on eBay. Through this deal, eBay gains access to the catalog sales business which the Direct Marketing Association claims is $120 billion a year. Some of the initial catalogers who will participate are Alsto's, San Francisco Music Box Company, DiscoveryStore.com and Hello Direct.

One of the new toys is the Tablet PC. Bill Gates claims it is the logical next step in the evolution of the laptop -- "most mobile and versatile computer ever." In reality, it is a mini-laptop with a special pen instead of a keyboard. A Tablet PC is basically a PC with a touch-screen and no keyboard with input entered using a stylus with handwriting recognition technology. The machines run Windows XP Professional as their operating system. Tablet PCs differ from Palms because users can run full Windows applications using a pen; therefore, some people refer to the Tablet as a "Super Personal Digital Assistant." They are small, most about the size of a sheet of paper.

Many experts are discussing the effect .NET may have on e-commerce, with most agreeing it will be more behind the scenes. Some believe .NET will serve as a glue that links a company's IT infrastructure with its customers, enabling Internet companies to build e-tail sites more rapidly. Some benefits include Passport, Microsoft's .NET-enabled authentication and single sign-in product, and .NET Alerts, an instant messaging service that provides Web users with customized information. Expedia has announced it will support .NET Alerts, allowing travelers to receive instant flight updates. In addition to making the shopping process easier for Web buyers, .NET will likely make Web site development more affordable for e-commerce companies.

IBM has announced a new e-Workplace Practice division which will take corporate intranets and portals to the next level by expanding the kinds of applications and information available through them and consolidating the many intranets some companies maintain into one mega-intranet. So what is the news? Intranets and portals have been commercially available for years. IBM reports they can provide services for clients using whatever portal software they like, specializing in consolidating numerous intranets into one site that lets employees perform self-service tasks, such as filing expense reports, signing up for benefits, managing retirement plans and conducting online meetings, as well as online training, employee directories and instant messaging. These portals can be accessed via cell phones and personal digital assistants.

Would more people use Kmart.com compared with Bluelight.com? That is a question Kmart executives are pondering. Since Feb. 24, the company has quietly been posting the new Web address to the bottom of Kmart television advertisements and directing people visiting Kmart.com to BlueLight's Web store. This way, the company can monitor how many people use each URL. After Kmart filed for bankruptcy in January, some analysts said that the retailer might be tempted to close the site but Kmart management has said that the company intends to continue backing the e-commerce operations. 

Home Internet users flocked to the Internet during the week of March 10 for the NCAA basketball tournament information. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, traffic to SportsLine.com, SportingNews.com, Sportsillustrated.com, and ESPN saw tremendous growth; some reasons included the live game audio, real-time scoring updates and the printable brackets for March Madness. These spikes exceeded those resulting from the Academy Awards.

E-commerce is a great equalizer to bricks and mortar behemoths, allowing small players to compete and sometimes win. So what must the small business owner concentrate on to compete? Be certain that the site is being noticed which means it must be tagged and registered properly, so that it shows up on premier search engines and other sites that could draw customers. Even the most impressively designed site will do no good if it does not show up prominently on the Web's top search engines. The small player’s site must be unique and concentrate on a very focused market that can be served better than the big guys do. Sites that cater to distinct niches will benefit from word-of-mouth and are more likely to be found by search engines because they are so specialized. Using offline channels in your marketing campaign is also crucial -- take out ads that include the site's URL in print publications geared toward your niche market. Opt-in e-mail programs have been found to be effective in helping small businesses bring targeted, interested customers to their sites. Then it is personalized service that will keep them coming back.

Palm has launched its Wireless Database Access Server software which promises real-time access to corporate data on PDAs and other handheld devices. This is Palm’s first open handheld software, which can run on Palm-powered or Microsoft Pocket PC wireless devices.

ANSWER: Many years ago in England, pub frequenters would have a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their cups and when they needed a refill, they would use the whistle to get service. Try that at home during the Super bowl.

TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business:

GSA - Federal Technology Service (FTS)
Acquisition Services Division (6TS-A)
70 -- GENERAL PURPOSE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/GSA/FTS/ASD6TSA/6TSA-02-JMT-0116/listing.html

DOC - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Acquisition and Logistics Division 70 -- Factsage Thermochemical Software for Windows with ChemApp Thermochemistry Library and spreadsheet Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/Reference-Number-02-852-3550/listing.html

ED - Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Contracts and Purchasing Operations
A -- A - Small Business Innovation Research Program Solicitation 01 http://www.eps.gov/spg/ED/OCFO/CPO/ED-02-Q-0003/listing.html

PBGC - Deputy Executive Director and Chief Management Officer Procurement Department, Suite 1090 D--Information Technology Services Including Telecommunications Services Modification 01, Solicitation 02, Solicitation 01 http://www.eps.gov/spg/PBGC/CMO/PD/PBGC01-RP-02-0008/listing.html

DISA - Acquisition Directorate
DITCO-Scott
D--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/DISA/D4AD/DITCO/VARIOUS-02-Apr-2002/listing.html

USN - Naval Supply Systems Command
NAVICP-Mechanicsburg
R--Lean Manufacturing Service for Naval Shipyards
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USN/NAVSUP/N000104/N0010402RQ263/listing.html

USN - Naval Supply Systems Command
NAVICP-Mechanicsburg
D--Pilot Project Video Development Support
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USN/NAVSUP/N000104/N0010402RQ422/listing.html


Source: www.eps.gov. For direct assistance, contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center at www.PaPTACs.com

NEWS & NOTES is a service of the PA e-Commerce Association. Please forward this e-mail to anyone else who might be interested in the content or in learning more about the Association. Remember to visit our website @  www.paecomm.org or call 717-238-9366.

LINKS

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Agenda for Central Pennsylvania InfraGard Chapter (CPIC)

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 

The next meeting of the Central Pennsylvania InfraGard Chapter (CPIC) is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at Computer Aid Headquarters. Registration will run from 8:15 - 8:45 a.m., a welcome from President Ronald Plesco with any updated announcements will be given at 8:45 a.m., and the educational program, an update on the War on Terrorism by Scott Sutherland, will run from 9:00 -10:30 a.m. This includes time for questions from the audience. More information on the educational part of the program will be sent shortly. Please visit our new Central PA InfraGard website: www.infragard.info. The site is coming along very nicely. It also has directions to CAI.

So you can mark your calendars, these are the dates for CPIC meetings for the rest of the year. Please note that we are meeting the second Wednesday of most months. All meetings will follow the same time schedule listed above, and all will be held at Computer Aid Headquarters unless we notify you differently. Since the second Wednesday for September 2002 falls on September 11- the Program Committee is in the process of selecting a different date. Let me know if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you next week.
2002 Dates: April 10 - May 8 - July 10 - September (TBA) - October 9 - November 13 

Sincerely,

Scott R. Sutherland
InfraGard Coordinator
Central PA InfraGard Chapter
717/213-2307
ssutherl@leo.gov

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