B2b In SmeS Perspectives And Future Challenges — страница 8

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content, and soon it will extend to dynamic applications. Syndication will evolve into the core model for the Internet economy, allowing businesses and individuals to retain control over their online personae while enjoying the benefits of massive scale and scope. The Internet is a communications medium, a platform for commerce and a distributed computing environment, all at once.? Syndication uniquely cuts across the language of content, commerce and computing. Though usually seen as an artefact of traditional passive media, syndication fits perfectly with the Web’s fluidity and interactivity. The foundations for pervasive Web-based syndication are now being laid, but everyone is still trying to figure out just what the structures on top will look like. Software vendors,

service bureau?s, content creators, interactive agencies and merchants are jockeying to define the models for syndication networks. Competitive battles are being fought in both standards bodies and discrete marketplaces. Whether they realise it or not, all the players are competing around a deep but under-appreciated Internet challenge: distributed information management. 4.1.2 Why should Syndication Work? Werbach (1999) explains ?Up to now Web syndication technologies and practices haven’t generated much attention outside narrow communities of interest. But soon, syndication will be absolutely central to the development of most Net businesses. At the same time, it’s the future model for the millions of independent and personal Web-sites that give the Internet its vitality.

The Internet is getting so big that no one can be everywhere. Syndication allows sites to extend their presence out to their customers, and gives those customers tools to aggregate the information and functions they wish to see. Syndication works so well online because everything takes the form of information. In the physical world, syndication involves a lot of printing, assembling and driving video reels around. On the Web, as the transfer of content becomes simpler, the relationships can become more complex. Add to that the ability to assemble information dynamically or even to execute applications with rights and privileges assigned among various parties, and things start to get interesting. Syndication has been traditionally rare in the business environment for three

reasons. First syndication works only with information goods; this is because information is not a consumable Product, it remains available and infinite amount of people can use the same information. Secondly, syndication requires modularity. Syndicated goods are not usually products in themselves, despite having considerable value. Shane Ross?s business section in ?The Sunday Independent? is very popular, however, would it be purchased as a single entity? Finally, to ensure the success of syndication many distributors are required. There would be little point of creating many different combinations and configurations of content if there is only one distributor or the content creator controls distribution. This would place a stranglehold or monopolise the situation, as was the

case in the early days of cinema in the US, with Warner Bros. refusing to show MGM films in their theatres and visa versa. 4.1.3 The Three Syndication Roles Werbach (1999) highlights that within syndication networks business can play one or more of three roles. a) Originator Originators create as their name suggests original content. The Internet increases the scope of originators in two ways. It expands the scope of the original content and makes it easier for companies to disseminate their content globally. It is possible to syndicate any product, service or process once they can exist as information. b) Syndicator Syndicators bring together content from a number of sources and then make it available through digital information. This relieves the distributor from having to find

and negotiate with vast numbers of originators to gather the content they require. Syndicators are rare in the physical business world except in the entertainment field, but it is becoming increasingely popular as business model on the Internet. c) Distributor Distributors are the customers facing aspect of the business. Distributors using syndication to lower the cost for acquiring customer content. This allows them to increase value to customers. Syndication allows originators to expand their reach and speed their time-to-market, both critical elements for success in a Web business. It also makes it possible for smaller, less commercially oriented sites to share the benefits of the Internet economy. 4.1.4 Syndication Summary As Werbach has discussed, ?The true hallmark of the