What's Right For You?

Combining eight Web sites into one is hard work that requires a lot of thought. That is the one point I can make about the process that I know no one will argue.

LARRY HOOPER Can be reached via e-mail at lrhooper@cmp.com.

From there, it's a free-for-all of opinions weak and strong, self-serving and idealist. But it's a learning process that will lead, by March 5, to what will be the most interesting—and useful—Web site for the channel, the new ChannelWeb.com.

And I do not use the term "useful" lightly.

We work hard every day on crn.com to deliver the news you need to know in running a solution provider business. It is important work. CRN and VARBusiness both also work hard to deliver research and in-depth features that help you benchmark your company as well as provide you with new ideas and insights.

But on the Web we can do more. And we will. That's where the tools come in.

Of course, we will provide you with easier navigation that helps you find the content you need with fewer clicks. On the new ChannelWeb.com, we have organized our content based on how solution providers go to market. So, whether you go to market as a technology specialist, a market specialist or a vendor specialist, we have a spot just for you.

And from our news browser that lets you sort the news by the way you do business to our review finder that allows you to do side-by-side comparisons of reviews by product type, technology category or vendor, we are committed to helping you find exactly what you need in the shortest time possible. We know you are busy.

We're also continuing to build the white-paper library filled with technical papers written exclusively for the channel. And we're adding a video library, too.

Still, we know that one of the greatest tools we can provide you with is the ability to communicate with other solution providers. Our engineers are hard at work at a community platform that goes well beyond anything the channel has seen, bringing in the Web 2.0 tools that are useful to busy professionals without the fluffy features fawned over by teenagers and the mainstream media.

It is a delicate process balancing strong opinions, cold hard data and gut instinct, but it will be worth it.

Want to join our growing list of beta testers?
Send an e-mail with channelweb 3.0 in the subject line to lrhooper@cmp.com.