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PortalPhases

Is it just a phase?

I've been on the web for many, many years. I recall when Yahoo was a small, text-only collection of cool links. I've seen the emergence and growth of the "Portal Site", and watched with great interest. As a result, I have come up with a rudimentary classification scheme.

Phase One

A Phase One Portal is you basic search engine/directory. I would currently consider Google, as a Phase One Portal. You go to Google to go somewhere else. It is said by some that this is the truest form of a portal. After all, the point of going to the door is to not stand in it, it is used as a means to get from point A to point B. The Phase One Portal shares this aspect of the door.

The Phase One portal does not have any Membership, it doesn't care who you are, as long as you are using the site.

Phase Two

A Phase Two Portal takes the next step, and learn who you are. This may be as insignificant as what you searched for last, or remembering your last few searches. It will likely, however, go a bit further than this. It will use a "membership" system. A means to identify who you are.

A Phase Two Portal will often use this information to tailor the ads you see, and frequently, provide a "My Page", where you can set it as your start page, and see the news and information you want most right there. The Phase Two Portal will even go so far as to offer custom news delivered to your email box.

The Phase Two Portal is what most people think of when they hear the words "Internet Portal".

Phase Three

When a portal site moves into phase three, it begins a transformation. It begins to take on aspects and qualities of a community site. As it makes this transition, as I feel most successful portals will inevitably do, it will begin to offer more "services".

The Phase Three Portal will offer you services such as a "Member Profile", that provides a means for you to see who else is using the site. The Phase Three Portal will offer chat, email, and possibly even mailing lists. The emphasis at this point will be be on making you feel like you are a part of something, not just a user of a website.

A portal that has progressed through the first two phases, will at this point be looking capitalize on the effort and energy put into building a base of users. It is worth noting, however, that not all portals in this phase start at the lower levels and work up. Some portals will start in this phase because the company/individual has been able to spend some serious money/effort in building such a site. Most often, IMO, they wanted to build a community site, but "Portal" is the buzzword of the day, so that's what they built.

That isn't to say that all portals in this phase are useless. Most often they are far from it. However, once a site is in this phase, it will inevitably either make the transition towards a full-fledged community, or it will stagnate and/or die.