KLinform: portal for the region

Description

"Think global, search local."

Nowadays almost everybody speaks about the "online-age". Multimedia is mentioned everywhere. There is shopping over the internet (e-commerce), online administration with availability 24/7 for everybody. You can even enter into a contract, buy cars, and deal your financial affairs by internet. All matters of daily life can be solved through the high-speed net. Nothing is impossible, at least this is what the advertisers try to make you believe. Once you have entered the net, reality hits. How to find all those special offers? What's the use of a cheap car in Hamburg which can be paid by credit-card, if the person looking for a car doesn't own a credit-card and lives in Kaiserslautern , miles away from Hamburg. How could an unskilled user ever figure out where to find the best offer in his region?

The idea for KLinform came from searching for a solution for all these thoughts and problems.

There is a solution already in place called a Portal Site. However we want to place the emphasis on a more regional focus. A search engine which uses the national search techniques and filters the results for topics and offers that match the local area, which is less overwhelming than a national search engine, is the purpose of KLinform.

The major problems that a regional portal site should solve are:

• How can you find offers from within this region?
  
• How can I find information that can make everyday life easier?
  
• How can you usefully integrate the opportunities the new media offers into your everyday life?
  
• Which services can you offer to make the web more useful for individuals, companies and agencies?
  
• How can we get enough business to cover the expenses?
  

These questions led to the idea of KLinform. We now wish to cover more details.

The idea makes itself more apparent with the explanation of three aspects:

1. Location Initiative "Kaiserslautern Inform"

This includes all aspects of location marketing, support for local economy, and organizational cross linking or integration of single ICT-initiatives within the Kaiserslautern economical region. It also serves as an umbrella under which all local business partners can pool their resources into this common project and realize their visions. It is a starting point for synergies which find their expression in the multimedia forum.

2. The multimedia forum "Kaiserslautern Inform"

KLinform represents the technical illustration of the above mentioned cross linking using the internet. Since it is a comprehensive information and communication system it does not want to be narrowed down to listing single services. By classifying and cross linking single services in terms of circumstances a tribute shall be paid to the integration of the location initiative as well as the practicability towards users. Emphasis is put on task-oriented user guidance which takes the expertise of each single user into account. Moreover, additional options as secure payment or authentication are offered to other contractors by the syndicate partners of KLinform. Narrowing down to a regional market accentuates the vigorousness of the region. Describing this platform and its strived application is an essential part of this article. Supervision and coordination will be duty of KLiC.

3. KLiC "Kaiserslautern Inform Center"

KLiC is based upon the obligation of each syndicate partner who tries to carry visions of the Kaiserslautern economical region into effect. Coordination, development and commercialization of the forum KLinform in a sustainable cost-effective manner are functions of KLiC. Speaking long term KLiC is responsible for the continuance of the project on a self-financed basis. By KLiC a scientific attendance and consultancy through top-class in-town institutes (university, DFKI, IESE) is organized and guaranteed. In particular launching strategy and marketing concept of "KLinform" contain these results, so demands towards user guidance and attractiveness of the offering are achieved.

By comprising all these aspects, a new understanding, high acceptance and a modified awareness in the field of multimedia in terms of media competence is created. Because of this it is possible to achieve a critical mass of information on the one hand and of users on the other hand. Favorable conditions to the syndicate partners concerning the availability of this platform will be further support.

Starting form the brilliant initial conditions mentioned in point 1, a widespread cross linking of all branches of public life shall be achieved. Innovative and attractive services shall be open to public via this regional online-service.

Background of the idea KLinform is not only the fact that substantial success has been made in the field of ICT and the concentration of competence in the area of Kaiserslautern, but also the observation that there is currently a lot of effort dealing with similar ideas in other but smaller projects. Due to this, multiple and parallel developments as well as incompatibilities are nearly unavoidable. Contingency for synergies will not be realized or will be insufficiently deployed.

Further there still is a lack of a wide degree of utilization of new technologies on the part of providers of commerce, industry and trade as well as on the part of consumers.

KLinform aims at being a precursor to cancel out these deficits.

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