Professional Help

Many trade and professional organizations use the Web to deliver information and services - around the clock and at little or no additional cost. Among the industry- specific standouts are three WebMaster 50/50 Internet winners: Sign Web and In- nvest, both virtual organiza- tions, and the National Asso ciation of Printers and Lithographers' Web site.
SignWeb (www.signweb. com) provides a catchall environment for the sign industry. Manufacturers, vendors, distributors, business owners and others can network on message boards, catch up on industry news, peruse classified ads, shake their heads over ugly Sign Contest entries and browse in a resource center stuffed with how-to guides, course information and events listings.
And it's all free. Sponsors pay the freight with advertis- ing options such as a listing in a searchable database or a front-page banner.

Innvest
(www.innvest. com) - subtitled America's Hotel On-Line superstore- posts information about hotels that are for sale, services and products used by the hospitality industry, and hospitality career opportunities. Through an agreement with about 45 hotel brokers, Innvest lets own- ers and buyers access details about as many as 300 available lodging proper- ties. The site allows more than 15,000 vendors to reach po- tential cus- tomers and maintains a special area for those interested in franchis- es. Other resources include a lending information center with an online mortgage calculator. Like Sign Web, sponsor- supported Innvest accom- modates users without charge. Innvest says the cost to advertise in an industry trade magazine can run up to $7,500 per page, whereas Innvest charges $400 per year, with revisions available any time.

Another fine professional resource is the national Association of Printers and Lithographers Profit con- nection (www.napl.org). The site offers reams of resources and directories, a supplier- consultant database, special ized on- line forums, regional sales data and, of course, informa- tion about the association itself. But the association is proudest of its automated benchmarking area. Here, printers enter their financial information and instantly receive a series of confiden- tial graphs comparing their numbers with NAPL's industrywide standards. NAPL credits the site with attracting new members as well as new ad dollars. Dues- paying association members can access several password- protected areas, such as site's Printers' Exchange, a resource that lists used print- ing equipment for sale. The bonuses are a nice reminder that, once in a while, you do get what you pay for.

Anne Stuart

WEBMASTER · AUGUST 1997 www.web-master.com/