The Who’s Who started life as a hard copy listing directory, in a standard phone book format, with three sections - alphabetical listing by company name, alphabetical listing by individual’s name and alphabetical listing by country and business.

RBI had produced a floppy disc with all the data in electronic format, so the next stage was to convert all this information onto a searchable CD-ROM which they could offer as an additional medium. The information for the listings was readily available as it had been prepared for the hard copy directory, but the electronic version also had to offer links to websites and let the users send e-mails to listed personnel directly from the application. In addition, there was a requirement to let the users store notes for each company or individual’s record and search the database for chemical type, product groups, products, individuals with special skills and companies that manufacture certain products.

EuroSoft Systems Ltd (ESL) was commissioned to develop the application and interactive database for the CD-ROM. ESL exported the original data from a Sybase database, which they turned into an encrypted stand alone database application with a search engine using Visual Basic. The CD-ROM version of the directory is now available alongside the original hard copy version.

ESL has worked on many other electronic directories for RBI, including the directories on the Caterer, Farmers Weekly Interactive (Agricultural Register) and Utility Week web sites.

-ends-

The FWI web site is a very big, very ambitious site for everybody involved in the industry - from farmers to politicians - keeping them up to date with the latest information. It has become the industry bible, with hourly updates and a wide range of news, statistics, weather information and industry links along with classified, property and vacancies sections.

However, RBI wanted users to benefit further from the site’s functionality, and felt that an online payments system would allow them to offer a host of new services. The first e-commerce service on the site was an online update of Meat & Livestock Commission (MLC) prices. MLC prices change continuously and knowing the latest price is vital to anyone involved in this sector of the industry.

Now FWI includes hourly updates for MLC prices and users who want to access them pay an annual fee of £20 for unlimited access over the year. As many people choose to pay their annual subscriptions by credit card, it was important for FWI to put in a secure e-payments system.

RBI commissioned ESL to build this system, and the result was an e-payments module that integrates with CyberSource, an American back-end system that facilitates secure e-payments.

The e-payments module provides secure transactions for relevant sections of the web site. The system is also used for Ticketline – an online booking service for industry events. The e-payments engine handles communications with CyberSource and CyberSource carries out the authentication of the payment.

As e-payments has been a runaway success for FWI, Reed Business Information are looking to add the same functionality to some of their other web sites, using ESL’s e-payments module.

-ends-

The magazine has been delivering news and analysis on all aspects of social care and policy in the UK for over a quarter of a century. As a well respected publication, it set a very high standard for the website version that followed.

The website is designed to give on-line access to specialist information for social care professionals including breaking news, the latest research, book reviews and lists of specialist care providers, plus links to a host of other relevant websites and on-line information.

RBI’s Interactive Media Unit (IMU) worked closely with EuroSoft Systems Ltd (ESL) to develop the second version of the site to a tight timescale. The IMU provided the HTML graphics for the user interface of the site and ESL built all the background functionality using Visual Basic, SQL Server and ASP.

ESL developed an interactive visitor survey system and redesigned the site’s all encompassing archive system. This is linked to a number of extensive relational databases within the site, and these too also needed revamping to include full search facilities for all data sections.

For example, if somebody is looking for a provider of care services all they have to do is click on care providers and they will be taken to the directory of social care providers in the UK, listed in the various specialist areas and locations. The site also hosts other searchable databases, covering jobs, advice, research, book reviews and an up to date list of events for the care profession including training courses, seminars and exhibitions.

-ends-

The Financial Times, in a report last week, pointed out that as Reed Elsevier moves into the online world it will have to show that it has the technological capability to deliver information services and transactional functions, and may need to look at outside sources for help. In fact, Reed has been using outside expertise for some time, and is already a long way down the road with the continual development of its existing web offerings. Far from just dipping its toe into the online waters, Reed is already immersed in the world wide web, with many of its magazines hosting their own web site.

Caterer & Hotelkeeper, one of the flagship magazines at Reed Business Information (part of Reed Elsevier), and the weekly bible for the UK’s hospitality industry, launched its web site – www.caterer.com – four months ago. It includes daily news, features, events and awards, jobs, a directory, product information and links to other useful sites. It was designed to provide a first point of reference for on-line information about the UK hospitality business.

The Interactive Media Unit at Reed Business Information carried out the design work, putting together the visual and graphical content. However, it was to an independent company that Reed turned in order to prepare the infrastructure for the site. EuroSoft Systems Ltd, a London-based consultancy and software house, were asked to build a highly interactive engine, which would allow data to be entered and maintained on a constant basis. All the elements to the site, including its eight informative modules and its ‘look-and-feel’ would sit on this infrastructure.

Using a variety of different programming tools, including Visual Basic 6, SQL Server 7, Visual Interdev 6 and Internet Information Server 4, EuroSoft Systems (ESL) carried out an initial project, to build the first trial phase of the web site. This went live on Reed’s Intranet in June of last year. The far more intensive task of creating the site for the world wide web, however, was carried out between September and November, and was completed in record time to meet the launch date.

Jeff Leslie, Head of the Interactive Media Unit, at Reed, said: “Although we didn’t really set a strict deadline, it was important for us to be able to present our business requirements, and let ESL tell us whether or not it was actually possible to deliver the technology to meet these requirements. The whole project was discussed and an agreement was made between us. We really wanted to launch the site in November and because we tied it in with a major announcement in the magazine itself, it did become vital that everything should fall into place.”

Reed announced their new ‘broadsheet’ web site in the November 4 edition of Caterer and Hotelkeeper and devoted not only its front cover – with a ‘click here now’ proclamation - but also a double page spread to it. Details on the contents and tips on how to use the site were all provided. The launch was considered a great success.

The eight modules written by ESL for the site include a daily news service which is unique in the hospitality industry. This provides big stories as they happen and was designed to attract a large number of users.

David Shrimpton, the Web site editor for the launch, said: “If a story such as the Granada takeover of Forte happened tomorrow, we would have the news as it happened, even before the daily newspapers had gone to print. That is the flexibility we gain from Caterer.com.”

There is a dedicated jobs area offering between1000 and 2000 jobs at any one time, and users can search by job title, geographic location and type of organisation. The events/awards page provides a rolling diary of events and a summary of the most prestigious awards in the hospitality industry. There is also a selection of the key features in the current week’s edition of Caterer magazine, an on-line directory which provides users with a search facility for products and services and links to important trade bodies such as Springboard UK, the British Hospitality Association and HCIMA.

ESL also wrote an interactive archive module for the site. This powerful search engine features all the articles from Caterer that appeared during 1999, and over time will include articles going back even further. As a research and sourcing tool, this is invaluable.

Once the site was up and running, Reed commissioned ESL to carry out a second phase. This involved incorporating changes in time for the Hotelympia exhibition in February, and also adding a database of properties including hotels, pubs and restaurants. Further phases are planned and will include the ability to purchase directly from the site, through a dedicated e-commerce facility.

The site is constantly evolving, and although it is maintained by ESL, the Caterer team prepares and adds the articles and static data. The site is constantly updated, which is important for users, who can access this information from anywhere in the world. Usability research carried out in February praised the ease of use of the site.

With such an auspicious start to its online activities, and further plans now well underway, Reed undoubtedly feels it is quite justified in announcing a huge investment on the World Wide Web. The company has already recognised that whilst it can offer highly creative content it needs to work with outside sources to provide sufficient technical expertise to ensure the product is delivered on time and is fully functional.

Jeff Leslie concluded: “RBI put forward the ideas for the site, but ESL were able to offer us the technical solutions to make sure it worked. They were flexible enough to accept last minute changes, which is important. As sites are being built, the requirements do change, and we trusted ESL to accept and work around these changes, without it causing a problem.”

-ends-