University In The Brewery

Get Excited and Shout Yahoo about Web Portals—Gateways to your Community

Dec 10, 2003

Hear prominent researchers from the University of Wollongong and private-sector practitioners explain their ideas and research in a relaxed and participatory environment over a few foaming ales.

The Decision Systems Laboratory at the University of Wollongong is working on a project to design and develop Web portals that will serve the needs of local communities and remain sustainable in the long term. There are two types of portals being developed:

a community portal that will serve the needs of and bring together all members of the Wollongong community and provide an online space for them to interact; and
a portal to support the needs of small businesses in the region.

Presenters will explain what Web portals are, show some interesting examples of how they are being used (beyond the obvious - Excite and Yahoo), and demonstrate how they can facilitate community interaction or support small business needs. Speakers will include:

Special Guest Tim Lewis, CEO of the Illawarra Business Chamber, will compere this event. Tim has extensive experience in developing portals for various vertical industries through his company PortalTech.
Ms Lejla Vrazalic, Lecturer in Information Systems at the University of Wollongong, will explain portal basics and community portals.
Dr Peter Hyland, Senior Lecturer School of Information Technology and Computer Science at the University of Wollongong who will speak about community portals.
Professor Aditya Ghose, School of Information Technology and Computer Science at the University of Wollongong and Director of the Decision Systems Lab, will speak about how portals can support businesses, including resource optimisation and electronic marketplaces.

Where: Five Islands Brewery, Eastern end of the WIN Entertainment Centre (Cnr Harbour and Crown Streets) Wollongong 2500.

When: 5:30 until 6:30 pm, Wednesday 10 December 2003.

Cost: FREE.

Last reviewed: 5 February, 2007