International Trade Directory project?

**made4success** · 03-29-2007 10:09 PM

In 1972, yes 1972 my parents put together an international trade directory, the 10 lb. Book was so complex to print they went to talk IBM. IBM had to build a computer operating system, stacked on dos to read and print the book. Causing IBM to research ways to reduce the size of computers. At that time a computer took up more space then your kitchen.

Now 35 years latter the book is still used in libraries around the world, it was only printed one time. I would love to put together a web site that people interested in import export or finding products and suppliers could access. This would be either by membership or pay to use.

I do not have the time or the Internet talent, maybe you or someone you know might be interested?

Just thinking about the potential and the impact this type of web site could become.

The trade directory (The Wenco International Trade Directory) has brake downs on companies size, what they produce or export, what they import, number of employees, year company was established, etc.

Think about it and give me your input

**akula** · 03-29-2007 11:01 PM

I like it

it's an interesting problem

**made4success** · 03-29-2007 11:11 PM

Akula,

Do you think it has a sellable market and concept for the Internet?

If so, what or how could the web site be put together?

**akula** · 03-30-2007 12:31 AM

well..

Information services have their own specific rules and best practices.

Subscription databases like Venturewire and Factiva survived because they could solve their distribution challenges either by contractually securing their position in providing mission critical, exclusive content or by developing extensive relationships with distributors (libraries, mostly)

So yeah....for these things to survive, the subscription prices have to be very high (>1k pa)...and I have yet to find a sucessful ad-supported database (unless you consider google to be an ad supported database...in which case, the database has to collect data with a crawler, like zoominfo)...so, subscriptions seem to be the better model

umm....zoominfo is a great example of database and brian from http://www.socialdegree.com/ (who works there) can probably shed some light for how to kick start your concept

to answer your questions: I dunno...I have to think about it...sorry for giving a less than useful answer

**made4success** · 03-30-2007 01:12 AM

Thanks,

I knew it would be a tough sell to start,

As a child (10-12) folding letters, stuffing envelopes, licking stamps until my tongue was dried out, then carrying them to the post office everyday after school. It was hard then too, however it paid off for a while.

For years now every time I look at the directory sitting on the edge of my desk, I can't help but wonder if it could be setup on the web somehow.

I often have thought to contact a collage and ask if it could be used as a class project, just a thought.

Thanks for the input.

**akula** · 03-30-2007 02:38 AM

well...probably not

asking a college to do something is unrealistic, and even if it does get picked up by some honours student, IP ownership is gonna get muddled

there are other ways to commercialise this product

as always, the best way to start is to do surveys to get confirmations of an existing market for such services

after that, the survey results can be used to coordinate the best commercialisation plan

**akula** · 03-30-2007 01:35 PM

what are your thoughts?

**made4success** · 03-30-2007 08:05 PM

You are probably right, although I have read countless blogs, postings, etc, of people looking for suppliers, importers, exporters, and the like. Every once in a while my father will even receive mail asking for the newest addition.

My brother-in-law who is an international buyer of herbs and spices still refers to the book for information on new connections, or possible buyers.

The major obstacles I see, presents themselves in the fact of how, and not so much as to if. In other words, it is a needed product, and one that has an international market appeal. The question still remains is to how, how to set up a service, as well as overall structure of the web site.

Marketing is easy, with 150 countries presently represented with more then 135,000 companies just in the old addition, you could easily convince companies to join the site, with very little advertising.

The problems then lay on how to charge?

How to set up the web site?

How to structure the over all use of the site?

Finally who would take on this project?

**johnwae** · 09-03-2008 08:02 PM

hello im wae,

if don't mind, allow me to join the discussion,
well just in share, my friend have ever publish business directory book,
more specific: buyer database of agricultural product.

the respond is positive, and the book is best-seller in our country,
even some data are not valid, but nobodies complaint on it.

well inspired from that, i plan to make the same as what your plan, business directory. But in specific field, as per my business line: my company is plantation, processing, and exporter of cinnamon/cassia, in generally we are exporting spices to worldwide.

i have some ideas for this, we share it on later...

wae