I can't think of any nostalgic stories about the old days to open up
today's newsletter, so I'll jump right into the meat of it for a
change. A B2B e-commerce strategy will very likely revolve around Web
technology and communication. The Web is what forms the foundation of
B2B e-commerce, and facilitates the new level of cooperation that
exists between business partners. Your strategy is likely to involve a
very close level of integration between you and your business partners;
integration that will allow multiple business partners to create a sort
of "business Web," where you may be able to get into each others'
networks and access each others' databases. You're creating a whole new
value chain, where information from one partner may drive a process for
another partner; and direct access to that information is what makes it
happen quickly and automatically.

A B2B Web site is really the center of your business operation. Think
of it as a central office, where everyone meets to do business. Think
of it as a huge central repository, where all the business information
anybody will ever need can be accessed. I think of it like my wife's
handbag, which is the center of our household operations. There's the
equivalent of a Manufacturing Division in there (her granny's recipe
for chicken 'n dumplings), Creative Department (makeup), and Operations
(three months worth of to-do lists). If I need a receipt from office
supplies I bought last January, chances are she's got it in there.

The main components of a real B2B site are:

* Information -- The Web site can act as a central clearing house
for all sorts of information that your partners, resellers,
customers, branch offices and remote workers may need to access
from time to time. Besides information about your products that
you may display on your Web site in static form, you may also use
the Web site as a place to present dynamic information--
information that constantly changes. This is where the next
category, integration, comes in.
* Integration -- If you have information on your network that you
want to distribute to various partners, you could send it to the
copy shop and mail it to them. And when something changes, you
can mail them an update. Or, you could integrate the entire
database of information with your Web site, so that when your
partner wants to look up some information, they just have to go
to your Web site, enter in the information they

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