Internet users in search of Asian information can access Orientation, the new Internet directory developed by Hong Kong-based interactive media company The Black Box. The directory, which took nine months to develop at a cost of US$200,000, is based on the company's technology, called BlackMagic software. BlackMagic is a multi-platform environment that enables users to develop interactive multimedia alongside sophisticated databases. The Black Box has used it in the past to develop its CD-ROM titles. It can be customised and The Black Box is working on making it double-byte enabled so that character-based languages are available. Access is currently possible in Chinese and Japanese, and The Black Box is working on making other Asian languages available. Orientation is a compromise between United States-based search engines such as Yahoo, which are too US-orientated, and local search facilities, which are too limited. 'The idea was to focus on the whole of Asia and to be as comprehensive as possible,' business development director Ben Gilbey said. Orientation currently has more than 15,000 URLs (universal resource locators) with Asian information on Web sites representing companies, educational institutions and individuals from more than 20 nations in the region. A search on Bhutan, for example, offered 70 sites. Internet users have the choice between eight main categories ranging from entertainment to business and 200 sub-categories. Each site has been visited, reviewed and given a rating. 'We try to be objective by using freelance writers - or serfs - who are working out of the United States and the UK,' Mr Gilbey said. One feature is the editor's choice top 10 that lists the coolest sites. If a particular search fails, a multi-search feature picks-up other search engines such as Yahoo or AltaVista and reports it within Orientation. News is brought by leading regional information sources such as Dow Jones Telerate, one of the main sponsors of Orientation, and is updated every 15 minutes. The Black Box secured support from leading IT companies including Microsoft, which provided commercial support; Sun Microsystems, which provided the hardware; and Hongkong Telecom, which provided the bandwidth. As well as being a Web directory, Orientation is also designed to become an on-line community sharing a common interest in Asia. 'Orientation is not the end of the road,' Mr Gilbey said. 'We will regularly add country-specific information and will encourage users to participate in chat forums and to add their own web sites.' The number of sites is expected to increase at a monthly rate of 2,000 URLs. By the end of the year, The Black Box estimated it would have 25,000. Following the trend of web directories, The Black Box chose advertising as the business model supporting Orientation. 'We have designed the banner advertisement with as much flexibility as possible,' Mr Gilbey said. Advertisers will be given three specified keywords that will trigger the display of their advertisement. Advertising fees start from $200 a month up to $2,000 for a prime position. According to Mr Gilbey, indexing the World Wide Web is absurd and unrealistic. He saw the trend going towards the development of 'niche' directories focusing on sites of a given industry. The Black Box would be looking at medical and financial services, he said. In the meantime, the company will add a new consumer CD-ROM title, Swimming with Sharks and Other Dangerous Marine Animals , to its existing CD-ROM collection. The starting point for Orientation is www.orientation . com. ASIAN EMPHASIS Directory has 15,000 URLs with Asian information Access is possible in Chinese and Japanese
