| Bulletin Board (BBS)
is a one to many communication medium where buyer or seller 'posts'
a message for visitors of the Board. Like notice boards in physical
world, BBS is a source for latest information.
BBS is an extremely powerful tool to reach a seamless
world not bound by countries, regions or even languages. Trade BBS
(i.e. Bulletin Board dealing in International trade) seems to be
the ideal tool for any foreign trade professional. Whether you are
buying, selling or offering some service - trade BBS can get you
instant result almost at zero cost.
-
A Trade BBS provides latest trade information
on following three areas:
-
Buy or Demand message, where importer or buyer
places an inquiry for sellers
-
Sell or Offer inquiries where seller places advertisement
for his product for buyers
-
Misc Opportunities messages where parties other
than seller or buyer (e.g. Agent, Distributor, Logistics operator
etc.) place message for general exim community.
Evolution of BBS
During the heyday of dotcoms, thousands of Trade BBS
sprang up from all parts of the world. Simple technology and ease
of use were the main drivers for such huge popularity. However,
so many bulletin boards with so little to distinguish one from other,
made life difficult for international traders.
Following the burst of dotcom bubble - many of these
trade bulletin boards have closed down. While, sadly, some good
BBS have closed down, the good news is that surviving ones have
become much more powerful.
Is the Information Genuine ?
I have heard this concern many times over. Indeed,
all messages posted at BBS may not be from genuine parties. Like
advertisements in Newspaper or any other media - BBS is a source
of information. How best to use this information is limited only
by the skill and ability of the user. One will have to separate
wheat from chaff ! Besides, whether the source of information is
BBS or not - every prudent businessman exercises necessary precautions
while evaluating a trade offer. From that angle, it is difficult
to understand the reason for such concern.
List of Trade BBS
Following is list of few Trade BBS where you can find
buyers. This is only a random list - please see 'Sources of Information'
below for comprehensive listing.
Source of Information
Listed below are two excellent source of information
on high quality trade BBS around the world.
-
Google
Perhaps the best listing of world's top BBS can be found in
Google - the king of search engines. Please visit the following
category of Google: Business > Industries > Import
and Export > Portals It lists 245 top Exim Portals from
all over the world. We are proud to inform you that www.infobanc.com
occupies 22nd position among world's top exim portals, according
to Google's page-rank Order. Please visit http://www.google.com
-
Tradelead.com world's largest collection of tradelead
sites It lists a total of 359 exim portals from all over the
world. Needless to say, www.infobanc.com occupies a prominent
place among them. Please visit http://tradelead.com
Related Links:
Source: FAIDA
- Newsletter on Business Opportunties from India and Abroad
Vol: 2, Issue 36
February 14' 2002
Author :
Dr. Amit K. Chatterjee
(Amit worked in blue-chip Indian and MNCs for 15 years in various
capacities like Research and Information Analysis, Market Development,
MIS, R&D Information Systems etc. before starting his e-commerce
venture in 1997. The views expressed in this columns are of
his own. He may be reached at amit@infobanc.com
) |
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