News

Brave new world

As of Sept. 15, ATMmagazine.com will go away -- to be replaced by ATMmarketplace.com, a site that modestly likes to think of itself as being "at the center of the ATM universe."by Ann All, editor

September 21, 2000

You can't get much more than content with a magazine -- but you can find nearly anything at a marketplace.

With that in mind, Louisville, Ky.-based NetWorld Alliance LLC has decided to build on the success of its ATMmagazine.com and offer readers of the online ATM industry trade publication a more robust experience.

"Our readers have asked for more features like online storefronts, improved research and e-commerce. We're responding with a revolutionary site that will hopefully meet their needs," said Tom Harper, publisher of ATMmagazine.com and president of NetWorld Alliance.

Interactivity and community will be stressed on the new site, Harper said, with more opportunities for users to connect with each other and exchange useful information.

In the RFQ (request for quote) Area, for instance, prospective buyers can fill out a form that lets vendors know which products and services they are interested in, along with when they want a quote, price range, desired delivery date and other relevant information.

Conversely, vendors looking for leads can set up an automated RFQ search agent that will send them RFQs based on keywords or phrases that they define.

A Career Center will allow ATMmarketplace members to post their resumes and edit them at any time. Employers who want to fill a position can post available jobs or create a more extensive employer spotlight, with an in-depth look at careers within the company.

"The reason we're changing the name is that the word 'magazine' doesn't describe what the new ATMmarketplace will be. In the Internet economy, a magazine doesn't connote a commerce portal," Harper said.

The new site is more accurately described as a vortal, or vertical industry portal. Unlike mainstream portals like Yahoo!, Lycos and Excite, which collect and organize a wide range of topics from news to weather to finance, vortals deliver pertinent, up-to-date information to a highly targeted audience -- in this case, ATM industry professionals.

A search on Google for "ATM" yielded 1,880,000 hits, including countless entries for pages related to Asynchronous Transfer Mode and a few for such oddities as the Amateur Telescope Makers. A search with the term "automatic teller machine" resulted in 26,300 hits, many to links as outdated as a 1998 press release announcing American Express' purchase of more than 2,700 ATMs. (As readers of ATMmagazine.com know, Amex added another 4,500 ATMs to its network last February).

Noting that such unsuccessful searches are common, Harper said ATMmarketplace.com's targeted nature is a major time saver for those seeking information on the ATM industry via the Internet.

The magazine has long provided such features as classified ads which allowed readers to buy or sell ATMs and other products. But while the old classifieds weren't much different than those found in a typical print publication, Harper said the new ATMmarketplace.com will offer true e commerce capabilities with the ability to make purchases online rather than just contacting a seller via phone or email.

These e-commerce capabilities offer several advantages for buyers of ATM products and services, including speedy transactions, access to a large and varied group of vendors and lower prices resulting from greater price transparency. For sellers, the main benefit is access to a large and highly targeted buyer's market with reduced customer acquisition costs.

E-commerce is a natural for the highly fragmented ATM industry, Harper said. ATMmarketplace.com will collect a small commission for successful transactions between buyer and seller. However, access to the site is free unless users buy, sell or advertise.

The news content of the old magazine won't go away, Harper said. It was primarily the content that drove the magazine's growth from 7,000 hits a month upon its launch in July of 1998 to the current 900,000 hits a month. In fact, he added, content will be expanded with the addition of new areas like the Research Pavilions, which will offer comprehensive sources of information that focus on specific aspects of the ATM industry.

The magazine's most popular features, such as the message boards and the option to receive twice-weekly email news alerts, will remain.

Harper defines the new ATMmarketplace.com as an "infomediary," or an online hub of information, communication and e-commerce enablement.

"People in the ATM industry will not only come to us for news, information and research, they'll come to do business with each other and promote their companies. They'll also come to find jobs and communicate with each other on our message boards and through e-mail."

The site will be launched on Sept. 15.