Conference 7.286::digital

    Well I'd _really love_ to see the PS and CC bits of the IR � (i.e. all
    the customer readable bits) accessible and searchable from the customer
    home page, using the same content as is in VTX IR today (i.e. not
    separately maintained sets of content).

    I use VTX IR a lot in responding to customer sales opportunities.
    I can't see any reason why Digital's business partners, and the world
    at large, can't have easy access to the same info.
    
    IR (apparently) has management commitment and funding, and seems to
    work reasonably well in terms of content, and maintenance of that
    content. Some people have a religious need to moan about the VTX user
    interface, but I find it usable from VMS (and colleagues find it usable
    from PCs). The VTX IR content is probably the single most important
    resource in Digital which helps me do my job.

    I find the Digital customer home page not particularly helpful in terms
    of (a) content (b) organisation. There seems to be a significant amount
    of dangerously obsolete stuff on our web pages, and a lot of current
    stuff hasn't got there yet. And almost all of the content is either
    text or PS, with hardly a PDF document to be seen. The IR has lots of
    content, which seems to be largely current. It also has PDF versions of
    everything that it has in PS. The Web pages do have a reasonable search
    facility, and it could probably be made better fairly simply. IR just
    has a "search for word in title" which is _usually_ sufficient.
    
    My 2c.
    
    regards
    john

    Note 1: those letters mean Products and Services, and Customer
    Consumables, in the Integrated Repository. What you find in there are
    things like glossies, Systems and Options catalogue sections, SPDs,
    Customer Updates, etc.

    
    
    Web IR is coming.  We have a proposal for it and are awaiting
    approval of funds to move ahead.  If it's approved, pilot begins
    in February and implementation will be in March/April depending
    on how many changes have to made to the interface in response to
    the pilot.
    
    Please contact Deb Bennett, SALES::BENNETT, DTN: 244-7027, if you
    want to participate in the pilot, or even if you just want more
    info.
    
    
    
    Regards,
    
    Kathy Hughson
    Information Repository

    
    Well it's here and looking pretty good.  If you haven't tried it I
    suggest that you do.  Now if the Business Partner's can only gain
    access.  This would be one large step forward for Partner Support.
    
    I'd like to be the first to say Congradulations on a job well done.
    
    
    	Regards,
     
From:	NAME: Corporate Communications      
	FUNC: Corporate Communications         <CORP_COMM@A1@SALES@AKO>
To:     See Below

 From:	Deborah Bennett, Electronic Communications Programs 
 	223-5580, (508)493-5580
 
 
 The Web IR is now available for worldwide use via Digital's Intranet,   
 at URL:  http://webir.das.dec.com.
 
 This new interface to the Information Repository (IR) provides a robust 
 search capability and allows users to view complete listings of all IR 
 information, by category.  User help for the Web IR is available from 
 the home page graphic and the navigation bar at the bottom of the page.  
 We recommend users take a look to get an overview of the search 
 functionality and an explanation of both the simple and advanced 
 versions of the search.  It's a good way to get started.
 
 The Web IR has been in development since March when over 200 sales, 
 sales support and technical support users from around the world helped 
 us develop a prototype for the application.  The feedback was excellent 
 and we have built in a good deal of the recommended changes.  And more 
 are coming.
 
 The Web IR is also accessible from Digital's Internal home page 
 (http://homepage.das.dec.com).  Click on Web IR under Digital Intranet 
 Services. 
 
 Give it a try and let us know what you think.  Click on feedback or 
 send us email at [email protected].  If you need assistance, the 
 hotline is available 8:00-5:00 EDT Monday through Friday at DTN 
 223-6400, (508)493-6400.
  
 
Distribution: You received this message because your Reader's Choice profile  
indicates you are a member of Sales, Marketing, Communications or you subscribed 
to the Information Repository News or Internet News.  To modify or view your 
Readers Choice  profile, use VTX keyword PROFILE.  If you have questions, please 
send mail to Feedback @PKO or SALES::FEEDBACK.

    I tried it.  Gave it a simple inquiry.  Waited.  Waited some more.
    Went for a cup of coffee.  Some 8-10 minutes later it came back with
    85 hits, unsorted.  VTX IR, on the same query, came back instantly
    with 135 hits, and allowed me to specify which categories I was 
    interested in.  I sent a message to Feedback about it.
    
    I was astonished to note that except for the search phrase, all the
    other search criteria are hard-wired in.  This is not user-friendly.
    
    					Steve