Originally published in Practical Internet Web Designer - December 2003
One-of-a-kind online service gives travelling authors the chance to set up remote home pages
If you've ever ventured off on holiday and wanted to keep people back home informed of your exploits, a new service could be the answer.
'My World Journal' is effectively a digital alternative to hasty phone calls and tacky postcards, whereby users can maintain personal Web sites from anywhere in the world. Prominent Media, the company behind it, has termed the concept 'a travel blog system', and it can actually be used for a wide range of applications. With support for XHTML construction offering deployment on mobile devices, the possibilities for remote communication are endless. Similarly, a Web service back-end provides business reports on eCommerce transactions, while CSS compatibility suggests sophisticated styling.
Those on the move will also be greeted by a Flash-based global map, which will provide a fun and interactive representation of their present location. However, one of the most inspiring aspects of the project has to be the potential it holds for generating profit. The ingeniously simple idea has so far found favour with more than 50 customers, which justifies its development as a real.com commodity. "We could sell 10,000 and it would be no more work than selling one," explains Prominent Media's Proprietor, lain Row. "People are actually paying for these things and recommending them to their friends, challenging the accepted wisdom that everything on the Web has to be free."
My World Journal is currently available from £9.99 a year, while a free seven-day trial can be obtained to preview the many features.
© 2003 Paragon Publishing Ltd.