Embedded Content Makes Forays with OneSource and Amazon
Contextual content continues to make inroads into many business venues, thanks to Web services and platforms such as Siebel that make premium content integration a priority. OneSource's business information embedded directly into Siebel's CRM applications via its newly announced Catalyst capabilities includes personalized news alerts, presentation tailoring and usage tracking for management to determine how efficiently the embedded content is being used. Meanwhile Amazon continues to make inroads by opening up its Web services capabilities in a very open manner to developers to exploit their catalog and ecommerce capabilities. USA Today relates how a thrift store chain tinkered with Amazon's Web services interface to turn piles of used books into more than $8,000 monthly revenue. Opening up premium content to independent and partner integration via Web services is a highly underexploited capability that is ready to power premium content quickly and effectively in many institutional settings, allowing both content buyers and sellers to have a high level of control and understanding of one another that's often missed in straight feeds or standalone portals. What better way to fit into a workflow than to let the customer design it themselves?