In recent years, the colorful arena of the Internet known as the World Wide Web has exploded. Thousands of financial services sites now call the Web home--from the American Stock Exchange and SGA Goldstar Research to First Virtual Holdings and the Online Banking and Services Home Page. The Web is the place to be. That's why this guide focuses on the Web rather than on other Internet resources such as gophers, mailing lists, newsgroups, FTP (file transfer protocol), and telnet. It's also why it targets Web sites that represent the Best of the Net.
This book is divided into two sections. The first section includes five chapters with information to make online financial services search and investigation faster, easier, and more fun.
The second section of this Guide is its heart and soul--more than 175 Best of the Net ratings and reviews that offer quick and easy access to the Best of the Net. Here people can find resources as varied as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, APL Quote Server, Mutual Funds Magazine, Trade Compass, Wells Fargo Bank, DigiCash, and 1/800 Tax Laws. Even more important, people get a heads-up warning about what they're likely to find at a site-- before they invest the time, energy-- and let's face it, money-- to get there.
Among the elements outlined in this guide's review system are the site's purpose, audience, address, description, content, most intriguing feature, and links. It also presents ratings ranging from one to five Best of the Net globes for features such as overall site quality, content, navigation, access, design, and interactivity.
We're convinced that this Best of the Net guide will leave people feeling amazed by the storehouse of financial services knowledge now available for Sunday afternoon cybercruising as well as more serious study. The reviews help people avoid the detours and accidents that often bring the information superhighway to a slow crawl. With this guide, they'll be able to move directly to toward information that will help solve their business challenges and lead them in new professional investing directions.
