FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

BSG AND CDI CREATE PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE E-COMMERCE IN THE UK MARKET VIA DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIERS (DOIs)

 

Companies to Service Publishers and Other Organizations Doing Business on the Web

 

New York, NY, USA and London, UK, October 4, 2004 – Business Systems Group (BSG) and Content Directions, Inc. (CDI) today announced a new partnership intended to improve the profitability of UK companies doing business on the Web, notably information providers seeking greater discoverability for their content and a more rapid/flexible method for developing online products.  BSG and CDI will work together to demonstrate how DOI technology can significantly boost the profitability of online businesses via new applications that can optimize their web presence with both customers and partners, and achieve more extensive and targeted distribution.

 

As a solutions provider with hands on experience in publishing but also a strong track record in designing and delivering mission critical, user focused digital sales solutions across other sectors, BSG is ideally placed to support and extend the take up of DOI technology beyond STM publishing, where the business benefits of reference linking have been initially proven by CrossRef.

 

BSG / CDI’s initial focus will be on co-promoting the additional benefits available via CDI MultiLinks™ , which include:

 

·        Creating and displaying MultiLinks for content

·        Interlinking and cross-selling content

·        Facilitating content distribution and syndication via aggregators, online partners and other third parties

·        Improving content discoverability on major search engines

·        Driving more subscriptions and related sales, and

·        Providing publishers with quantified tracking of how end users are using their content.

 

In addition the non-exclusive partnership will offer the UK market the full range of CDI’s DOI-related services, technology and intellectual property, including:

 

 

Said Nick Gerard, CEO of BSG, “We chose to partner with CDI because they have long been the primary thought-leader, the most advanced technology provider, and the most experienced solution provider in the DOI space.  Their principals were instrumental in establishing CrossRef when they worked at the publisher John Wiley & Sons in the late ‘90’s, and they went on to form the first commercial DOI Registration Agency specifically in order to invest in building the kinds of advanced solutions that have now been proven to deliver measurable ROI for their customers.  We look forward to working closely with CDI as their leading DOI implementer and full-service provider in the UK.”

 

Said David Sidman, CEO of CDI, “BSG has proven its mettle by winning contracts for a wide range of services with such leading publishers and other companies as Oxford University Press, Extenza (a division of Royal Swets and Zeitlinger), Emerald Group Publishing, Legal and General, Mitsubishi Electric and others.  They were quick to recognize the power of the DOI, and will significantly extend CDI’s implementation and service reach by their proximity to and relationships with key UK clients.”

 

 

About the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®)

The DOI is an Internet-based system for identifying and exchanging intellectual property of all kinds (books, music, images, database records, product descriptions) and at any level of “granularity” (individual chapters, songs, articles, product components).  It is the online equivalent of the UPC (bar code), and on the Internet it functions as a kind of “super-URL,” linking users directly to where they can buy the item, learn more about it, find related items, access related services, contact the publisher, etc.  It also facilitates online transactions of all kinds, including e-commerce, rights management, and digital distribution.

 

Wherever the DOI is encountered – on Web sites, on Search Engines, within product reviews, within emails, and even within downloaded content – it always brings the user back to whatever information or services the publisher wishes to offer.  Further, these links are always up-to-date because they are served from a central DOI record maintained in a global directory (somewhat akin to the DNS system that routes domain names).  These links are displayed via Content Directions’ MultiLinkä menu, which is specified by the publisher and created/maintained by CDI. (For live examples, see http://doi.contentdirections.com or visit http://www.contentdirections.com and click “Live Customer Examples” or view the demos under “See the DOI in Action.”)

 

Evidence of the DOI’s impact on profitability, conservatively measured as a 12-to-1 return-on-investment by the consulting firm EPS, is presented in the white paper “Economic Benefits of Digital Object Identifier Applications in Publishers' E-Commerce Operations” (DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1220/eps1).  Evidence of the DOI’s economic benefits throughout the value chain of content distribution is presented in EPS’ second white paper “Using the DOI to Improve Profitability in Content Distribution” (DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1220/eps2).

 

 

Content Directions, Inc. (CDI)          www.contentdirections.com

 

CDI helps companies increase their sales and profitability by improving the discoverability and utilization of their intellectual property and services, both on the Internet and within their enterprises.  Its major tool is the DOI, a linking mechanism developed by the primary inventor of the Internet (Dr. Robert Kahn) and representing "The Next-Generation URL" in terms of superior reliability and functionality.  (See above for more information about the DOI.)

 

In addition to actually registering DOIs (as the first commercial DOI Registration Agency), CDI provides consulting on how the DOI can increase an organization's revenues and cut costs.  Additional information on the DOI and on CDI’s products and services can be found at http://www.contentdirections.com.  (For live examples, see http://doi.contentdirections.com  or visit http://www.contentdirections.com and click “Live Customer Examples.”)

 

 

Business Systems Group (BSG)       www.bsg.co.uk

 

BSG designs, deploys and operates all or part of its clients’ business operations. BSG achieves this through specialist sector knowledge, which delivers quantifiable business benefit to its clients and their customers.

 

Since 1987, BSG has developed its capabilities to deliver end-to-end solutions. These range from design and deployment of all or part of a technical infrastructure to the operation of ongoing system management, 24 x 7 support and education services. BSG also offers high value consultancy services including the design and integration of multi-channel solutions and new applications.

 

Our client solutions have enabled companies like Nissan / Renault, Egg, Smile, Legal and General, Mapeley, Extenza, Merrill Lynch, Amnesty International and George Wimpey to become more efficient, reduce costs and to deliver a more effective services to their customers and members.

 

BSG partnerships and accreditations include: BS7799 certification, ISO 9001 accreditation, Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Supplier, HP – Authorised Warranty Delivery Partner, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Certified Solutions Provider, IBM Advanced Partner, Cisco Premier Partner, Citrix Silver CSN Partner, Sun Workgroup Systems Provider, Novell Platinum Partner and Oracle Member Partner..

 

 

For more information, either:

 

·        click on the DOI for this press release:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1220/pr32  

·        or contact:

 

Scott Ewings

Director BSG Solutions

Email:  scott.ewings@bsg.co.uk

Tel: (+44) 207 390 8689

Fax: (+44) 207 390 8500

Mobile: (+44) 7767 421 704

http://www.bsg.co.uk

 

OR

 

Tina Aridas

Deputy Manager, Marketing & Press Relations

CONTENT DIRECTIONS, INC.

phone:  917-514-5364

fax:  718-768-7542

email: taridas@contentdirections.com

 

 

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