Johnny: Wrote to Don Bauder, business columnist for San Diego Union-Tribune. As a former journalist, I believe the story has legs. Of course, I am biased, but we'll see what happens. FYI, here is copy of letter and PNLK news release attachment. If he goes with the story, he can reach far more business people than I.
Dear Mr. Bauder,
Your column is the first thing I read each morning when I open the paper--even before IBD! You stopped me cold when you
exposed USAT; I had considered investing in the company. Since that that time, your column has become "must reading" for me.
Thought I would pass along some information on a new company that could potentially benefit commerce in San Diego County.
That company, ProNet Link (PNLK), very recently opened a
subscription-based, international web portal that leads the way in
internet-based, business-to-business commerce. San Diego is becoming
such a hub of activity in so many cutting edge technologies, I thought
this could be a very helpful story. PNLK is also anticipating opening an auction site that will offer something far different from Beanie Babies and collectibles. More likely, lots such as chemicals and other products will be available.
Attached, hopefully, is a fairly recent news release that describes the company in further detail. (Incidentally, any company can sign up free for 60 days. After that period, the cost is $30 per month. It is my understanding that limited access to the site will still be available even if one chooses to not subscribe).
Best regards,
Roberta Murphy
ProNetLink.com Launches the Global Trade Internetwork
-For release Apr 19, 1999
An Advanced E-Commerce Portal, Cybercast network and Webtool
designed for the
Import/Export Industry
NEW YORK CITY, April 19, 1999—(OTC Bulletin Board: PNLK – news)
ProNetLink.com,
pronetlink.com">www.pronetlink.com">http://www.pronetlink.com
(PNL),
announced today that it successfully launched its new Global Trade
Internetwork and
Portal on Friday April 16th.
By integrating the Internet's capability with ProNetLink's
proprietary design and
technology, the new Global Trade Internetwork forms an interactive
worldwide
business-to-business trading community. As the foundation of
Internet technology grows
around the world the need for a singular hub of trade information
and resources
becomes more critical. ProNetLink has designed its new Webtool as
an e-commerce
portal that brings many global streams of international
import/export information and
tools together into one location. This allows the trade
professional, or even a trade
beginner, to compete more efficiently on the global level. Through
ProNetLink's Internet
portal members can do more than read about opportunities they can
access the tools
needed to complete a trade transaction.
“Importing and Exporting is currently a multi-trillion dollar
international industry,” said
Glenn Zagoren, ProNetLink's Chairman. “In order for companies to
remain competitive
they will have to expand into the global marketplace. ProNetLink
has built a business
that uses the Internet to provide the tools and information that is
needed by these
companies in order to effectively buy, sell and market their
products on a worldwide
basis. ”
The Global Trade Internetwork represents a completely new,
state-of-the-art design for
ProNetLink. The site is broken down into three functional areas.
The first is a
customized portal page that gives members important trade
information gathered from
around the world about any industry. The portal includes trade
leads, business news and
many other trade related data streams. The second is the trade
directory and resource
area where members can search the online directory of over 2.75
million companies
from over 120 countries, find products or suppliers and then
communicate with the
companies online. The balance of this area features the tools and
resources that are
needed to compete trade transactions such as shipping forms,
insurance, compliance
data, financial information, trade statistics, marketing tools, and
e-commerce. The third
area is the interactive broadcast facility where members can
participate in live
cybercasts of key trade events from around the world.
One of the major benefits of the new site is that it is a
“multi-dimensional portal” rather
than an industry specific “vertical portal”. ProNetLink allows any
type of business, from
any country, to get industry specific information. “Our vision of
ProNetLink is to bring
all businesses together into a global online trading community”,
said David Walker,
ProNetLink COO, “We offer businesses a vertical, as well as a
horizontal, portal that
has great depth. ProNetLink represents a true online trade
community by combining the
features of an executive business club, a trade resource center and
a broadcast network
all in one easy-to-use website.”
Registration is free on the ProNetLink site for all businesses.
“ProNetLink is the best
offer anywhere for a business that is looking to find, buy, sell or
market products around
the world”, continued Mr. Walker, “Our goal is to have ProNetLink
become the place
where all business, from any part of the world, can meet, talk,
trade and make money.
With that in mind, I invite all businesses to add their company
information to our Global
Trade Directory, participate in our on-line community and make use
of our advanced
Internet trade resources.” Companies that take advantage of the
free registration on
ProNetLink receive a full business listing in the global trade
directory, a customized
portal, an online product catalog page, free trade leads and full
access to the entire site
for 60 days.
When new members first sign on to ProNetLink, they specify the type
of industry
information they would like delivered to their Portal Page from a
diverse field of choices.
Only the information that is important to their business will
appear on their portal. This
saves the members many hours of important business time that would
have been spent
by surfing the Internet, or by conventional means, trying to find
industry specific trade
leads, news stories and other resources. The ProNetLink Portal
makes this valuable
information just a click away. The portal includes: targeted trade
leads, international
business news, commodity prices, special events listings, a
personal appointment
calendar, world weather with satellite photos, 3 world time clocks,
world currency
exchange rates, stock indexes from 140 markets, discussion rooms
and more. All
features of the portal can be product and country specific as
defined by the member. In
fact, members may always opt to see all the information contained
in any field – or
change their portal page filters at any time.
Once a member finds a company that they would like to do business
with or a company
responds to a trade lead from the site, all communication between
the trading partners
and can be produced from within the site. These online
communications are private and
can be encrypted by using special programs within ProNetLink. In
addition, members
can communicate in real time by using the “PNL Live!” instant chat
system. Online
forms which self-populate with the member's information take the
hassle out of
producing repetitive documents, and members can store their digital
paperwork in an
online file cabinet for future reference. With ProNetLink, sending
out forms such as
estimates, pro-forma invoices, shipping requests and many others is
as simple as clicking
the mouse. And, these forms can be sent by email or Internet fax.
Online cybercasts, discussion rooms, instant chat features and
bulletin boards support
ProNetLink's Global Trade community. Members looking to participate
in discussions
have a number of pre-defined rooms that they may enter, or they can
start a new
discussion at any time. ProNetLink will also produce special live
cybercasts, discussions
and chats that will feature noted guests from the world of global
trade.
Later this week, ProNetLink will debut its Internet broadcast
feature when, on
Wednesday, April 21st, a live cybercast of events from the 1999
International Business
Expo (IBE) will be presented jointly with World Trade Magazine, the
IBE organizer.
While the IBE will physically be held at the Javits Convention
Center in New York City,
ProNetLink members worldwide will benefit from the event by just
“tuning in” to
www.pronetlink.com. Members may also send email questions that they
would like
answered by the guests on the show to live@pronetlink.com.
ProNetLink continues to build the “Global” portion of the portal
with marketing missions
around the world. “Currently we have had successful meetings in the
Middle East and in
Asia which have resulted in the opening of sales and development
offices in each of
these markets” said Jean Pierre Collardeau, President of
ProNetLink, “In May, we will
continue developing our business in Europe. We have been working
very closely with
representatives from the US Department of Commerce to make sure
that we maximize
the effectiveness of these meetings”.
The ProNetLink Global Trade Internetwork has been built by
Comvision in New York
City and Click Online in Tel Aviv. The two companies, working
closely with
ProNetLink, have effectively rebuilt the site from the bottom up.
“We have worked with
a number of developers on the ProNetLink site and all have been
highly respected firms.
However, we needed to find a development team that was
technologically and
creatively advanced but was also willing to work with us 24 hours a
day if necessary.
Comvision and Click together had the skills, rolled up their
sleeves and went beyond the
call of duty”, said Mr. Walker. Following the launch, ProNetLink
will continue its
current pace of development with the addition of new elements
coming in from Asia, the
Middle East and the United States. “We will never really be done
building this site”, said
Mr. Walker, “new material, modules, alliances and ideas are being
added as fast as our
developers can work.”
ProNetLink offers a wide range of services, strategic alliances and
products online.
Some of these include: Aon insurance services; UPS Document
Exchange and Internet
shipping; Dun & Bradstreet Credit Reports and data services; Dow
Jones news data
feed; AT&T hosting, SecureBuy e-commerce and business services;
Reuters news data
feed; Real Networks cybercast software and show hosting; Amazon.com
books and
related products; Journal of Commerce editorial, news and
e-commerce; PIERS
statistical resources; Royal Impressions on-line digital printing;
World Trade Magazine
Cybercast content; Unz & Co. Compliance information and forms;
NCBFAA Shipping
resources.
ProNetLink has built its revenue model based on four primary
resources; membership
fees, advertising, strategic alliance commissions and Internet
broadcasting. After the
60-day trial period, membership in ProNetLink costs less than $1
USD per day.
From an online insurance broker to global trade leads, ProNetLink
provides businesses
that are looking to expand their international marketplace the
tools that will make their
job easier.
For free company registration please go to
pronetlink.com.
For general information please contact:
ProNetLink, Corp.
645 Fifth Avenue, Suite 303
New York, New York, 10022
212-688-8838
fax: 212-319-4598
info@pronetlink.com. |
