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"portal
n. a doorway or
gate etc., esp. a large and elaborate one."
Canadian Oxford Compact
Dictionary
"Portal
is a term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide
Web site
that is or proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get
connected to the Web or that users tend to visit as an anchor site.
There are
general portals and specialized or niche portals." 2 "The
mission of a portal is to present each user with a tailored view of the
information landscaoe surrounding their interests...the most successful
portals
are able to be customised, personalised and are an ever-changing mix of
news,
resources and applications that become the desktop destination for
everyone
with a common interest."3 There are numerous portal definitions with opinions varying considerably about the content, functionality and purpose of a portal. It seems that a portal can be anything from a resource that provides classified links to websites on a particular subject, to a sophisticated tool that can be instructed to provide access to highly pertinent electronic information based on a user's individual preferences. There have been various attempts to distinguish between the different types of resources that call themselves "portals." Both Paul Miller and Howard Strauss argue that a true portal is one which offers the optimal amount of personalization to the user and provides access to highly relevant information. They highlight the overuse of the word portal to describe resources such as websites and gateways.4 Miller describes this as "portalising," and argues that this has "diluted the value of the term" portal.5 He establishes four categories of service: websites, gateways, 'thingummies' and portals which represent increasing levels of functionality. This site will also take a categorical approach, taking a brief look at what constitutes a 'gateway' before moving on to examine types of portals that differ in terms of purpose, scope, and users.  
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