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About e-Clusters
The e-c toolset brings like-minded
businesses and individuals together online...
...to streamline the process of working together
Find out more about the process using e-c.
Who needs the e-c toolset?
Thinking about collaboration?
Businesses
 Businesses are seeing the benefit in networking and co-operating with other businesses and organisations in related industry areas. These co-opetition groups are industry clusters.
Clusters are groups of companies and related organisations that collaborate to grow their business. This team approach creates a powerful resource to help resolve practical issues like training, infrastructure, procurement and a host of other issues that single businesses simply cannot tackle on their own.
Castel Goffredo, Italy (population 7,000), is home to 200 hosiery related firms, who together produce over half of Europe's socks. Click here to see other successful examples of business clustering
Regional Development
A broader approach to clustering is where a region may look to create a focus around a regional development theme that involves industry clusters and the general community. The regional theme encompasses and helps stimulate growth through a variety of cluster channels.
We use the Toolset system to develop and maintain The Worlds Edge (www.edgeNZ.com) regional portal. We had a university student develop the site (she had no previous website design experience) which demonstrates the ease of which anyone can use the e-c system to maintain your own content. The best part of it is that we can create other clusters within the site and have their people develop them and maintain them with little or no input from us.
Interest Groups and Service Organisations
 Many interest groups need effective and efficient systems to effectively promote and publish their activities to the the public, to their members and potential members.
Here's an excellent example how SWAP member Kingsley Logan very quickly go interest group online and communicating with his members and the broader public...
"I have only had the opportunity to use the e-C programme for the past two weeks and what a pleasure! It has been a dream for some years to be able to get onto the website with a Geyser SWAP home site. The function in e-C is outstanding!"
Kingsley Logan, Geyser SWAP, www.bayofplenty.co.nz
Clubs and Associations
Most of us belong to a club or association of some sort and understand their constant need to find new members, to find funding, to save money, to communicate regularly with their members, to promote the clubs activities cost effectively, and find some volunteer to do it without taking up too much of their time. Well e-cluster can do that.
"We used e-c to set up our SurfCity Squash Club website in under 2 hours. I simply sent our clubs logo and a couple of squash images to the e-c team and they created a neat template from the standard templates available. I then mapped a series of pages and started adding them in. The next step is to give various committee members user rights so they can update their areas of responsibility and maintain the content. e-c makes this real easy and spreads the workload. We will get our members to register on the site so we can use the member management and email system to start direct communication with them. And because its an online system any of our committee can be set up to use it. This alone will save us a considerable amount of money and help keep our members."
Ross Stokes, Club President, www.edgenz.com/squash
Think e-c toolset!
The e-c toolset helps you grow and reach your mutual goals more quickly
e-Cluster Guarantee
We expect the e-c toolset to exceed your expectations! If you use the toolset for six months and find it doesn't deliver everything you expect, we promise to return your purchase cost.
Simply demonstrate we have not fulfilled your expectations according to the agreed brief, and e-c will happily return your money.
e-c Toolset Tools
Password Protected Areas - security at your fingertips
Maybe your cluster doesn't want to share everything with everyone. The Toolset's password protection allows you to be specific about who has access to what. You can choose to have passwords where you want them - for web pages, file libraries or online forums.
 EG: A grape-growers' cluster restricted access to strategic planning information. Only the managers from each of the representative companies have access to the pages where this information is stored.
EG: A business networking group restricted access to its regular information forums - only paid-up members have passwords for these online events.
Database Management of Members - hassle-free communication
e-Cluster?s direct email system lets you communicate with cluster members easily. Emailing individuals or groups is quick and hassle-free.
EG: A lawyer?s cluster sends regular emails - with differing content - to all members. Partners get one version, Associates another.
Dynamic Directory Creation - instant organisation
The Toolset lets your cluster operator add new directories at any time. Web pages can be created under a directory and new and updated pages can be added instantly.
EG: An olive cluster developed new marketing materials for members and created a directory called "Olive Marketing". The resources were uploaded to that directory, and all members can now easily download them for use. Sub-clusters, which more concisely define the groups, can also be added, i.e. Olive growers, olive tree suppliers
Email Updates - remind cluster members
Great websites display fresh and current information. The operator can assign Email Alerts to be sent to your cluster members, reminding them to update or amend information on the cluster's websites.
EG: The operator of an export manufacturers cluster has set up regular alerts asking members to amend prices on their individual websites as supplier costs change.
Forum System - keep discussions alive
Even when cluster members are separated by geographic distance, it's important to keep an open dialogue. e-Cluster's Forum System lets you maintain group discussions in an online environment, stimulating faster growth and speeding achievement of the cluster's objectives.
EG: A manuka honey cluster has ongoing issues and questions discussed through the forum to maintain continuous progress in various research projects.
Automatic Content Delivery - updates arrive like magic
e-Cluster automatically delivers content to cluster members who opt for their websites to receive it.
EG: A surfing industry cluster delivers daily surf and weather reports to each member's website at 6am every morning.
Cross Pollination between Clusters - spread the benefits
Individuals and businesses may want to be part of more than one cluster. The Toolset Cross Pollination system helps create strong linkages with other clusters so mutual benefits can quickly be achieved.
EG: A business networking group in Rotorua posts meeting times and dates on its website so that out-of-town members of sister-clubs can attend when they are in the area
Domain Names - unique to you and your cluster
e-Cluster lets you have your own unique domain name, one that reflects your business, club or association. Future-proofing your brand means choosing a domain name that will appear consistently on all your publicity and marketing material, from stationery to advertisements.
EG: A national club has an e-c Toolset site, but each city club holds its own domain so local members can go directly to their own club.
Browser Driven - for access anywhere in the world
In today's world you're not always at the computer in your office. The e-Cluster system is fully browser driven, so you and your cluster members can access and maintain your website from any computer with internet access.
EG: A cluster member attending an international conference in Hong Kong submitted daily reports to the cluster website so all members could benefit from breaking news.
Website Tools
Web Page Creation - save time and money
 If you can use a word processor, you can update your e-c website. Our real time editing tool is a WYSIWYG one (What You See Is What You Get) and its Microsoft-style toolbars are powerful but easy to use. With the e-c content management system you don?t need to know HTML or hire a web designer. The Toolset saves you time and money by letting you develop professional web pages yourself, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
EG: A charitable trust used to spend precious funds hiring a programmer to update its website. e-Cluster now allows committee members to take turns updating the website each month.
Web Page Content - create your own web pages
You create your own web pages with e-Cluster. You can create directories (see Dynamic Directory) or choose to plug in information from the cluster website or from member websites. E-Cluster lets you automate this process so public pages can be automatically updated. Various versions of web pages can be saved at any time, with a date and description field entered for easy reference.
EG: A flower exporting cluster adds or deletes web pages according to the seasonality of their business. Members can do the same with their individual Toolset websites.
Change the Look and Feel - keep your site fresh
Just a click of the mouse allows you to choose from a variety of templates to change the look of your web pages.
EG: A regional rugby club cluster shows hometown or away colours on its website depending on the top-level game which is next to be played.
Future Proofing with XML - thinking ahead
The e-c Toolset system saves web page content into a SQL database in XML format. This means you have content saved for publishing on other platforms such as handhelds. The real benefit is that your content is stored and ready for use as new technologies come on board.
EG: An organic farmers? cluster stores content so that as handheld technology becomes cheaper and more effective, members will be able to access and update website information direct from the field.
Direct Marketing Database - stay in touch with the right people
Public visitors, including customers and potential customers, can add their contact details to your e-c Direct Marketing Database, so that you can then add them to your email communication list. This function makes the critical task of keeping in touch with the right people far easier, and allows you to grow your business more quickly.
EG: Business networking group SWAP posts weekly news items on its site so all members are up to date, even if they miss the regular weekly meeting.
Web Site Search Engine Optimisation - make your site easy to find
During creation of the entry page of your e-cr website, you?ll be prompted for specific information (MetaTags). These are things like Keywords, Page title and Site description. The Toolset automatic help system ensures your pages are optimised for search engines, so that your website attracts the right audience.
EG: You have a luxury accommodation business. Find what keywords relate to that. People will use search terms like luxury accommodation, exclusive hotel, luxury resort etc. Make your site cater for your intended visitors by including these specific keywords.
And for Small Businesses the e-c toolset can also be used by you...! |
