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portal - technical definition

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A site on the World Wide Web (WWW) that serves as a gateway or port of entry to the Internet. A portal typically includes hyperlinks to news, weather reports, stock market quotes, entertainment, chat rooms, and so on. See also chat room, gateway, hyperlink, and WWW.

See portal in Webster''s New World Hacker Dictionary

Known also as Web portal, is a special kind of Website. The term portal was initially given to large Internet search engines that expanded their offerings to include email, news, stock quotes, and other information tidbits of practical use. Some large companies developed Intranet Websites with a similar approach, giving way to what is now known as Â“enterprise informationÂ” or Â“corporate portals.Â” A portal typically has a home page allowing for navigation of loosely integrated features provided by a cÂompanyÂ’s divisions or by independent third parties and a large, diversified target audience.

See Also: Electronic Mail or Email; Internet; Intranet.

About, Inc. Portal. [Online, 2004.] About, Inc. Website. http:// compnetworking.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-portal.htm.

See portal in Computer

A Web "supersite" that provides a variety of services including Web search, news, blogs, discussion groups, shopping and links to other sites. The major general-purpose portals are Google, Yahoo!, MSN and AOL, all of which offer free Web-based e-mail accounts. TV networks and newspapers provide general-purpose portals, but not e-mail. Many portals allow the home page to be personalized (see personal portal). Prior to the Web, CompuServe and AOL functioned as portals, aggregating information from various sources.

The Vortal
Portals also serve vertical markets. Trade magazines, associations and special interest groups host vertical portals (vortals) and provide news and articles for their industry such as IT, banking and insurance. The vortal may also include general information such as top news stories and weather; however, their search capabilities are often limited to their own archives, rather than the entire Web. See corporate portal, business intelligence portal and portal server.