88DB: Mixing online classified ads with creation of communities

Can everything be truly found at the click of a mouse?

These days, as the Web becomes more and more the tool of communications and information, it does seem that the whole range of items people look for can easily be found online.

Reservations for movie tickets save entire families hours of waiting; jobsites enable companies to cut down on the costs of transportation, mail, and document printing; while hobbyists place old favorites on the online auction block instead of throwing them away.

Still, a few naysayers point out that there are some areas which the Internet still cannot reach. This is especially true in countries that have a low penetration rate.

Despite the Philippines’ growing number of Internet users and improved Internet facilities, there still are individuals – a middle-income employee looking for college or foreign students to tutor for extra income, a beleaguered working mother who has a hard time finding a nanny with a credible list of references, a tired executive who wants to indulge in home massage service – who go by the traditional tactic of "word of mouth."

Companies, too, which frequently outsource to save on capital and overhead expenses, generally rely on references, formal or informal, asking employees to search through personal and professional networks for freelance writers, artists, designers, programmers, accountants or bookkeepers, just to name a few.

It is these communities – the individual and the company alike – that the newly launched www.88db.com.ph seeks to re-connect to the information highway.

88DB.COM.PH is the Phili-ppine counterpart of a regional network that encompasses four other countries, namely Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

The number stands for limitless opportunities, which the people behind it hope to open for members who are either offering their services and goods online or are the very customers who are looking for them.

It has been described as online classified ads, reference tool and multimedia showcase all in one. It is a one-stop shop, a community and a lifestyle, where one can find a job, an event or a service as well as a venue offering any of these.

The items and the people who promote them are categorized according to channels. There are 30 main channels and over 300 sub-categories with 10 of the most popular for that particular month highlighted on the homepage.

A few dozen examples that barely cover the tip of this online iceberg include Arts and Craft, Beauty, Health and Fitness, Business Construction, Business Services, Buy and Sell, Cars and Bikes, Clubs and Associations, Communities and Organizations, Computers and Internet, Courier Services, Design and Production, Entertainment and Film, Events, Seminars, and Activities, Food and Beverage, Funeral Services, Household, Medical, Music, Performing Arts, Personal Services, Pets, Print Media, Real Estate, Sports, Teaching and Instructors, Travel, and Weddings.

At least 15,000 individuals and companies have signed up for membership, which is free of charge.

88DB maximizes improved Internet facilities as it features multimedia components through its website. A member can now upload not only an entire portfolio of images and photos but also a variety of sound bites and video clips to fully give potential customers a broader view of his credentials and capabilities.

Advertisers can make use of this medium to showcase their services in an extensive and tasteful manner. All that a customer needs to do in turn is send an e-mail query via the links provided in the member’s ad. Business transactions can imme-diately begin once communications have been established.

88DB.COM.PH country manager Jayjay Viray says this is just the beginning. "People may tend to see the website as online classified ads but actually, it’s not. 88DB.com is a lifestyle site, which serves as an avenue for people to interact, connect, and exchange not just goods but ideas," she says.

Viray adds: "A feedback mechanism on every channel will be in place very soon that will be used by the members to make recommendations and references, as well as talk shop on the various ways and means by which they can improve their services and enhance their current standard of living."

"The channels have been designed to encourage the creation of communities. We will be utilizing the fullest potentials of the Web to give a platform where people can showcase their talents, pool their resources together, and maybe even create associations of shared interest. We are creating a bridge that goes beyond barter or buy and sell," she says.

For more information, click on www.88db.com.ph or call 914-88DB.