The Ubiquitous Portal

Abstract

The word portal can be used to represent many different things, ranging from the elaborate entranceway to a medieval cathedral to a gateway to information on the Internet. What all the usages have in common, though, is the idea of facilitating access to some place or some thing. In addition to its use in relation to Web portals, the term can also be used more metaphorically to allude to an entranceway to far away places or new ideas, new knowledge, or new ways of doing things. Some new, or different, ideas, knowledge, or ways of doing things have had a beneficial effect on society, while others have had a detrimental affect. A portal can thus lead to various different places, things, or ideas, both good and bad. Before a portal can be used, however, it must be adopted by the individual or organisation concerned, and adoption of technological innovations such as portals is the subject of this article.