How can we learn more about this development research wise such as web sites, books, and magazines?

One of the recent trends that we have seen is that many sites are becoming more personalized. Users are able to sign on with their id and password and their 'customized homepage' is delivered to them in seconds with all the things they are interested in (news, info, chat lines, favorite sports teams, etc.). In the financial world, what this means is sites have to be customized to each client. Users accessing their accounts online would see their own information and react accordingly, without having to filter through unnecessary data. Many corporate sites are designed to resemble 'portals', where users can view an array of topics that are available to them and select and customize the site to their specific needs. The more attractive and interesting the site is to the user, the better chance you have of retaining that user as a future client.

You can learn more information about the Internet innovations through electronic magazines such as ZDnet (www.zdnet.com) or by visiting portals like Yahoo!, Excite, and Lycos.

Vincent Phan
Project Leader
Putnam Investments