The domain information is a collection of knowledge and information about the subject domain the web covers. This includes information that the users of the web will encounter and information the web developers need to design or implement a web.

For example, a web offering modems for sale might draw on a variety of information about the use, mechanics, principles, and specifications for modems. While not all this information would necessarily be made available to the users of the web, this domain knowledge may be helpful for the web developers to have so that they understand how this knowledge is structured and the vocabulary and concepts associated with it.

Often, domain knowledge makes a good complement to the information the web already offers. For example, a modem manufacturer with a good collection of modem facts might find that interested buyers visit that web for technical information about modems and, in the course of this visit, be informed of a company's products.

Key Practices

• Gather all the domain information needed in a central place (physical library and/or online web).
• Verify domain information using rigorous checks, particularly if the information is used in research or education.
• Plan for the collaborative development and maintenance of domain information in large organizations.

Key Resources

• Keyword and subject searching resources: for identifying online domain information.
• ACM's SIGIR: the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval. This index will help you find out about information retrieval technologies and related information resources.