n Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has launched its own Internet initiative with the aim of creating a ''virtual business community'' for Glasgow and West of Scotland businesses (www.glasgowchamber.org).
As well as highlighting chamber services and providing free online business information, the recently launched website is designed to act as a low-cost introduction to e-commerce for smaller companies.
The chamber hopes to encourage companies to realise the potential of marketing services and products through the Internet by taking their own web pages on the chamber's site.
A ''virtual business community'' will be created around the site, linking businesses and organisations. Commercial browsers from overseas can then access a ''one-stop-shop'' for information on doing business with Glasgow and the West of Scotland.
Dr Jim Hamill of Scottish Exporters Virtual Community, who is a partner in the project says: ''It is predicted that a third of all world trade will be conducted on the Internet by 2001, with the fastest growth sector being business to business.
''Effective use of the Internet can provide a low-cost 'gateway' to global markets especially for small to medium-sized companies but at present only around 10% of Scotland's 5000 exporting smaller companies are using the Internet.''
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