Infoweek and TechWeb launch strikingly familiar b-to-b portal

This week InformationWeek and its affiliated TechWeb introduced CreateYourNextCustomer.com, a b-to-b portal for their reportedly “13.3 million business technology buyers.”

Here\'s the scope of what they coverI’ve signed up and looked over their downloads and other resources, and I have to say there appears to be some valuable material. The focus of the portal is to help marketing technology pros plan their campaigns and online media buys. This would happen, in part, by gaining access to their media partners’ planning tools.

Where have I seen that before?

Which brings up a little episode of deja vous. They tout a media planning widget, to “zoom in on the business technology marketing solutions you need.” This was of course designed independently of one of the projects that my team produced last year, but I have to say it’s uncanny the similarities!

Here’s a blurb in Yahoo Financial News on the site and its solution wizard (oh, wait — that’s what our creation is called!).

What are your thoughts on this portal? Will it serve a need? Or is it too blatant a sell-through device for their partners?