Ebook Information Web Sites.

If you're interested in one type of ebook information--news, publishers, opinions--you can turn to a single site to meet your needs.

The ebook race is on. They'll soon be at a bookstore or library near you; they're already on your desktop from numerous Web suppliers. The whole situation is thoroughly confusing, due to a frantic jumble of technologies, formats, standards, publishers, and distributors. What we need is an all-around reference, resource, and information portal site that organizes all of this and connects us to the fast-changing ebook world.

What would such a Web site contain? I've worked up the elements of an ideal ebook information Web site:

* Reference information that describes the principal ebook formats, readers, and viewers, as well as a review of the principal publishers and distributors

* Directories, preferably annotated and with links, to the ebook industry, including publishers, distributors, sellers, and manufacturers

* An ebook catalog, with format information and links to publishers

* Up-to-date news about technology developments, company events, new releases, and other important stories, along with a deep searchable archive

* Bulletin boards, for those who enjoy interactive book talk

The good news is that there are several such ebook reference sites; the bad news is …