Share Your Pain and Win a Prize

(ARA) - The Internet and search engines have changed the way we get information and shop for products and services. From your computer, you can do everything from finding out who won the National League pennant in 1960 to ordering a pair of pants -- and you can do it in your pajamas if you feel like it. It's easy to spend a lot of time searching, if you want to.

But what happens if you're searching for something very specialized? Say you work for a manufacturing company that needs to find a source for abrasive resistant O-rings -- right now. Using a generalized search engine can prove frustrating and time consuming, turning your Internet adventure into a nightmare.

"We know how frustrating it can be to spend hours on a fruitless search for something you need immediately," says Linda Rigano, director of strategic alliances at Thomas Industrial Network (Thomasnet.com) "To give people a place to share their scary search experiences," we're sponsoring an 'Internet Nightmare Story' contest."

Share Your Nightmare!

ThomasNet.com is collecting stories of online sourcing experiences gone bad, like the wing nut that took three days and 30 manufacturers to find, or the wild goose chase and random Web site that one particular item search sent you to. The winning story will be rewarded an iPod and runners up will receive gift certificates.

Share your pain now . . . send your worst online sourcing story in 100 words or more to stories@thomasnet.com by Oct. 8, 2004.

For contest rules, go to www.thomasnet.com/storyrules.html.

Wake up from the Nightmare

"General search engines are not designed to focus the results they return to the needs of the industrial buyer," says Rigano. Buyers of industrial products need a resource that makes sense for them -- one that takes them straight to the source for detailed product and company information, online catalogs, CAD drawings and more. ThomasNet.com, a new Web site providing online sourcing and marketing solutions for industrial buyers and sellers, is sponsoring this contest.

So conquer your fear of online searches -- visit www.ThomasNet.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content