Portrait of the portal as a metaphor: Explicating Web portals for communication research

Web portals are increasing in their presence as well as importance, yet suffer from lack of conceptual clarity. In explicating the concept of "portal" from a number of disciplinary frameworks, this article uncovers five different but inter-related metaphorical conceptions - gateways, billboards, networks, niches, and brands - which, in turn, suggest five dominant features of portal sites - customization, content, control, community, and commerce - for empirical examination as variables in future research on uses and effects of portals.