2008 Survey Suggestions

4specs has over 13,000 manufacturers. We add new manufacturers when users suggest their listing, when the manufacturer submits their listing, and from exhibitor guides from AIA, Construct Show, World of Concrete, etc. and from magazines such as Architectural Products, Architectural Record, etc.
If you find a listing we do not have, use the Contact 4specs form at the bottom of every page to email us the URL and let us know they should be added. We generally add them to 4specs in a day or so and let you know they were listed or why not.

4specs has 4 specialized searches found on the section pages that should meet all the requirements:

Blue Search - This search is at the top of every page and returns the 4specs page(s) where the words appear. This is a classic web search. This search also covers our "Changes" page where we identify many company name changes, purchases and companies that are out of business. The gold search also covers the Changes pages.

Gold Search - This search, located on the bottom of section pages, returns the manufacturer's name, web link, phone and city, state and zip. These results are from a database, not the website. This is a great way to find how to contact the company as many companies have hidden their phone numbers and addresses. Some trade names can be found in this search where provided by the manufacturer. Some manufacturers have submitted 300+ trade names which is beyond the capacity of this search and are not inuded. The Google Custom Search below should find those trade names.

Contact Search

Google Custom Search - This search uses the Google database and returns results from only the top 3,500 sites on 4specs. This search goes inside the manufacturer's website and lists only the manufacturers, not the reps, contractors and distributors. Trade names and terms found on the manufacturer's site can be found this way.

Google Custom Search

Regional Search - This search, located on the bottom of each section page, returns the section page sorted by zip code. This gives the user looking for regional materials, especially for LEED® projects, a great starting place. People on the east coast can look at the low zip codes and the west coast can look at the higher numbers. Doing a 500-mile radius select is very difficult and this was an easy way to get the same results. With a web link and the phone number the specifier or architect can easily check the website and call the company and verify the information.

Regional Searches

Play with all 4 searches and learn which one to choose for different reasons.

4specs is a directory of products, not a directory of work results or specification sections. 4specs generally follows the first 4 digits of MasterFormat 2004 so you can get close to the products. In some cases we have combined sections and in other cases split sections.

For example, 4specs separates US (and Canadian) quarries by stone type to help find the US suppliers and grouped the remainder into Importers, Fabricators and Distributors. Most importers would end up being listed under granite, marble, limestone, etc. If you have suggestions on other sections, let me know and which manufacturers would be listed there.
Other people asked that 4specs follow closer to MasterSpec. In the stone example, the equivalent MasterSpec section is Stone Assemblies and would be covered by many sections in 4specs. Other people suggested that we expand the number of categories. Where we have found that most manufacturers in a section make most of the products in sub-divided sections, we have used the highest level section to reduce the number of sections.

Publishing businesses are either subscription supported (such as MasterSpec and Building Green) or advertiser supported (such as 4specs and Architectural Products). There is a clear balance between the ad size and ability to sell advertising.

We have tried to get the balance right. Our 55-word descriptions are designed to help the user find manufacturers that can supply the products. We have kept the text large for readability and the reading area narrow so the eye can go from one side to the other and not lose the line. The images are about the same height size as the text block.
Some people suggested listing the manufacturers without a description in a section, or smaller images and descriptions and putting the sponsors at the bottom of the page. Not very attractive to the manufacturer considering to advertise.
We offer non-advertisers a free 15 word description they can add to their listings. We provide advertisers with icons to show whether they have CAD, Specs and a LEED statement on their site. The icons are one more reason for the manufacturer to advertise and support 4specs. Have your rep friends contact their marketing manager to get the descriptions added.

Put Prices Online - Unlike Amazon selling a book or CD, building material prices will vary across the country and by the distributor's purchasing power. Many products are custom fabricated and prices will vary with quantity.
Better manufacturer websites - I tell manufacturers that all the time. I am working on a program to have specifiers give a suggestion sheet to their reps spelling out the website problems. This would include adding CAD, CSI-formatted specs in Word, good LEED info, data sheets on their products, etc. Lots of emphasis on keeping website up to date.
No log in or registration - 4specs has no log in required (even the 4specs discussion forum postings can be read or made without a log in). I assume these questions were related to manufacturer websites. We recommend that all of the manufacturer data including specs and CAD details be available without log in, registration, or even supplying an email address. Not every manufacturer agrees.
Product evaluations - very expensive to do across 13,000 manufacturers. Some product evaluations are available on subscription sites such as MasterSpec and Building Green. No easy solution to this request.

Our thanks to everyone that responded to the survey and to those that made suggestions.

Colin Gilboy
Publisher, 4specs.com
435.654.5775 - Utah