Newsletter No. 100
« Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter »
Free Pint
"Helping 43,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 15th November 2001 No.100
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Duncan Parry
FREE PINT BAR & STUDENT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
JOBS
Information Centre Manager
Information Manager
Researcher
FREE PINT REGULARS
TIPS ARTICLE
"Digital Content on the Web"
By Sam Vaknin
BOOKSHELF
"Capitalizing on Knowledge: from E-Business to K-Business"
Written by David J. Skyrme
Reviewed by Ana Neves
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Untangling The Web For Health Professionals"
By Alison Turner
FACT, EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm>
ADOBE ACROBAT VERSION WITH NEWSLETTER FORMATTING
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.pdf>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Online Information 2001: Worldwide answers to your information needs
4-6 December 2001, Olympia Grand Hall, London, UK
http://www.online-information.co.uk
HAVE YOU REGISTERED? Meet hundreds of content providers, publishers,
solutions vendors. Exploit professional know-how in free expert
seminars. Find more new ideas in one day at the show than in weeks of
fact finding at the office!
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li1001]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<<
Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members
receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on
finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, jobs, industry news
& events, with answers to your research questions and networking at
the Free Pint Bars. Free Pint Regulars (paid-up members) also receive
a weekly current awareness newsletter, discounts and publicity.
Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out.
To receive the Adobe Acrobat version as an attachment, or a brief
notification it's online, visit <http://www.freepint.com/subs>.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
EDITORIAL
We've checked this morning's post, but the special letter isn't there.
We're eagerly awaiting a telegram from The Queen since it's Free
Pint's 100th edition today. Like The Queen, Free Pint enjoys two
birthdays, and so is also celebrating its fourth birthday since it
was first published in November 1997.
A lot has happened at Free Pint since its conception in a London park
whilst lounging between meetings. Over 40,000 people from 181
countries have signed up to receive each issue, and the Free Pint Web
site is now welcoming over 2,500 visitors every day.
The Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar> has also proven
extremely popular with over 12,000 questions and answers and 6,000
people receiving the Bar Digest three times a week.
We've invested a tremendous amount of time and money into Free Pint,
and from the many letters of support we receive it seems we're
offering a useful service. So, please join us in raising your glasses
to many more Free Pints.
We have a press release and photo about our birthday and recent
innovations. If you can give us some publicity, or know someone who
can, then please visit <http://www.freepint.com/press.htm>.
In today's birthday edition we have articles on resources for digital
publishing, health information and a review of a book about
Knowledge Management and eBusinesses. Of course, we also round up
the latest hot topics at the Bar.
Thank you for your support of Free Pint over the years, especially
in helping us spread the word. You know, over 80% of new subscribers
have joined through word-of-mouth recommendation.
Best regards
William
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Free Pint is a registered trademark of Free Pint Limited (c) 1997-2001
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
5 December, 18.15-19.15 SARAH HARTLEY: Phyllis Pearsall and the London
A-Z at the British Library. Frustrated at the lack of a decent street
map of London, Phyllis Pearsall decided to do something about it.
During a single year she covered most of London's 23,000 streets. To
publish the atlas, in 1936, she set up The Geographers' A-Z Map
Company - Sarah Hartley is the author of Mrs P's Journey (Simon &
Schuster). tel 020 7412 7332 or email boxoffice@bl.uk
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [bl1002]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> INVITATION: ANNUAL ADVERTISING WITH FREE PINT <<<
Did you know that for one low monthly fee you can promote your
services to the entire Free Pint readership, both in the newsletter
and on the Web site, for an entire year?
If you're interested in ONE MILLION exposures
then view our advertising brochure at
<http://www.freepint.com/advert.htm>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Duncan Parry
* First Monday <http://www.firstmonday.dk/> - Peer reviewed research
articles on topics including search navigation, e-mail and
e-commerce.
* EuropeMedia <http://www.EuropeMedia.Net> - New media news and event
calendar arranged by European country.
* Blogger <http://www.blogger.com> - Publish your own weblog for
free - or use it to update the news pages of your site.
* BBC World <http://www.bbcworld.com/> - Watch BBC World Online -
requires Quicktime.
* WebAttack <http://www.webattack.com/> - Looking for a software
utility? Webattack is one of the best software collections of
freeware and shareware - well designed with good descriptions of
each program.
Duncan Parry is a directory editor for Lycos UK, responsible for
Computers, Technology, Internet and Telecommunications.
<http://www.lycos.co.uk/>. He also provides freelance site design,
promotion and writing services <http://www.digitalstrike.co.uk>.
Tell us about your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm> and email <simon@freepint.com>.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
GET MORE FROM INFORMATION BY USING FACTIVA'S NEW KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
This new community has resources that illustrate how various types of
knowledge workers, including information professionals, can use
Factiva content more effectively. Knowledge Network also provides
professional development tools, information on understanding today's
technology and product tips on using Dow Jones Interactive, Reuters
Business Briefing and Factiva.com more effectively. Sign up for free
monthly updates at <http://www.factiva.com/knowledgenetwork>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fa1003]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> NEW: BROCHURE FOR "REGULAR" MEMBERSHIP <<<
If you're considering becoming a Free Pint Regular (paid-up member)
then view the sign-up summary form in Adobe Acrobat format.
It's quick to print out and summarises the main benefits:
<http://www.freepint.com/regular>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm#bar>
Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
-------------------------------------------
[Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of
XXXXX in the address http://www.freepint.com/go/bXXXXX ]
With all the scams, viruses, hoaxes, spam and other time wasting
activities on the Web, I was pleased to come across a portal to review
that deals with the whole lot in the one place (13775). I even used it
this morning to find out if there is any truth in stories about a
seven octave singing range. People swear to having evidence one way or
the other but I am still unable to refute or confirm the story. I hope
it will be a good starting point for Free Pinters with similar queries
(13554, 13720).
And the popular theme of the last two weeks has been resources, yet
again. The Free Pint article on climate change elicited some postings
about further sites on the subject (13686, 13698). There were also
resources proffered on things like historical stocks (13651),
historical daily share prices (13654), historical foreign exchange
rates (13602), people-finding sites (13803) and European press
releases (13606).
People were trying to find out about IT managers (13656), the FT
Dynamo service (13852), lists of journals for electronic engineers
(13876) and the UK's Daily Express archives (13878). And I reviewed a
reference tool for anyone interested in phrases (13588) and a whole
host of resources for people interested in Enterprise Information
Portals, otherwise known as EIPs (13922).
Punters have also been researching knowledge audits (13810), US
transport consultants (13759), identity theft (13564), glycol
detection (13616), iodine oxidation (13618), pressure vessel codes
(13780), latitude and longitude co-ordinates (13904, 13896), the
specialist dietary food industry (13622) and sources of economic
policy information for America, Brazil, China, Poland and South Africa
(13918).
Business researchers have been concerning themselves with European
media statistics (13655), the digital TV industry in Germany (13717),
statistical sampling (13783), UK broadband market forecasts (13800),
Korean company information (13820), German company information
(13805), working hours and employment rights (13704, 13829, 13714),
solicitors qualified to practice in Ireland, England and Wales (13551)
and customer relationship management, or CRM (13831).
Not content with the above, others have been asking about various
kinds of organisation that lend money (13662), journals and magazines
about taxation (13751), information on individual fund management
firms (13807), contact information for public sector purchasing staff
(13857), market intelligence gathering (13873), getting business
grants under difficult personal circumstances (13886) and outsourcing
information research to India (13771).
There have been techie questions about developing academic Web pages
(13874), MS Word 8 (13823), home ADSL access (13815), selling second-
hand software licences (13816), anti-virus software (13795), Windows
95 (13746), sharing a printer (13755), SharePoint software (13621),
bank interest charge software (13627), XML and intranets (13578),
system performance (13533), help with changing from Macs to Windows
(13536) and finding out traffic figures for someone else's site using
DNS log information (13914).
Finally, there have been miscellaneous questions about childcare
facilities in Brussels (13772), facilities for handicapped people in
France (13685), starting a small, specialist library in Greece
(13697), getting removed from junk mail lists (13912), the meaning of
*sic* (13659), choosing a digital camera (13548), manufacturing drum
kits (13684), locating a Thomas Hardy poem (13789) and establishing
the authorship of "The Man Who Wasn't There" (13855).
Free Pint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>
-------------------------------------------------------
[Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of
XXXX in the address <http://www.freepint.com/go/sXXXX>]
Students have been researching land reform in Namibia (1963), finding
thesis manuscripts (1978) and courses and books on C++ (1973). They've
also been enquiring about living in Edinburgh (1951), finding a Web
designer in Staffordshire (1961) and the future of Altavista (1965).
And I've added some recently published information on MBAs and
university rankings as that seems to be popular in the Student Bar
(1962).
Simon Collery, Content Developer <simon@freepint.com>
If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters
then do post a message at the Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar> or
the Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.
To have the latest Bar postings sent to you every other day, log in to
your account online or send a blank email to <digest@freepint.com>.
For the Student Bar Digest contact <studentdigest@freepint.com>.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
*** THE ONLINE SERVICE THAT VIRTUALLY ANSWERS EMAILS FOR YOU ***
It is estimated that by 2002 workers could be spending up
to four hours each day reading and answering emails
SupportByEmail.com provides a fast, efficient and affordable way to
answer thousands of queries whilst maintaining a personal service.
Try a free evaluation now at <http://www.SupportByEmail.com/>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [lc1004]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> RESEARCH A UK COMPANY OR COMPANY DIRECTOR FOR FREE <<<
Free Pint has recently added detailed reports on company directors
to its UK company research service. It's free to search and
buy reports as needed, without setup or subscription fees.
<http://www.freepint.com/icc>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
Free Pint Jobs has details of many information-related vacancies.
So, whether you're searching for a new job or have a position to fill,
you should be using Free Pint Jobs.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Information Centre Manager <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1457>
Manage small team to provide a research service and rise to the
challenge of developing existing Intranet services at a Bristol firm.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
Information Manager <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1449>
Managing Senior Researchers, developing strategy, high level
promotion of services and advanced in-depth research.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
Researcher <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1472>
Exciting opportunity to provide synthesis & interpretation of
branding & media analysis data for international media company.
Recruiter: Recruit Media Limited
[The above jobs are paid listings]
Candidates: It is free to search Free Pint Jobs and you can set up a
profile to be notified weekly by email of relevant new vacancies.
Advertisers: List your vacancies and receive significant publicity.
Recruitment agencies can also automatically upload all their jobs.
Find out more today at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> LIST HOSTING - NO CHARGES FOR SETUP OR ADDRESS LOADING <<<
Whilst deciding whether to use Free Pint's List Hosting
service you can have a free no-obligation trial list.
After that, there's no setup charge and we'll even
load your current list of addresses for free.
<http://www.freepint.com/bulk>
"Still can't believe how easy all this is!" SR, UK
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT REGULARS
<http://www.freepint.com/regular>
[Note: This section is primarily aimed at Regulars, paid-up members of
the Free Pint community. Regulars receive the weekly "Pub Crawl"
current awareness newsletter, discounts and publicity. The Pub Crawl
archive is available at <http://www.freepint.com/regular>]
We really are grateful to all our Regulars for their support, and
it's nice to welcome new Regulars regularly. Here at Free Pint we can
see the benefit of your support, but it's great to know you get a lot
out of your membership too.
For instance, we had a note from a Regular the other day about the
weekly Pub Crawl. All he said was "Excellent bulletin - thanks"
but that really did give us a tremendous boost.
Therefore, if you have any feedback, thoughts or suggestions about
your Regular membership then do email me.
William Hann, Managing Editor <william@freepint.com>
[If you are not currently a Free Pint Regular and would like to find
out more about the benefits of membership, then please visit the
Regular homepage at <http://www.freepint.com/regular>. Regular
membership is just 60 pounds per year (US$85, AUS$169 or 97 Euros).]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> WANT TO WRITE FOR FREE PINT? <<<
If you'd like to contribute an article, review or tipples
to Free Pint, then please see the invitation at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm#tips>
"Digital Content on the Web"
By Sam Vaknin
There are hundreds of premium quality Web sites concerned with print
books, e-books, publishing, and e-publishing. As with every new
technology and every new medium, no one is quite sure what to make of
it. Fads, fashions, and "trends" supersede each other with dizzying
speed. The Web abounds with relics of each and every phase in the
conceptual development of the Internet as a content delivery vehicle.
Moreover, the insuperable distinction that existed in the past between
types of content - films, books, audio, etc. - has dissolved into the
digital ocean of multimedia bits and bytes. All types of content can
now be delivered identically, using the same technologies. A great
resource for tracking this shifting landscape is M.J. Rose's column
about e-books and e-publishing in Wired <http://www.wired.com>.
Despite this - often disorientating - cornucopia, there are very few
authoritative aggregators of knowledge, analyses, and information
about the emerging industry known as "e-publishing" and the emerging
medium known as the Web.
The most academically inclined of them all is the thorough, deep,
farsighted, well researched Seybold Reports
<http://www.seyboldreports.com/>.
The Web site includes the full text of numerous professional,
in-depth, reports about publishing technologies, e-publishing,
and e-books.
Another scholarly monitor of content on the Web - though with an
agenda to render all content free to consumers - is "The Free Online
Scholarship Newsletter"
<http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/index.htm>.
It is a veritable treasure trove of links and resources regarding
scholarly publishing, digital rights management, trends in content
dissemination - and the economic and moral issues these new
technologies keep raising. The site contains the newsletter archive,
the discussion forum, and user submitted links.
One of the most comprehensive Web sites about e-publishing and e-books
is eBookWeb <http://www.ebookweb.org/>.
It includes an almost daily feed of news, views, columns, analyses,
forecasting, announcements, press releases, technological
breakthroughs, opinions, discussion forums - a real party. It offers
other Web sites its news feed which comprises dozens of weekly
breaking stories and analytic pieces.
The rich archives of another, similar Web site - InternetContent.net
<http://www.internetcontent.net/> are still available on line, though
InternetContent.net itself has ceased publication.
Digital Content at WritersWrite
<http://www.writerswrite.com/epublishing/digitalcontent.htm> similarly
offers information and resources regarding digital content in various
formats and options: electronic ink, PDF, PDAs, Web publishing,
wireless content.
Foreword - The Magazine of Independent Publishing
<http://www.forewordmagazine.com/> is a veteran and venerable
resource. Everything you wanted to know about e-publishing, e-content,
digital distribution, digital rights management, conferences and
payment systems.
Another great magazine is eContent Magazine
<http://www.econtentmag.com/>. It contains digital content strategies
and resources magazines, conferences, and news.
The rich Information Highways Web site
<http://www.informationhighways.net/> contains the Information
Highways Magazine, HotBytes Newsletter, the e-Content Institute and
the Canadian e-Content Awards.
Some conference Web sites are more than mere brochures. Content.net
<http://www.content.net/>, the official Web site of the Content World
2001 Conference contains a wealth of material regarding e-publishing.
Content Wire <http://www.content-wire.com/Home/Index.cfm> expands the
scope of investigation of digital content to include images and sound.
It concentrates on news and provides a much needed glossary and other
resources regarding all manner of digital content.
Digital Producer Magazine <http://www.digitalproducer.com/> has a
narrower focus. It is dedicated to video and multimedia content
creation and distribution. The advent of broadband connections (DSL,
ADSL, Satellites) has made the home delivery of films, video clips,
and music a reality. This led to major realignments in the music
recording industry and is likely to do the same to film studios.
Finally, there is my humble Web site - TrendSiters - Digital Content
and Web Technologies <http://www.trendsiters.com>. It contains essays
dedicated to the new media, doing business on the web, digital
content, its creation and distribution, e-publishing, e-books, digital
reference, DRM technology, and other related issues. There are also
links and recommended literature.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sam Vaknin <http://samvak.tripod.com> is the author of "Malignant Self
Love - Narcissism Revisited" and "After the Rain - How the West Lost
the East". He is a columnist in "Central Europe Review", United Press
International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health
and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and
searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to
the Government of Macedonia.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related Free Pint links:
* "Webmaster" articles and resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p183>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm#tips>
* Post a message to the author, Sam Vaknin, or suggest further
resources, at the Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint articles and issues
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> ADVERTISE YOUR INFORMATION-RELATED JOB TO ALL FREE PINTERS <<<
For a one-off small payment, you can promote your vacancy to the
entire Free Pint readership, and match it against 400+ profiles of
current job seekers. Simply visit <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
and click on "Advertise your vacancies"
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Capitalizing on Knowledge: from E-Business to K-Business"
Written by David J. Skyrme
Reviewed by Ana Neves
Knowledge management and e-business: the first uses knowledge to
pursue business benefits, while the other uses the Internet to sell
products or services. In this book, Skyrme draws a scenario where
organisations' knowledge can also be used to increase revenue through
its e-commercialisation. This is what he calls k-business.
The first chapter delves into the knowledge management concepts. It
presents some case studies, suggests the critical factors for the
success of a KM initiative, and indicates some activities for each one
of the KM stages. Knowledge inside-out (share internal knowledge with
clients and partners) and outside-in (gathering knowledge from clients
to use inside) lead us to the end of the chapter. Its strongest
message is that although you can use your organisation's knowledge to
create extra revenue you still need a knowledge management initiative.
E-business, is the subject of the second chapter. Compiling some
thoughts from the huge amount of existing literature, it offers a
quick summary of its history, its problems and evolution, and lists
the five Internet offers e-commerce can explore: connections,
communications, content, communities, and commerce. The chapter
finishes off with an overview of dot.com companies, including some of
the reasons for failure and the keys to success.
The third chapter brings knowledge management and e-business together
into k-business, the online knowledge business. There are two early
strategic decisions to make when considering k-business: the role to
play in the knowledge trading space, and the most appropriate online
business model. To help on the first decision, Skyrme offers a list of
the possible opportunities within the k-business market: k-creator, k-
mediary, k-aggregator, k-portal, k-refiner, k-packager, k-broker, k-
publisher, k-shop, k-community, k-processor, k-franchiser, and k-
anything. The author then suggests a gradual progression from free to
fee, and analyses knowledge markets and knowledge products.
After revisiting marketing principles, Skyrme goes over the 10 Ps of
Internet marketing: positioning, packaging, portals, pathways, pages,
personalization, progression, payments, processes, and performance.
Chapter eight analyses the seven success factors of k-business. These
are represented by the acronym kbiz.com, and are: knowledge assets,
business concepts, incubation, z-factor, customer experience,
operational excellence, and momentum.
A special reference to the last chapter where Skyrme discusses a
series of relevant issues and dilemmas. These are certainly food for
thought!
The book is very well structured although, sometimes, the author
repeats himself. At the end of each chapter, Skyrme offers some
"points to ponder" based on the content presented.
Overall, I consider "Capitalizing on Knowledge" very good. It provides
good ideas to those thinking about a k-business or to the k-rich
individuals who hadn't yet considered the possibility of selling their
knowledge to also become... m-rich (money rich)!
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ana Neves is Change Manager at the Abbey National Group and the editor
of portal KMOL <http://www.kmol.online.pt> a Web site dedicated to
Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning. Mainly directed
towards the Portuguese language community, portal KMOL also offers a
wide range of content in English
<http://www.kmol.online.pt/ajuda/english.html>. There you can find
articles, book and article reviews, interviews, and much more.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/capital.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750650117/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0750650117/freepint00>
* "Capitalizing on Knowledge: from E-Business to K-Business" ISBN
0750650117 published by Butterworth-Heinemann and written by
David J. Skyrme
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> COMPANY DIRECTORS CAN HIDE NO LONGER <<<
For any UK company director, find out their nationality, birth date
and address. Also, details of live and resigned directorships of
trading and dissolved companies and those with insolvency proceedings.
For each company you also get a registered number, pre-tax profit,
net worth, turnover, and status (e.g. dissolved, large unquoted).
Try a free search today at <http://www.freepint.com/icc>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm#feature>
"Untangling The Web For Health Professionals"
By Alison Turner
Given the growth of the Internet we now have access to 8,443,000
unique Web sites according to research from the OCLC Office of
Research <http://wcp.oclc.org> - we've quickly adapted to using it as
a source of information. The Internet has become part of our personal
and professional lives and when for some reason, our connection is
lost, we feel cut off from the world. The area of growth which
interests me in particular is that of health information. Many of us
now look towards the Internet to find out more about a particular
condition or health issue and a wealth of sites (of varying quality)
have appeared, claiming to provide us with answers.
But what of the health professionals themselves? What's out there for
our GPs, nurses, physiotherapists and dentists? Nearly one million
people are directly employed by the NHS hospital and community health
services. Many perform a variety of roles - as clinician, researcher,
teacher, student - and need access to a range of high quality
information to perform successfully. The Internet has opened up a
whole range of information sources and services and the challenge, to
use a cliche, is to surf the Web as opposed to becoming caught in the
web.
Traditionally, health libraries have provided information services to
assist health professionals in their multitude of roles and indeed the
role of the librarian is growing beyond expectation, into the fields
of knowledge management, Web design and intranet development, to name
just a few examples. The health professional can open up a world of
information by working with their local library and with some key
Internet-based sources and services.
General Resources
-----------------
Any health professional using the Internet needs a basic toolkit of
resources. This includes the type of reference materials you may see
on a library shelf, such as dictionaries, directories and official
sources. Certainly, most NHS librarians wouldn't be without access to
a medical dictionary, to check those awkward spellings! One of the
more useful sources on the Web is xrefer <http://www.xrefer.com>,
whilst more general tools are available such as Research-it
<http://www.itools.com/research-it>.
Finding people and organisations is equally important; directories are
a particularly well-thumbed resource in most libraries and the
Internet is an ideal medium for providing this type of information.
Recently, the General Medical Council made available their register of
doctors online < http://www.gmc-uk.org> to enable members of the
public to search for physicians. Finding organisations within the NHS
has also become much easier following the launch of an official
gateway to NHS organisations <http://www.nhs.uk> providing a search
facility to find local services, such as hospitals, GPs and dentists.
Statistics are another regular on the reference shelves and the
National Statistics site <http://www.statistics.gov.uk> will be
familiar to many readers, providing a whole range of useful figures.
The Finding Health Statistics site
<http://www.ihs.ox.ac.uk/library/statistics/homepage.htm> delivers an
overview of sources particularly relevant to medicine and healthcare.
And for anything else which might be needed, there are numerous search
engines which a health professional can call on
<http://searchenginewatch.com/links/Specialty_Search_Engines/
Medical_Search_Engines/index.html>
although the favourite among many of my colleagues remains Google
<http://www.google.co.uk>.
Supporting Patient Care
-----------------------
Health care within the UK is undergoing massive change, some of the
most notable changes as a result of the NHS Plan, published in 2000
<http://www.nhs.uk/nationalplan/>. A move towards evidence-based
practice and the explosion of information from research has meant that
health professionals have to be even more selective when choosing
information resources.
A project is underway within the NHS to provide a web-based
information resource, to filter the information and to present the
higher quality resources <http://www.nelh.nhs.uk> thus providing easy
and rapid access to information. Readers may already be familiar with
the NHS Direct Online <http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/> Web site
specifically aimed at patients and the public. The move towards
evidence-based practice within the health service has resulted in a
plethora of new value-added databases, publications and Web sites,
which select and synthesise the better quality research studies.
Whilst it is true that these sources do in fact save health
professionals time, it can be difficult just to keep track of the
information sources let alone the current research! One very popular
solution is the TRIP Database <http://www.tripdatabase.com> which
offers a one-stop search of over 70 key resources, via a simple
interface. There isn't the time or the space to cover the range of
resources potentially useful to your average health professional, but
some of the more general sources are covered here. More specific
resources cover particular aspects of patient care, such as
prescribing and BIOME <http://biome.ac.uk/> is the best gateway to
find these.
Research
--------
As well as consulting the latest research with a view to providing the
best possible patient care, health professionals are often involved in
conducting their own research projects, from small scale dissertations
through to multinational clinical trials. A number of established
databases, such as Medline and Embase, are available through local
library services and this range is complemented by the vast amount of
information now accessible without charge over the Internet.
A popular source is Pubmed
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi>, from the National
Library of Medicine in the United States, which incorporates the
Medline database, including references to recently published articles.
The National Institutes of Health <http://www.nih.gov/> as a whole
have been publishing information on the Web for some time and offer a
range of useful databases, covering such diverse topics as toxicology,
history of medicine and health services administration. Within the
overall scientific community, a debate is raging over the publication
of research with many advocating open archiving approaches. There is
some progress towards this idea and two leading services are Pubmed
Central < http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/> and Biomed Central <
http://www.biomedcentral.com/>.
Keeping Up To Date
------------------
The vast majority of health professionals are undertaking continuing
education or professional development programmes of one sort or
another. Doctors, in particular, follow a defined route throughout
their careers and many sources have been established to support their
information needs. One of the most popular health sites in the UK is
Doctors.net.UK <http://www.doctors.net.uk/> which is a peer-led
resource for doctors and medical students, incorporating discussion
lists, database access and study topics. The Royal Colleges and
professional bodies such as the British Medical Association all have
web sites, which can be located via OMNI <http://omni.ac.uk>. Nursing
and allied health professionals, of course, have their own
professional associations and bodies, often linked to their continuing
professional development, which can be located via NMAP
<http://nmap.ac.uk>.
Other than checking in regularly at such Web sites, it can be
difficult for health professionals to find the time to keep up to date
with professional issues, new research and other important news.
Several publishers are now taking advantage of the huge potential of
the Internet and offering electronic updating services. The BMJ
<http://www.bmj.com> for example, offers readers the chance to register
(free of charge) for email alerts listing the contents of the latest
issue. For those health professionals who don't themselves subscribe,
or who are based at some distance from their local library, this
offers an ideal opportunity to stay ahead of the game.
A very useful service is Pubcrawler <http://www.pubcrawler.ie/> which
is linked to PubMed and offers the ability to set up search profiles
and email alerts. Your search is run regularly and any hits emailed
to you instantly. And last but certainly not least, the "invisible
college" plays a role health professionals consult colleagues on a
regular basis and the electronic environment has nurtured rather than
supplanted this spirit of co-operation. As with other professions, a
host of mailing lists and discussion forums have sprouted over recent
years, many of which are hosted by a service such as JISCmail <
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk> or Doctors.Net.UK.
Management and Health Policy
----------------------------
Many health professionals now have managerial roles and as such, need
to keep up to date with health policy and other relevant information.
Health service managers have specific information needs and many
sources have developed as a result. The Department of Health Web site
<http://www.doh.gov.uk> is an obvious source for the latest in health
policy and provides full text access to a range of documentation, with
links to appropriate web pages.
Since "The New NHS" was published by the Government in 1997, two major
new organisations have emerged, and have well-developed web sites to
disseminate their publications the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence <http://www.nice.org.uk> and the Commission for Health
Improvement <http://www.chi.nhs.uk>. A valuable resource is the
Health reports page
<http://cwis.livjm.ac.uk/lea/info/health/heareps.htm> which lists
health related reports and inquiries. As the focus on the interface
between health and social care increases, health professionals
increasingly need access to information relating to social care and
social services. For this they need look no further than the
electronic Library for Social Care <http://www.elsc.org.uk/> which
points to major policy documents and key resources.
The quality of information is important to any professional but within
the healthcare domain, it is crucial that health professionals can
rely on the accuracy and currency of an information resource. The
resources mentioned here are some basic pointers to useful Web sites
but to explore further, health professionals need to proceed with
caution.
But all is not doom and gloom ... The BIOME service is leading
the field in quality health information within the UK. Produced by
BIOME, OMNI and NMAP are databases of accredited health information
resources on the Internet; all resources are checked against a quality
checklist before being considered for inclusion and only those
resources deemed to be of sufficient quality make the grade. So
rather than search the Web and then try to determine the quality, it's
much easier and quicker to let OMNI and NMAP do the job for you.
So what's out there for health professionals? The answer is probably
too much information! But by maintaining a toolkit of a dozen or so
resources, the average health professional can navigate the web
relatively quickly and easily without becoming lost or entangled.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alison Turner is Knowledge Manager, National electronic Library for
Health, NHS Information Authority. Alison joined the National
electronic Library for Health <http://www.nelh.nhs.uk> earlier this
year, having previously managed the library service at Gloucestershire
Royal NHS Trust. Alison has worked in the field of health information
for seven years. Her current role involves drawing together quality-
assured content specifically for health professionals. The overall
aim of the National electronic Library for Health is to make
information about effectiveness of care readily available to NHS
staff, using Internet and associated technologies.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related Free Pint links:
* "Healthcare & Medicine" articles and links in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p64>
* Post a message to the author, Alison Turner, or suggest further
resources, at the Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/151101.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>>> FREE PINT FACT <<<
Since our mention in the last edition offering free Free Pint beer
mats, we have spent much of the last two weeks posting out thousands
of mats all over the world. As well as being sent around the UK,
Europe and North America, destinations have also included Ghana,
South Africa and Australia.
If you've missed the offer and would like to receive some beer mats,
either for yourself or to share with colleagues, then see the
announcement at the Bar <http://www.freepint.com/go/b13679>.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
<http://www.freepint.com/events>
This week's forthcoming events are all in the UK. In London, HarperKay
are running "Making Profits from Digital Publishing" which will look
at controlling operational costs in this time of diminishing
advertising revenues.
In Derby there is "KnowHow - e-Learning" from the UK Authorware User
Group in association with The University of Derby, which "... seeks to
be the definitive national conference for e-Learning and the use of
Macromedia Authorware".
In Liverpool, Van Dusseldorp & Partners are running a "Digital
Content Europe Seminar" on "Winning strategies for online
entertainment". It is billed as a "... one-day event exploring the
main issues concerning the production, syndication and sales of
online entertainment".
If you're running an event and want to give out some Free Pint beer
mats as freebies then let us know your address and number required.
Details of these and many other conferences and exhibitions in the
information industry can be found on the Free Pint Events page
<http://www.freepint.com/events>.
Submit details of your event for free promotion, and keep us informed
about any changes to current listings.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT GOLD
This time last year we looked at how the Internet is affecting the
music industry, and had an unmissable article with business
information resources for SMEs.
* Free Pint No.75, 16th November 2000 "Music and the Internet
Revolution" and "Business Information for Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises". <http://www.freepint.com/issues/161100.htm>
In Free Pint two years ago there was a URL-packed article on the
water industry and one on exploiting electronic communities.
* Free Pint No.50, 18th November 1999 "Information on tap - Web
resources on the water industry" and "Electronic Communities".
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/181199.htm>
Three years ago, Free Pint's Managing Editor edited a tip-packed
article on promoting your Web site on little or no budget. Meanwhile,
Phil Bradley argued that CD-Rom and Web technologies are complimentary
rather than competing with each other.
* Free Pint No.26, 12th November 1998 "Web Site Promotion Ideas" and
"CD-ROMs and the Web". <http://www.freepint.com/issues/121198.htm>
Four years ago, in the very first issue of Free Pint, we were invited
to think about the basics of good searching. There was also a much-
cited article on business information Web sources by Karen Blakeman.
* Free Pint No.1, 6th November 1997 "Back to Searching Basics" and
"Major Sources of Business Information on the Internet".
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/061197.htm>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
[Provisional]
* Technology Transfer * News Searching *
* Tracking Site Changes * Plastics and Rubber *
* Legal Sources * Olympics * Finding Free Images *
* Academic, Economic and Social Science * Virtual Reference *
* The 3 I's of Information * Effective Problem Solving * B2B *
* Library Content and Wireless Devices * Benchmarking *
* Communities of Practice * Biomedical Sources *
* Intellectual Property *
If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write
for Free Pint then please contact me or sign up for the monthly Author
Update on the Web site at <http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
GOODBYE
Well, that's another issue polished off and so we're off to polish
off the Free Pint birthday cake - see the photo at
<http://www.freepint.com/press.htm>.
If you've enjoyed today's edition then do please pass it on to your
colleagues and friends. How about printing off the fully-formatted
version in Adobe Acrobat format online?
See you in two weeks!
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
<william@freepint.com>
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2001
<http://www.freepint.com/>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address:
Free Pint Limited
4-6 Station Approach
Ashford, Middlesex
TW15 2QN, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Fax: +44 (0)1784 420033
Directions and maps: <http://www.freepint.com/contact.htm>
Key contacts:
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor <william@freepint.com>
Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com>
Simon Collery, Content Developer <simon@freepint.com>
Web <http://www.freepint.com>
Subscriptions <subs@freepint.com>
Letters & Comments <feedback@freepint.com>
Authors <http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>
Latest Issue Autoresponder <auto@freepint.com>
Advertising <http://www.freepint.com/advert.htm>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information
professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information
on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it
is published every two weeks by email.
To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing,
advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at
<http://www.freepint.com/> or email <admin@freepint.com>.
Your registered email address is listed at the bottom of this message.
Please note: Free Pint is a registered trademark of, and published by,
Free Pint Limited. The publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list
available to any other company or organisation.
The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the
sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care
has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the
publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its
entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or
distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers.
Write to Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com> for more details.
Product names used in Free Pint are for identification purposes only,
and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Free Pint disclaims
any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
« Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter »
About this Newsletter
- Publication Date: 15th November 2001
- PDF
Best option for printing and saving - Plain text
- Link: https://www.jinfo.com/go/newsletter/100
What's new at Jinfo?
The AI agents are coming!
Community session
16th July 2024
GenAI in the news, access to private company data evolves and suppliers are getting to grips with AI
Blog posting
5th June 2024
Preqin's for sale. If you're a client, do this now
YouTube video
20th June 2024
- Jinfo Community session (TBC) (Community) 25th September 2024
- The AI agents are coming! (Community) 16th July 2024
- US private company data – what’s new? (Community) 18th June 2024
Learn more about the Jinfo Subscription