Jinfo: Newsletter No. 173

                             FreePint
         "Helping 71,000 people use the Web for their work"
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ISSN 1460-7239                              16th December 2004 No.173
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                           IN THIS ISSUE
                           -------------

                             EDITORIAL
                          By William Hann 

                       MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
                          By Roshan Khan

                           FREEPINT BAR
                    In Association with Factiva
                   a Dow Jones & Reuters Company

                               JOBS
                Information Specialist Team Leader
            Knowledge Manager - Business Risk Services
    Global Client Information, Research and Records Coordinator

                           TIPS ARTICLE
                  "Outsourcing Research to India"
                          By Mike Taylor

                             BOOKSHELF
                      "Weblogs and libraries"
                     Written by Laurel A Clyde
                      Reviewed by Phil Bradley

                          FEATURE ARTICLE
      "The Open Archive Initiative (OAI) and Google Scholar"
                           By Nick Luft

               EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES

                        CONTACT INFORMATION

             ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
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    Introducing MINT - a fresh approach to company information
            from Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing

 To register for a FREE trial visit <http://www.mintbusinessinfo.com>

    Companies, news, industry research and directors in a single
          easy to use information database for research,
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       ***  VIP :: In-depth business information reviews  ***
                   <http://www.vivaVIP.com/>

Last three months: Dialog NewsRoom v. Factiva v. LexisNexis;
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Next three months: Business Monitor Online; Emerald Management Extra;
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                     ***  ABOUT FREEPINT  ***

FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
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                             EDITORIAL
                          By William Hann

The Online Information exhibition and conference here in London is a
great way to round-up the year. We had a more sober presence this
year, in contrast to last year's frivolity. A nice gallery of photos
is available online, together with the handouts we were distributing:

              <http://www.freepint.com/portal/events/>

There are also photos from the International Information Industry
Awards gala dinner, where we announced that the winner of the 'Online
Information / FreePint Award for Best Customer Service' was STN Agency
UK/Ireland, which provides customer support and training to customers
of STN International <http://www.freepint.com/press/>.

At Online Information we also promoted the 'VIP Wire'. This is where
organisations can post their business-information-related press
releases and where you can keep up-to-date with announcements like the
one above through a free weekly email digest <http://www.vivavip.com/>.

In line with the information community's current interest in Google
Scholar, a FreePinter in today's newsletter talks about the
significance of the Open Archive Initiative (OAI) in locating and
promoting reports and other 'grey literature'.

VIP's Editor Pam Foster met with Google at Online Information and
was given a demonstration of their Search Appliance. VIP will be
reviewing that and Google Scholar in the new year. VIP Eye (the
twice-monthly current awareness bulletin) has just provided details
of two free white papers from Google <http://www.vivavip.com/>.

It's been a fabulous seventh year for FreePint, with the publication
of a number of reports and 10% growth in membership. VIP's first year
has also  exceeded expectations and we've seen significant growth of
other services in the network too (including DigBig, Willco and
ResourceShelf). We also feel a real sense of permanence now, following
the purchase in June of the offices we've been renting for three years.

I would ask you to join me in thanking all the contributors to
FreePint throughout 2004. I'm sure you'll agree that it's a pleasure
to be a member of such a well-informed and professional community --
a real demonstration of the vibrancy of the information industry.

William Hann
Founder and Managing Editor, FreePint

e: william.hann@freepint.com
t: 0870 141 7474
i: +44 870 141 7474

FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2004

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              >>> SIGN UP TO FACTIVA'S NEWSLETTER <<<

Keep up to date on Factiva and information industry trends by signing
 up for the free InfoPro Alliance newsletter. This monthly email will
 provide you with tips on how to better use Factiva, more information
  about Factiva sources, and link you to other items of interest to
                global information professionals.

 Go to <http://www.factiva.com/infopro/register> and sign up today!

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         ***  FreePint Jobs Update Archive now online  ***

  Each issue of the twice-monthly FreePint Jobs Update includes an
    advice column along with the latest information job vacancies.

   Access the new Jobs Update Archive to read the past editorials:

                  <http://web.freepint.com/jobs/>

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                       MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
                          By Roshan Khan

* The Compliance Exchange <http://www.compliance-exchange.com/> is a
  useful source of information about financial regulation worldwide.

* Marketresearch.com <http://www.marketresearch.com/> allows you to
  buy costly reports 'by the slice' (i.e. the report is available in
  smaller, less expensive sections).

* Media UK <http://www.mediauk.com/> is useful for tracking down
  little-known regional newspapers, as well as having comprehensive
  coverage of all things necessary to turn you into a proper media
  luvvie.

* Meeting friends at a nail bar in Marylebone High Street for a girly
  afternoon, I had to decide where to retire for lunch. Unfamiliar
  with that neck of the woods, Street Sensation
  <http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/> showed me all the shops, bars
  and restaurants, etc. on popular central London streets (we decided
  upon Carluccios in nearby St. Christopher's Place).

Roshan Khan is Group Know How Manager at Maitland. Maitland is a
professional services firm, providing legal, fiduciary and asset
management services from offices in ten locations across Europe, South
Africa and the Caribbean <http://www.maitlandgroup.com/>. These were
Roshan's favourite tipples in her previous role of running the
Information Centre at the Financial Services Authority.

Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.

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        *** VIP reviews emerging markets data from BMI  ***

Independent analysis and forecasts data from Business Monitor 
International is put through its paces in December's issue of VIP.
Plus, Steve Goldstein, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive 
Officer of Alacra writes about the fate of content aggregators.

                     <http://www.vivaVIP.com/>

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      ***  New: Search across the VIP Wire and VIP Lounge  ***

       A fast new keyword search feature has been added to the
   Willco Forums Module <http://www.willco.com/products/forums/>.

    This means you can now search across the archive of postings
     at the VIP Wire and VIP Lounge <http://www.vivavip.com/>.

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                            FREEPINT BAR
                    In Association with Factiva
                   a Dow Jones & Reuters Company

Even with the FreePint team out of the office for a week at the Online
Information show, the Bar was as busy as ever. Photos from the event,
and the handouts we gave out, are available online
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30826>.

At the show we launched 'Onopoly' <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30840>
-- a one-stop-shop for information about advertising across the
FreePint network. You can subscribe to the 'Onopoly Update', which is
a quarterly email update with the latest offers. This replaces the
FreePint Advertiser Update and is available online at:

                     <http://www.Onopoly.com/>

Back at the Bar, a related posting asks for a database of advertising-
supported email newsletters <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30820>.

It's great when FreePinters just post interesting resources --
like the link to a comprehensive review of Google Scholar
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30853>. On a similar topic, is there a
list of definitions of records, from a records management perspective?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30848>. Any advice for someone wanting to
catalogue their own private library?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30722>. Or do any UK libraries use the
UDC, Colon Classification, Brown, Bliss or Moys classification
schemes? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30768>

The latest FreePint Jobs Update has advice on the benefits of
mentoring, along with the latest job vacancies
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30827>. There is also now an archive of
past issues of the Jobs Update, so you can catch up on all the earlier
advice columns <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30825>.

The cosmopolitan nature of the Bar means there have also been queries
on a variety of other topics: Is there research on non-indigenous
languages spoken in the UK? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30789>; Do
you have links with a local newspaper that can give advice on
digitising an archive and funding such a project?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30765>; Can you help with data on
French-language STM publishers and their revenues?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30777>; Or what about ways to contact the
estates of deceased minor celebrities? 
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30730>.

Finally: has anyone used the Mondosearch on-site search tool
(including BehaviorTracking and Information Manager)?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30800>; Are there any in-depth resources
on running an internal corporate blog?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30749>; Is there an equivalent to the
'oecreative code' for copywriters, translators and technical writers?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30846>; Or a source for five year's worth
of collated bestseller data? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30753>.

Well, that's enough variety for 2004. Season's greetings to everyone
who frequents the forum and all the best for the new year.

William Hann <william.hann@freepint.com>
Founder and Managing Editor, FreePint

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The FreePint Bar is where you can get free help with your tricky
research questions <http://www.freepint.com/bar>

Help with study for information-related courses is available at the
FreePint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.

Twice-weekly email digests of the latest postings can be requested
at <http://web.freepint.com/>.

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***  FreePint Photos and Handouts from Online Information 2004  ***

       View a gallery of photos and handouts from this year's
            event, along with those from previous years:

              <http://www.freepint.com/portal/events/>

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                           FREEPINT JOBS
                   <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>

The FreePint Jobs Update is being circulated widely every two
weeks. This free newsletter now has 2,000 direct subscribers and
is posted at the Bar and in the Bar Digest (circulation 12,000).

To see the Jobs Update No.86 and read the new 'Jobs Advice' section,
visit <http://www.freepint.com/go/b30827>. To subscribe, modify your
account at <http://web.freepint.com>.

Fully-formatted PDF version and full archive available at: 
http://web.freepint.com/jobs/update/ 

Here are some of the latest featured jobs:

Information Specialist Team Leader
  Roles in Bristol - a vendor mgt role (6294) and an info specialist
  team leader role (6118), also 2 posts in Manchester (6276, 6286)"
  Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/j3565>

Knowledge Manager - Business Risk Services
  Knowledge Sharing Champion with at least 3 years' experience
  required to work in the field of Risk Management.
  Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/j3712>

Global Client Information, Research and Records Coordinator
  Global Client Information, Research and Records Coordinator required
  to work in Hay Group's Knowledge Information Team
  Recruiter: Hay Group
  <http://www.freepint.com/go/j3717>

NB: There are 20 other jobs in the current edition of the Jobs Update
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b30827>.

[The above jobs are paid listings]

FreePint Jobs -- the best place for information vacancies.

*  VACANCY SEARCHING -- Free search and sign up to the Job Update.
*  VACANCY RECRUITING -- Complete the form and advertise a vacancy
   for GBP195 <http://www.freepint.com/jobs/submit/overview.php3>.
   50% discount for registered charities. 10% discount for agencies.

       Find out more today at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>

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   ***  Onopoly :: One-stop-shop for advertising information  ***

      Download ratecards and presentations from FreePint, VIP,
       ResourceShelf and DigBig from this new site. Subscribe
           to the Onopoly Update for the latest offers.

                     <http://www.onopoly.com/>

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                            TIPS ARTICLE
         <http://www.freepint.com/issues/161204.htm#tips>
                  "Outsourcing Research to India"
                          By Mike Taylor

Imagine if you had a research team of 10 people working for you, with
no hassles about managing them, making sure they were busy and
motivated, worrying about their holidays, boyfriend troubles,
hangovers or office politics. They would do what you wanted, by the
deadline you'd set. Be great, wouldn't it? You could concentrate on
what only *you* can do, making sure you deliver your customers exactly
what they need, within budget.

Call centre and IT jobs have been heading offshore for years.
Research companies are now starting to use India as an operations base
to undercut UK firms. Is this a threat or an opportunity for research
jobs in the UK?

Several companies offer research services in the UK from India. I
work for Evalueserve, one of the largest and most established, but
will try and give an objective overview of what is available from
India, how it works, the risks and some best practice advice.

So, what's the background? Different services have been outsourced to
low-cost economies for years. From our plastic toys 'Made in Hong
Kong' in the 1970s, silicon chips to go into our ZX81s in the 80s and
the software behind our websites and databases in the 90s,
manufacturing and services jobs have always been outsourced to the
location with the best combination of skilled resource and low costs.
Call centres and bank back-office operations have hit the headlines in
the last couple of years because of high-profile companies moving
large centres from the UK, with associated job losses and media hype.

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), which includes Market Research
and Business Research, is a distinct evolution from Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) services like the call centres and software
services. Clearly, KPO isn't as simple as picking up a process and
moving it to a lower cost location, it normally involves significantly
more value-addition from the offshore team.

One of the first companies to successfully run an offshore knowledge
centre was McKinsey Consulting, who set up a research centre in Delhi
to provide simple data retrieval and presentation resources to
McKinsey consultants round the world. Since then, lots of independent
companies have started up, claiming to offer high value research
services to anyone. Several companies started up around four years
ago, among them Evalueserve, Irevna, Office Tiger and Pipal Research.
According to their websites, all deliver similar services - high
quality market, business and financial services research, from India,
for a fraction of the traditional cost. The companies have different
customer-facing structures but are all based around a team of MBAs and
smart graduates in India delivering research work to clients in the
West. Meanwhile, some companies have followed the McKinsey example
and decided to build their own Indian research centres (Bain, Goldman
Sachs and Lehmans for example). There are good and bad points of
these captive centres, including staff recruitment and retention,
costs and quality.

India isn't the only destination for KPO jobs, but it's certainly the
biggest. This A.T.Kearney report looks at all the destinations in more
detail <http://digbig.com/4cgyj>. The first question on many
prospective customers' minds is whether companies can really deliver
what they promise. And they're right to ask. Although India is an
amazing place, with a billion people, six times the number of
graduates and twice as many MBAs each year than the UK, it's 4,000
miles from here and is a completely different world. Inside the
offices, it is completely 'westernised', with cutting-edge
architecture and VOIP phones, but outside there are cows in the street
and unbelievable traffic ...

One of the most common questions I am asked is how a 27 year-old
graduate in Delhi, who has never left India, can possibly understand
the intricacies of UK markets?

The truth is that some projects work better than others. The teams in
India will not have the detailed knowledge of consumer or regional
markets that you do; and highly brand-specific, regional projects are
tough. Projects that work really well are ones that can be clearly
defined at the outset with a focus on global markets.

Indian firms have built teams to conduct high-quality market research
interviews. This is a different world to call centres; the
interviewers are capable of high-level qualitative conversations with
executives at companies around the globe (including non-English
interviews). Consumer interviews are more difficult than B2B, mainly
because people called at home are not as receptive to calls from India
and rejection rates are higher.

Straightforward business research including company profiling, sector
or country overviews, database building and database maintenance is
very successful. Productivity and quality are normally the same or
better than a UK team and they can access all the same online sources
of information. As the projects move up the value chain to include
things like value chain analysis, commercialisation studies and
company valuations, the cost differential gets even more pronounced.

Indian teams are not trying to compete with management consultancies,
and for the really high value-add projects, the customer will need to
be much more involved for guidance and thought leadership. They will
also normally not provide advice; rather give you the summary data on
which to base your own decisions.

Other high-end research services available from India include patent
writing and intellectual property research, data analytics and
quantitative modelling. The cost differential for these is absolutely
staggering - in some cases the cost for the same service in India is
around 10% of UK rates.

For all projects, the most critical aspect to ensure a quality end
product is communication. Your initial brief should give the team the
framework and background for the project. You should expect a phone
conference with the team before they write a proposal to let them ask
questions which you may think are obvious, but will let them
understand how the project fits into the customers' business needs.
Proposals should give a firm, fixed cost for the project and detail
exactly how the work will be conducted and how long it will take.

Once the project starts, your role is to be the person who really
understands the needs of the end customer, why they want the research
and how it fits into their business goals. You have to decide how much
the team in India need to know in order to deliver worthwhile and
valuable research. Project management communication will normally be
between you and a senior researcher in India and the relationship
between you is critical. The Indian team will keep you fully informed
about progress and issues, but you need to keep giving them feedback
on how you think it's going, how the quality is looking and any new
directions you think the research should be moving.

By moving up the value chain and becoming the link to the highly
skilled, experienced and low-cost resource available at companies like
ours, UK researchers can make themselves invaluable as they have what
the offshore company can never have - real understanding of the end
customers' needs.

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Mike Taylor is the UK sales director for Evalueserve, where he has
been for nearly three years, in which time Evalueserve has grown from
40 to over 500 people. Prior to Evalueserve, he was a sales manager
for Marconi, responsible for outsourcing and managed services. His
background is in Engineering, he has a degree in Fluid Mechanics and
Thermodynamics from Durham University .

Evalueserve is a global research company, with almost 500 full-time
research professionals in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi. We offer
multilanguage market research, the full spectrum of business research
and intellectual property research and patent writing. Our sales team
is around 25 people, spread around the globe from Silicon Valley to
Singapore <http://www.evalueserve.com/>.

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Newsletter No. 173

Jinfo Newsletter