Newsletter No. 188
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FreePint
"Helping 74,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 11th August 2005 No.188
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IN THIS ISSUE
-------------
EDITORIAL
By William Hann
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Sam Vaknin
FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JINFO :: JOBS IN INFORMATION
Library Co-ordinator - Media Industry
Information / Knowledge Officer
Information Services Assistants
TIPS ARTICLE
"The Future of the Information Profession --
No Time for Introspection"
By Debby Shorley
BOOKSHELF
"Building an Electronic Resource Collection: a practical guide"
By Stuart D Lee and Frances Boyle
Reviewed by Ann-Marie Ashby
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Trends in business information, provision and use"
By Pam Foster
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
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Searching, but not finding, costs your organisation time and money.
Improve your efficiency with information from Factiva, delivered
where, when and how you need it.
Download a copy of IDC's newest white paper, "The Hidden Costs of
Information Searching" and learn how Factiva can help you make a real
difference to the bottom line.
Download your copy at <http://www.factiva.com/ads/2005/freepint715>
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*** VIP scoops OneSource products ***
The current issue of VIP contains the first ever reviews of OneSource's
new products for the UK and US SME sectors. A further review examines
the data in Global Business Browser: Europe, following OneSource's new
partnerships with European information providers.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com/>
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EDITORIAL
By William Hann
I've received a number of accusations this week about being a
time waster.
Not a waster of my own time, you understand, but of other
people's. My wonderment at Google Earth in the last FreePint
<http://digbig.com/4eetq> caused a number of people to
fritter away a number of hours exploring the world.
While I don't like being called a time waster, it's always great
to hear how people use FreePint. We also like to hear how we can
improve the service we offer, but understand it can be difficult
to give candid feedback.
To solve this we have created a 'Suggestion Box' for FreePint,
where you can give us your comments and criticisms anonymously:
<http://www.freepint.com/suggestionbox.htm>
This new feature has been well received, and we've already had a
number of suggestions posted. My announcement about it at the
Bar also elicited a number of replies about the dynamics of the
Bar as a research forum <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32871>.
One Suggestion Box comment we've already acted upon noted that the Bar
Digest would be much more usable if items were grouped by topic,
rather than listed chronologically. The Digest is the twice-weekly
email summary of the latest research questions and answers at the Bar.
We have now changed the order of listings and the Digest is much more
readable as a result.
Do send your suggestions <http://www.freepint.com/suggestionbox.htm>
and we'll do our best to implement your ideas. Alternatively, if you'd
like to speak face-to-face then make a note to visit the annual Online
Information Exhibition and Conference to be held in November, in
London. We will be exhibiting as usual and the conference programme
is being published in the next couple of days
<http://www.online-information.co.uk/>. I've seen an advance copy and
it's an impressive line up of speakers.
In FreePint today we bring you articles from two respected information
professionals. The first is a discussion of the future of the
information industry from CILIP's President, Debby Shorley. The second
is from VIP's Editor Pam Foster, about the latest trends in the
business information world.
Thank you for reading FreePint. Again, please do give us your
feedback, or join the 14,000 FreePinters who already receive the
Bar Digest by signing-up at <http://www.freepint.com/subs/>.
William Hann
Managing Editor and Founder, 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) 1997-2005
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Sam Vaknin
* <http://www.zabasearch.com> is a personal data search engine. This
innocuous description does not begin to capture the wealth of
information it dredges up. Try it - you won't believe what is
publicly available about you and your nearest and dearest!
* <http://www.blackmask.com> is an online library of more than 10,000
free domain e-books in six different formats. An addictive
cornucopia of literature and reference.
* <http://www.emedicine.com> is, in my view, by far the best medical
library on the Web. It provides monographs written by hundreds of
leading medical authorities on every conceivable disease and
disorder.
* <http://www.petsyclopedia.com/> is a pet care reference work which
covers the more common kinds of household dears (dogs, cats, etc.).
Thorough, authoritative, and helpful in times of stress and
distress!
* <http://1911encyclopedia.org/> is a trip down history (if not
exactly memory) lane. The fabled 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica online - now in full text! The world as it was before the
two world wars rendered it what it is, for better and for worse.
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Sam Vaknin <http://samvak.tripod.com> is the author of 'Malignant Self
Love - Narcissism Revisited' and other books. He served or serves as a
columnist and editor for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and
eBookWeb, Global Politician, and Bellaonline, United Press
International (UPI), The Open Directory and Suite101.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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FREEPINT BAR
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In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
In contrast to last week, I think everyone has returned from their
holidays now -- Bar has been buzzing with activity, and only one or
two postings remain unanswered. Thanks to everyone who has
contributed.
As mentioned in William Hann's editorial, here is your opportunity to
discuss what you like and dislike about FreePint and the Bar. Quite a
few suggestions have been made and acted upon already
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b32871>.
Do you know if Government libraries in England have to be open to
public enquiries <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32925> or what about a
company library recording TV programmes - is this allowed?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b32936>.
One FreePinter has been asked to find information on setting up a
knowledge service. Can you help? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32834>.
Do you know where to find statistics on the ratio of researchers to
information specialists <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32899> or hourly
rates for legal researchers? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32894>.
Where can one find biographies of engineering managers and directors?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b32949>. Is there a list of worldwide
universities sorted by country? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32862>.
The latest edition of the Jinfo Newsletter has been published with a
provocative article about CVs from an employer's point of view
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b32940> and a new free sample issue of VIP
Eye is available for downloading <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32845>.
Is there a free European downloadable auto route map
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b32903> or a "dummies guide" to football
in the UK? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b32788>.
The closing date for the Jason Farradane Award nominations is
approaching <http://www.vivavip.com/go/w769>. Is there an individual
or a group who you think has contributed outstanding work in the
information field? (By the way, FreePint won it in 2002).
Until next time, and don't forget to visit our new Suggestion Box
<http://www.freepint.com/suggestionbox.htm>.
Penny Hann <penny.hann@freepint.com>
FreePint
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The FreePint Bar is where you can get free help with your tricky
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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
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JINFO :: JOBS IN INFORMATION
<http://www.jinfo.com/>
The Jinfo service enables you to search for and advertise
information-related job vacancies.
The Jinfo Newsletter is published free every two weeks, and contains a
list of the latest vacancies along with job seeking advice. The latest
editorial is entitled "CVs that Stand Out - the Employers Viewpoint".
To read the latest Jinfo Newsletter and to subscribe to receive it
twice-monthly by email, visit <http://www.jinfo.com/newsletter/>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Library Co-ordinator - Media Industry
Junior media industry Librarian. Central London. Excellent database
management, search and IT skills a must.
Recruiter: The Edge Picture Company
<http://www.jinfo.com/go/j4279>
Information / Knowledge Officer
Recent information graduate? Excellent opportunity to work for
progressive central London consultancy.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
<http://www.jinfo.com/go/j4295>
Information Services Assistants
Four temporary posts available at university south of London,
four months, issue and enquiry desk work.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.jinfo.com/go/j4307>
NB: There are 35 other jobs in the current edition of the Jinfo
Newsletter <http://www.jinfo.com/newsletter/> and over 80 in the
Jinfo database <http://www.jinfo.com/>.
[The above jobs are paid listings]
Jinfo -- the best place for information-related job vacancies.
* JOB SEARCHING -- Free search and sign up to the Jinfo Newsletter.
* RECRUITING -- Complete the form and advertise a vacancy for
only GBP195 <http://www.jinfo.com/recruit/>.
50% discount for registered charities and universities.
10% discount for agencies.
Find out more today at <http://www.jinfo.com/>
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What is ResourceShelf?
<http://www.resourceshelf.com>
ResourceShelf is a free daily update containing news of interest
to information professionals around the world.
Topics include the latest news with web search engines, research
tips, new web resources, and much more.
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/110805.htm#tips>
"The Future of the Information Profession --
No Time for Introspection"
By Debby Shorley
I try hard not to let it happen, but my heart always sinks at the
thought of yet another discussion on the future of the information
profession. We can be a desperately introspective bunch at the best of
times, and a topic like this is guaranteed to bring out the doom and
gloom merchants, all anxious to convince themselves that we're
unappreciated, that our status is declining and no-one wants us any
more. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth - as long as we
don't let it happen.
'Back to basics' may be a hackneyed phrase with overtones designed to
raise a cynical smile, but I believe that it does describe exactly
what we in this profession need to do. It doesn't mean turning our
back on the wonderful technological developments of the last two or
three decades. Nor does it mean refusing to embrace new areas of
professional activity such as intranet content management, or being
precious about self-promotion. That really would be professional
suicide.
Back to basics
--------------
What it does mean quite simply is that, amid all the jargon, we
shouldn't forget to keep asking ourselves: what are we here for? How
can we do it best? Simple questions that invite a simple answer: we
help people find out what they need to know to lead better lives. You
can dismiss this as a truism if you like, but it's actually at the
heart of our role. And there's a constant risk that jargon and detail
will allow this basic truth to be obscured. We can talk about the
knowledge economy or the information society or information
literacy/fluency - that's all very worthy. But it can also be a cloak
to conceal woolly thinking. It can allow the current buzzwords to
become a substitute for solid, practical planning of how we can do our
jobs better.
Stripped to its essentials, this simple answer means: 'How can we
help?'. Not in a passive, wait-and-see way, but proactively,
anticipating our users' needs and making the goals of the communities
we serve our goals as well.
It really doesn't matter what that community is. It could be a local
community, with a multicultural, multilayered society and
challengingly diverse wants and needs. It could be a centre of
learning with multiple but precise requirements, and goals and targets
to achieve. It could be a medical establishment seeking evidence to
inform its clinical decisions. Or it could be a commercial
organisation - a law firm or financial institution - exploiting its
corporate knowledge in the pursuit of profit.
A more mobile profession
------------------------
If you accept this premise, then one implication for the future of our
profession is clear: There's nothing forcing you to stay in your
current sector for the rest of your career. "I'm a public/academic
librarian" or "I'm a legal/health information professional" just
shouldn't be part of the 21st century library & information
professional's vocabulary.
Of course I know that people have always changed sectors as their
careers have progressed - but I'd be prepared to put money on the
likelihood that most people in the past have usually moved away from
public libraries towards something else. All I would say is: Don't
assume that that's necessarily going to be the natural order of things
in the future.
Public libraries are facing a demographic time-bomb as the large
number of baby boomers currently in senior positions reach retirement.
The situation is so serious that MLA (the UK Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council <http://www.mla.gov.uk>) is launching a media story
about the staffing crisis that is about to hit public libraries. The
Employers Organisation for Local Government
<http://www.lg-employers.gov.uk> will also weigh in at the end of
August, with a survey exploring why librarians are among their top 10
recruitment headaches. They're right to be worried; an MLA survey of
chief librarians has revealed that a third of public library staff are
due to retire within ten years. A third of library authorities are
already having trouble recruiting, and around 15,000 public library
staff are needed now.
More creative use of our skills
-------------------------------
I point this out because there is actually no difference between the
information provided to an individual in a public library and that
provided to a specialist elsewhere. The same principle that underpins
the proprietary services from Factiva, Dialog or LexisNexis now also
underpins the vision that translated a few years ago into the People's
Network <http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/>. In fact, the People's
Network was introduced so well, and responds so directly to people's
needs, that it is taken for granted and could even become a victim of
its own success. It will take talented people in the public library
service to ensure that this doesn't compromise its future
sustainability.
Information professionals in academia, research, industry and commerce
have been adapting their services to accommodate direct desktop access
for end-users for years now, and it can only be a very short time
before exactly the same principle applies to public libraries. In its
second annual Communications Market report, published in July, the UK
communications industry regulator Ofcom noted that, for the first
time, there are now more UK households with broadband than dial-up:
2005 was the year when broadband became a genuinely mainstream
consumer product.
So it follows that the next phase - access to sophisticated,
specialist electronic resources, not only within the library but also
from home - can only be a step away. And public libraries are going
to need the people with the talent to turn this into one of the
biggest opportunities they've ever had.
Quite frankly, I don't care whether we use the word 'library', nor do
I care whether people visit libraries - although the usage statistics
from the splendid new buildings at Brighton and Gosport do show that
good buildings attract users. It's all the same to me as long as
people get the information they need. What we can do in this
profession is broker that information better than anyone else. But we
shall have to be creative (and I don't mean gimmicky) to ensure that
our skills are recognized.
Everyone more empowered
-----------------------
We must also not be afraid of empowerment - empowerment of end-users,
at home and in the workplace, and empowerment of people within the
information and library profession. Empowerment means taking charge
of your own career, and managing it. But it doesn't mean doing that
in isolation; it also means taking advantage of the services that an
organization like CILIP can provide to ambitious, career-minded
professionals, and exploiting our already well-developed habit of
co-operation.
You'd have to have been working on the moon not to know that CILIP has
recently launched a new Framework of Qualifications
<http://digbig.com/4dkbe>. For the first time it opens up the
opportunity for paraprofessional and technical staff to gain formal
recognition of their achievements. It also recognizes non-conventional
professional career progressions - even (heaven help us) careers not
underpinned by academic library and information qualifications. And it
gives mature professionals the opportunity to revalidate their
qualifications, demonstrating that they remain both relevant and
timely.
Above all, the Framework will empower paraprofessionals - those
skilled and experienced people who keep systems and services running
smoothly, day in, day out. For the record, I think this is entirely
right; the apartheid that we used to experience, separating the
'qualified librarian' and the rest was in a real sense pathetic. It
hasn't reflected the reality of the situation on the ground for years.
It is already being eroded, and quite right too.
Co-operation is key
-------------------
We've always been pretty good at co-operating in this profession. All
over the UK, libraries are co-operating as never before to give people
access to local resources, and I'm sure that the inspiration provided
by the People's Network will push this process even further. On a
global level, the World Summit on the Information Society
<http://www.itu.int/wsis/> is seeking to achieve the same thing.
Always important, our propensity to co-operate is now key. We must,
for example, co-operate to do all we can to support the World Summit,
and ensure that the potential role of libraries to deliver its aims is
acknowledged from the start. Don't let's kid ourselves that this will
be plain sailing. We will have a lot of vested interests to fight. I
personally worry, for instance, about the continuing dominance of
United States' control of the Internet. It's not healthy, and we need
to work at it.
Despite all the challenges this profession faces, I'm convinced that
it will thrive and grow. As information professionals we hold the key
to so much that's globally important today. But we must work at it.
We must continue to seek and develop partnerships; we must be flexible
in our approach to our role; and we must get out of our silos.
Achieve that, and there's everything to play for.
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Debby Shorley graduated from Durham University in 1972 with a degree
in French and attained her postgraduate Library qualification at
Queens University Belfast in 1977. She began her professional career
in Belfast, where she worked in the Central Library during the 1970s.
She is currently Librarian at the University of Sussex, and has
recently become a Fellow of CILIP. Debby lives in the centre of
Brighton, and spends her spare time cycling up and down her city's
ubiquitous hills and walking on the South Downs. She was "greatly
honoured" to be elected by her professional colleagues to serve as
CILIP's President in 2005-6.
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Related FreePint links:
* 'Information and Libraries' articles in the FreePint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
* Post a message to the author, Debby Shorley, or suggest further
resources at the FreePint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/110805.htm#tips>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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the online information vendor who, in your opinion, has
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Cast your vote for this year's "Online Information /
FreePint Award for Best Customer Service Team":
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FREEPINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Building an Electronic Resource Collection: a practical guide"
By Stuart D Lee and Frances Boyle
Reviewed by Ann-Marie Ashby
Building an Electronic Resource Collection is a daunting task, but
with its comprehensive coverage and systematic approach, the second
edition of this book makes it a whole lot easier!
The book is split into five chapters covering: preliminary uses; the
electronic resources landscape; e-books and e-journals; accessing and
acquiring electronic resources, and delivering them. The experience
and knowledge of the authors is evident throughout. While they cover
the basics of the area coherently, in a way understandable to a
student or new professional, they never shy away from discussing
pertinent issues. They discuss openurl resolvers and linkage services,
metadata for electronic resources and managing licenses, as well as
important technical concepts such as interoperability and Z39.450,
x.509 certificates, digital signatures and VPNs (Virtual Private
Networks).
Unfortunately, because of the fast-moving nature of this area, the
book, while current at the time of writing, is already slightly dated:
Athens Devolved Authentication <http://www.athensams.net/> and
Shibboleth <http://shibboleth.internet2.edu/> aren't explored and
there is little mention of ePrints services or learning object
repositories. To compensate, the authors do cite up-to-date websites
within their text, and have an extensive bibliography. Their breadth
of coverage also means that there is something new for even the most
experienced of professionals: whether it be VLE plug-ins, examples of
electronic resource collection development policies or the impact of
open access.
Each chapter is subdivided into clear sections, and all begin with an
introduction and end with a summary. Particularly nice features are
the examples which are non-intrusive but instructional and help make
abstract concepts a reality: in the electronic resource landscape
chapter, for example, there is a discussion centred around the
importance of data and content versus interface and functionality, and
the case study highlights the fact that BIOSIS data is available from
six different suppliers. The same chapter discusses connection files
for Endnote and the place of bibliographic management software in the
electronic resources landscape. In addition, there are a number of
useful checklists, such as the 'electronic collection development by
numbers' (p142+) and the 'electronic resource evaluation checklist'
(p88+) which really are excellent practical guides.
Written for both students and more experienced collection developers
and librarians, this book cleverly combines basic coverage while also
tackling more complex issues. As 'a practical guide' it really does
deliver and will be of great help in the day-to-day work of all those
involved in this area. Moreover, through its stimulating prose, and
use of case studies and examples, the authors will undoubtedly
engender enthusiasm and further innovation for the future.
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Ann-Marie Ashby is Academic Support Team Manager (Business, Law and
Social Sciences) for Information Services at the University of
Birmingham. She has worked in academic libraries for eight years, and
is currently Membership Secretary for the British Business School
Librarians' Group <http://www.bbslg.org> and a committee member for
the JIBS User Group <http://www.jibs.ac.uk/>. When not at work she is
a keen chess-player, representing Bristol in the Four Nations Chess
League <http://www.4ncl.co.uk>. Ann-Marie also likes bridge, reading,
films and is a keen Coventry City Football Club fan.
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Related FreePint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/erc.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856045315/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856045315/freepint00>
* "Building an Electronic Resource Collection: A Practical Guide"
ISBN 1856045315, published by Facet Publishing.
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the FreePint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Strategy books on the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/110805.htm#feature>
"Trends in business information, provision and use"
By Pam Foster
The VIP publications, VIP and VIP Eye, are concerned with the
business information industry - its products, its providers and
its users <http://www.vivaVIP.com/>. An analysis of their content
for the second quarter of 2005 reveals a number of emerging trends:
Information providers are increasingly offering free content
------------------------------------------------------------
Major information companies are making determined efforts to drive
more traffic to their subscription-based services, by offering
tantalising free content. Both the Financial Times and Hoover's have
announced new free services in a bid to attract more subscribers and
advertisers.
Flat revenues have forced Pearson to create new ways of increasing
sales of its FT.com service and Financial Times newspaper. Back in
April 2005, it launched FTpm, a new, free afternoon briefing service,
available in both print and online formats. The briefing, which is
available from 4.00 pm (BST) every Monday to Friday, uses content from
FT.com and promotes content, comment and analysis in the following
day's Financial Times newspaper. As well as attempting to attract more
readers and users, Pearson will also be hoping that FTpm will be a
channel for boosting advertising sales.
FT.com has also launched a new free desktop alerts service. Users can
select from 13 news categories and choose to receive the alerts as
pop-ups or as a news ticker, or both. All alerts provide a headline
and a read option. A few alerts are available in a full-text format,
but the majority provide an opening paragraph only, with the full text
being available exclusively to FT.com subscribers.
While the new free FT services are good news for users, there's also
some alarming news from Pearson. It appears that the company is
planning to embargo its feeds to re-distributors. This means that
users who depend on aggregated services for coverage of FT content are
going to have to subscribe to FT.com if they want timely FT news and
comment.
Despite a fairly upbeat second quarter statement from Pearson, some
sector analysts believe that Pearson would be better off selling the
Financial Times. The same industry watchers will be looking out for
the impact a proposed new, free business daily newspaper will have on
FT sales in the City. The London Business Daily will be launched in
October 2005 and will be edited by David Parsley, previously Business
Editor of the UK's Sunday Express newspaper.
Hoover's has also extended its strategy of offering free information,
in an effort to draw in more subscribers and advertisers. The company
has always offered quality free data but this has now been extended to
content and tools that were previously only available to subscribers.
By getting users involved with subscriber-only tools, Hoover's is
hoping that new users will commit to the fee-paying service.
Additionally, Hoover's should also pick up more revenue from
advertisers, as the new enhancements also include an expanded Internet
Advertising Bureau (IAB)-compliant ad format.
All of these issues relating to Pearson and Hoover's are covered in
more detail in VIP Eye, Nos 31, 32, 37 and 38.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com/eye>. VIP published an in-depth review of
Hoover's in April this year. <http://www.vivaVIP.com/vip>.
Search engines offering single search access to premium content
---------------------------------------------------------------
A new development from Yahoo! now means that it's possible for users
in the UK and US to search their personal subscription content, via a
single search. Unlike Google Scholar, which offers something similar
for academic content, the new Yahoo! Search Subscriptions service
concentrates on business information and news.
Content is currently fairly limited but plans to include selected data
from such companies as the Financial Times, Factiva, LexisNexis and
Thomson Gale will greatly improve the quality of business information
on offer. Users can search across all content or restrict their
searches by source. Additionally, the search page provides an option
for searching across the free web. Advanced search offers the same
options as the web version of Yahoo!
Yahoo! users will be able to see the headlines from Factiva,
LexisNexis, etc. but only subscribers to those services will be able
to read the text of an article. Depending on vendor, non-subscribers
will be provided with an option to either purchase the article on a
pay-as-you-go basis or take out a subscription to the service.
It's difficult to know what to make of Yahoo! Search Subscriptions.
For the vendors taking part, it will promote their content to Yahoo's
audience of 372 million users, which should result in more sales. For
users, it will provide a means of conducting a single search, via a
single interface, across all of their subscribed content without being
required to log on to each separate service. However, serious users of
business information are more likely to subscribe to a package of
information and data from vendors, negotiated at a special rate for
their organisation, and it's doubtful that they would find the Yahoo!
service adequate for their needs. By the same token, the advanced
search features of Yahoo! may not be sophisticated enough for
professional searchers.
Yahoo! Search Subscriptions is more likely to appeal to smaller users
of business information and individuals. Yahoo! would do well to make
the process easier for this group of searchers by providing a
centralised way to pay-per-view or pay for a monthly subscription.
Such a publishing model is likely to attract more publishers and many
more users.
Further information on Yahoo! Search Subscriptions is available in VIP
Eye, No. 36. <http://www.vivaVIP.com/eye>.
New product development focuses on Asia
---------------------------------------
Several major online companies are focusing their efforts on
developing products covering the Asia-Pacific markets.
The acquisition of Mergent by Xinhua Finance has resulted in a number
of new products covering the China market. The most significant of
these is China Insight, which combines information from Xinhua Finance
with software from Mergent. Information includes company fundamentals,
sector reports, corporate news, annual reports and credit ratings
reports. Charting functionality enables users to view historical
daily, weekly and monthly data ranging from one week to 30 years.
There are also options for compiling index and sector comparisons, as
well as company comparisons for up to four companies.
Another major advantage resulting from the synergies between Xinhua
and Mergent is that the Mergent Online service is now able to offer
full Chinese company data.
Xinhua Finance is fast becoming a major information company. As well
as acquiring Mergent, more recently it also purchased two further
companies. The first, Taylor Rafferty, is a leading independent
investor relations and cross-border financial communications advisor.
The second company, Washington Analysis, is an economic and political
analysis company.
VIP has published an extensive review of China Insight, together with
a second review covering Mergent Online, in the May 2005 issue.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com/vip>.
CEIC China Premium Database is the latest product to be launched by
CEIC, which was recently acquired by Euromoney Institutional Investor,
parent of ISI Emerging Markets. It provides macro-economic data and
information on 16 of China's most important industries. Nearly 127,000
data series are available, at both the national and provincial levels.
Two complementary databases provide useful international comparative
data.
The June 2005 issue of VIP published in-depth reviews of both the CEIC
Economic Databases and ISI Emerging Markets.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com/vip>.
Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing (BvDEP) has launched its first
major Asia-wide product. ORIANA provides data on 85,000 public and
private companies, located in 17 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
All data is sourced from local providers.
ORIANA is currently only available in a CD-ROM format but there are
plans to offer a Web version.
VIP will review ORIANA in a forthcoming issue. A detailed description
of ORIANA is published in VIP Eye, No. 35. <http://www.vivaVIP.com/eye>.
Search engines diverting revenue from information companies
-----------------------------------------------------------
Google and Yahoo! earned as much revenue as the 10 largest information
companies in 2004. Analysis by Outsell has shown that these two search
engines are squeezing revenue away from some companies and trouncing
legacy business models. Even when Google and Yahoo! are taken out of
the equation, information companies still achieved triple to double
growth. However, Outsell predicts that 2005 figures will show that
growth is declining for the information sector.
Further information is available in VIP Eye, No. 35.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com/eye>.
European online market is slowing down
--------------------------------------
The European online market increased by 10% in 2004, the lowest
increase for three years. Even more disheartening is the fact that
half of this latest growth is not from new sales but is the result of
users switching their spending from traditional print to online
services.
The research, undertaken by IRN Research as part of its annual survey
of the European market for online information, reveals that online
business information is the largest market segment, accounting for 66%
of total online sales in Europe in 2004. Online sales in this segment
increased by 7% at current prices in 2004, and was boosted by more
online sales of legal, tax, and regulatory information and market
research online subscription services.
IRN Research is forecasting value growth of between 7% and 8% in the
European online information market in 2005, but this lower growth in
market value is likely to be accompanied by a further strengthening of
the profit performances of most of the leading players.
The report offers good news on corporate information budgets which it
claims are beginning to shake off the ties of recent years. Most core
academic STM information budgets are still static or declining, but
growth continues to be driven primarily by practitioner sectors such
as healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Further information is available in VIP Eye, No. 37.
<http://www.vivaVIP.com.eye>.
US SMEs are bypassing subscription services in favour of web
------------------------------------------------------------
Research from Shore Communications shows that US small and medium-
sized companies (SMEs) are bypassing subscription-based services in
favour of the web. Google and original company web sites are cited as
the most important information resources for these companies.
The findings offer a challenge to business information providers to
provide new models and products for small and medium-sized companies.
Some companies are already meeting this challenge. Hoover's has
targeted this market for some time and, as we saw earlier has just
announced enhancements to its services.
More recently, OneSource has launched OneSource Express for the UK and
US. These two new products provide SMEs with information on companies,
executives, corporate hierarchies and news alerts. Both products are
available via annual subscription.
VIP published in-depth reviews of both OneSource Express and OneSource
Express UK in its July 2005 issue. <http://www.vivaVIP.com>.
Please note that the VIP web site provides free Tables of Content for
each issue of VIP: <http://www.vivaVIP.com/vip>.
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Pam Foster is the Editor of VIP and VIP Eye <http://www.vivaVIP.com/>,
and has been actively involved in the business information industry
as a writer and reviewer for nearly 20 years.
Pam previously played a major role in Headland Business Information
since its inception, as editor of its newsletters and directories.
More recently, she has acted as a consultant to several large
information companies.
She has an extensive network of contacts in the international business
information sector amongst producers and users. A qualified
information professional, Pam also has a social science degree.
Contact Pam Foster by email to <pam.foster@vivavip.com>.
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<http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
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* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/110805.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
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- Publication Date: 10th August 2005
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