Jinfo: Newsletter No. 265

FreePint is a global network of people who find, use, manage and share work-related information. Members receive this free twice-monthly newsletter, packed with tips, features and resources.

Joining FreePint is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and connects information practitioners around the world with resources, events and answers to their tricky research and information questions at the FreePint Bar, our free online forum: <http://www.freepint.com/bar/>.

Please share FreePint with others by forwarding this message. The FreePint Newsletter is available online in several formats and can be read, saved and forwarded at <http://www.freepint.com/issues/>.

Editorial

By Sara Waddington

Sara Waddington In this issue of the FreePint newsletter, we focus on using and managing information - using new environments to help extend your business and information networks as well as managing structured data more efficiently on the web

Sheila Webber, in her FUMSI 'Use' article, talks about business uses for Second Life (SL) and gives some tips for working in SL. SL is a virtual world (VW) which provides a digital environment in which you can explore and interact. Librarians started collaborating in SL early on, and a rota of librarians provides reference services from the clutch of Info Islands and organises events.

The goal of the Semantic Web is to enable people to share structured data on the Web as easily as they can share documents today. A lot has been written about what the Semantic Web is, but little has been said about the impact it will have. After a brief recap on what the Semantic Web is all about, Silver Oliver (in his FUMSI 'Manage' article) discusses three effects that it will have on information management.

The real change, says Silver, will come from improving push and recommendation style services. The Semantic Web could assist by publishing data in a way that smart applications can take advantage of and so improve smart 'context aware' recommendations.

FreePint is now soliciting nominations for the FUMSI Award for Most Useful Article. Any article published in the FUMSI database between December 2007 and September 2008 is eligible - both the author and article nominee will receive recognition and the award recipient will be announced at the FreePint stand (number 122) at the forthcoming Online Information exhibition. Send us your nomination today! And let us know you'll be attending Online, so that we can keep you informed about highlights for FreePinters.

Don't miss FreePint's report on the fourth annual EuroIA Summit; and don't forget that this month's VIP includes a comparative review of Factiva, LN and Dialog this year including our user survey of who uses which products, how, and with what degree of satisfaction! You can preorder this incredible issue now with the full survey report. Visit http://web.vivavip.com/go/report/1195 to learn more and purchase your copy with a credit card. Or subscribe today to VIP and receive the full report as part of your subscription.

Sara Waddington
Senior Managing Editor
Free Pint Limited

FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2008

Do you use Dialog, Factiva or LexisNexis for news content?

Don't miss VIP's comparative review -- functions,
search results and content, compared

New this year: user survey results!

Single issue: GBP 54
Issue + copy of survey results: GBP 74
Preorder now to receive your copy upon publication next week:
http://web.vivavip.com/go/vip/60

Online Information - Free Exhibition

2-4 December 2008, Olympia Grand Hall, London

Experience latest developments, launches and innovations first-hand

Over 230 International Exhibitors

Wide range of free seminars, masterclasses and case-studies

Programme now published on website including:
New Seminar Stream - Global Business Information Forum

http://www.online-information.co.uk/promo/freepint

Develop Your Strengths with Quantum²

For a wide array of hands-on training and resource materials, turn to Quantum², an innovative skills development programme provided *free* by Dialog. The programme helps information professionals:

Expand your services through strategic and business competencies
Improve flow of information in your organisation
Gain visibility and build value for your work

Discover best practices, *plus* the know-how to implement them.
Free monthly newsletter and further information at:
http://quantum.dialog.com/

My Favourite Tipples

By Pam Foster

Pam Foster

I'm always on the look out for sites that offer news, comment and opinion on new technologies and their implications for the information/library world. My first three selections are my favourite resources for keeping informed and current. My last three reflect three of my main past-times, fell walking, cinema and shopping!

Rafat Ali's Paid Content is a daily must read for anyone who needs very current news and comment on the digital content business.
Adriana Lukas' slightly 'off the wall' and original blog Media Influencer is a fun and informative source of comment on the influences of social media.
iLibrarian is a blog written by Ellyssa Kroski. News and is an excellent resource for comment on Library 2.0 and the information revolution.
I enjoy fell walking and live about an hour's drive from the South Lakes. The daily updated Lakeland Cam reminds me how lucky I am to have this beautiful area almost on my doorstep.
I'm a big movie fan and the Internet Movie Database iIMDb is an extensive source of information for both commercial and independent films.
I like to give flowers as gifts but it's important that flowers are sourced ethically. Eco Flowers Delivered ensures that your gift says 'I love you and the Earth too!'

Pam Foster has been actively involved in the business information industry as a writer and reviewer for over 20 years. She 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 and was editor of FreePint's VIP magazine until her retirement in April 2008.

Would you like to add your Favourite Tipples suggestions for the FreePint newsletter or write an article for FUMSI (Find, Use, Manage or Share Information?).

If so, please contact Sara Waddington at sara.waddington@freepint.com with your ideas or visit http://www.freepint.com/author/

Back to top ^

Information Management Solutions - Free Exhibition

2-4 December 2008, Olympia Grand Hall, London

http://www.online-information.co.uk/promo/freepint1

Discover latest Search, Content Management and Web 2.0 Solutions

Wide range of free seminars and case-studies

Unique networking opportunities

Plus - New Seminar Stream - Marketing Through Social Media

Planning to attend Online 2008? Let us know:

Participate in the FreePint Special Report on Online 2008
Learn when our editors will be delivering talks at our stand
Request sample publications

If you can't make it to London, you can still get the benefit: Complete the RSVP form, and we'll send you a free copy of the FreePint Special Report after the event!

FreePint Bar

By Sara Waddington

Sara Waddington Project work, library design tips, intranet manager requirements, internal data sharing and online aggregators are hot topics on the Bar at the moment. See a round-up of recent conversations below and click through to join the discussion. Post your research dilemmas to the FreePint Bar.

The FreePint Bar is generously sponsored by Dialog.

One 'Pinter is looking for fellow Bar members' experiences of capturing meaningful data on projects undertaken by teams - something that is beyond the amount of time taken? She wants to be able to quantify the work undertaken on such work by her own team..... Can you help?
Another Barista, who is aiming to design a corporate library and information centre, is searching for the relevant standards eg square metrage, users, lighting requirements, shelving types and proportions etc., as well as trends and suggestions for the interior design.
FreePint is launching a survey to gather information about the interests and needs of intranet managers. If you manage or contribute to the management of your organisation's intranet, please take a few minutes to complete this online survey. Respondents who provide a valid email address will receive a copy of the results. If you can help, let FreePint know.
One member would appreciate advice from the Bar on the best way to share project information within an organisation of over 200 employees. Perhaps you have experience of setting up a corporate wiki or can recommend any other solutions as well as advantages/disadvantages?
A 'Pinter, who works in the Information Centre at the Financial Services Authority, is in early discussions with online aggregators with a view to streamlining its services and products. He is interested in hearing of the Bar's experiences and perhaps visiting other organisations using such aggregators.
Nominate your favourite FUMSI article for the FUMSI Citation for Most Useful Article. Any FUMSI article published between December 2007 and September 2008 is eligible for this year's award, which will be announced at Online Information 2008, at the FreePint stand (#122). A list of articles eligible for the award (with links to the article) can be found on the nomination form. We look forward to learning how contributors have helped you FUMSI!

Sara Waddington is senior managing editor of Free Pint Ltd. She can be contacted at sara.waddington@freepint.com

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>.

Subscribe to the twice-weekly email digests at <http://www.freepint.com/subs/>.

Back to top ^

FUMSI Features

FUMSI publishes articles, tools, and a monthly magazine, to give you practical help with information skills. Visit http://www.fumsi.com/

However you Find, Use, Manage or Share Information, you'll find something in FUMSI to help.

We add new articles to the FUMSI database in each practice area every month, which are free to read, browse, email, print or save. Here are the most recent additions:

Second Life for Business: Ten Techniques

FUMSI: Use

Virtual worlds (VWs), like Second Life and World of Warcraft, have been all the rage on the consumer side for some time, but it's not always clear whether or how businesses can make use of those brave new worlds. Sheila Webber and her avatar provide tips for making the most of a corporate presence in a virtual world.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'There are also sectors which are working their way towards a business model. The education sector is one of the strongest....there are now examples of SL teaching in just about every discipline. Students studying literature can 'be' Jane Eyre; biology students can fly through a giant model of a testis (prettier than you'd think); architecture and engineering students can experiment without incurring real life costs.'

Read, print, save or forward this article now. »

How the Semantic Web Will Change Information Management: Three Predictions

FUMSI: Manage

Much has been said on the topic of the Semantic Web, but it's not always easy to gauge how it will change the way we work. Silver Oliver provides an overview of how the Semantic Web will affect users and applications, not to mention the role of the information professional.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Does this mean we will all need to become ontologists? Probably no more than we are all taxonomists at the moment. That is, you don't need to know how to build them so much as how to apply them to a domain. In fact we might need to develop our user-centred design skills as much as our ontology-building ones.'

Read, print, save or forward this article now »

Also recently Added to the FUMSI Database:

Back to top ^

Have we helped you FUMSI?

Let us know by nominating an article for this year's FUMSI Citation:
http://www.freepint.com/events/online-info-2008/citation/

If an article in the FUMSI database has helped you or your colleagues Find, Use, Manage or Share Information, take a minute to thank the author by nominating it for The FUMSI Citation for Most Useful Article.

All articles published between December 2007 and September 2008 are eligible.

Award to be announced at Online 2008.

Nominate Now »

New FUMSI Report: Federated Search Report and Tool Kit

Maximise access to and use of *all* your resources -- explore federated search! Author Jill Hurst-Wahl provides guidance on research, team development, due diligence and implementation and measurement. 10 hands-on activities take you from planning through completion.

FUMSI Subscribers: 50% off list prices! Learn more and purchase at http://web.fumsi.com/go/report/manage/1178

VIP Features

VIP publishes in-depth, unbiased reviews of business information products. If you purchase or use premium information resources, make VIP part of your professional reading every month.

Pre-order now! Our special comparative review of news products from Factiva, LexisNexis and Dialog will be published in Novembers issue. Subscribers will receive free a copy of the full results of our user survey of these products. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can pre-order your copy of Novembers VIP online and/or purchase the full report. Learn more now »

VIP issue 59 VIP issue no. 59 includes:

Weathering the Storm: VIP presents a swathe of products and vendors that could help cope with the challenging economic environment.
Interesting Times: The man who is challenging US federal, state and local agencies to drop copyright claims to their laws; and the algorithmic error that wiped 76% off the value of United Airlines.
More Tools of the Trade: VIP's expert reviewers take a look in depth at two of Bureau van Dijk's key company financial and ownership databases, FAME and AMADEUS.
Private Equity Explained: As the major investment banks topple, Sylvia James looks at how a rather hidden, very private and shadowy world of buy-outs and oddly named firms came to dominate corporate finance activity.

In the next VIP: We compare coverage of news from the Big Three -- Factiva, LexisNexis and Dialog; and Sylvia James on the credit crunch.
Purchase VIP issue no. 59 from the VIP website, or start your subscription now.

Now publishing the VIP LiveWire Commentary on the industry, by the VIP editorial team. Get its insight on trends, products, user needs and more. You do not need to subscribe to VIP Magazine in order to receive the free weekly headlines from the LiveWire (learn more and subscribe now).