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23rd July 2009
No.282
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About FreePint
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FreePint publishes newsletters, websites, magazines and resources for the information industry. The FreePint Family of publications publishes practical tips, product reviews, expert tips, research collections and hands-on tools to support information work of all kinds. The FreePint Bar provides a Q&A forum for getting your research questions answered and building a network of peers worldwide.
This twice-monthly free FreePint Newsletter serves as a guide to the latest content, including discussion at the Bar, tips articles, vacancies, professional development events, product reviews, editorial commentary and more. Subscribing is free and connects you with the information community around the world. Subscribe today.
The latest announcements, including publication contents, can always be found at the FreePint Feed. Subscribe to RSS for the FreePint Feed for fastest updates.
Please share FreePint with others by forwarding this newsletter.
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Editorial
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By Sara Waddington
 Thanks to the entire FreePint team for helping to create an excellent experience at SLA 2009. Photos can be found on the FUMSI Facebook page - why not share some of your own SLA photos? Don't forget to request your copy of FreePint's SLA 2009 Special Report. The report, containing comments from those who attended and those who followed from afar, will be published shortly.
VIP has also just published the VIP Report: Survey on Outsourcing. The report documents perspectives, opinions and concerns of information professionals regarding the outsourcing of information services. The report can be purchased through the VIP shop; VIP subscribers receive the report at no additional charge as part of their subscription.
 In this issue of the FreePint newsletter, Jennifer Smith explains, in her article 'Information in the Cloud: 10-Point Check List for Choosing a Hosted Provider', why cheap hosting is best avoided. Your information is a critical asset and you need to ensure it is hosted by a company with the resources to store it securely. For many companies, hosting provides a more secure and less hassle alternative to maintaining their own hosting infrastructure. Use Jennifer's checklist for reassurance in evaluating your provider.
Also in this issue, Martin Belam sits down with Mark Bide, Project Director for ACAP (a protocol to allow machines to automatically understand the terms and conditions of content re-use over the Internet) to talk about how it can underpin the legal use of protected data assets - read his interview in 'Copyright and Content: Sharing in a Digital Age'.
Don't forget that FUMSI has published the results of its survey on opinions and perspectives of intranet managers. Thanks to all who participated to help make the FUMSI Report: Survey on Intranet Management so successful. Purchase the report to learn more about how info pros rate their organisations for intranet strategy, who's running intranet budgets and staff and challenges identified by info pros in making the most of their intranets. The report is included in FUMSI subscriptions and with any purchase of the FUMSI Report: Folio on Intranet Management, which provides six practical FUMSI articles on approaches to adding value, plus our editor's commentary and recommendations.
All FUMSI Reports are included in the cost of a FUMSI subscription or can be purchased separately.
Sara Waddington
Senior Managing Editor
FreePint
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2009
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 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/
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My Favourite Tipples
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By Abbe Karavitis
- The Smarta network has been set up for business start-ups and entrepreneurs and covers everything from business tools to business plans, wikis, fora and advice on research, marketing and business set-up.
- I find The Business Traveller is a great one-stop shop for travel. It offers news, features, city guides, deals on hotel stays, flights, holidays etc., a facility to plan and book flights, choose loyalty schemes and a host of other services for the business traveller.
- Billed as 'public services all in one place', Directgov is the gateway to UK government information and services (formerly UK online). Information services range from crime, education, employment and environment to health, home, money/pensions, motoring and travel/transport.
- If you're looking for daily international article links on the arts as well as links to numerous art blogs, then the Arts Journal is a useful site. You can also find information on literature, media and art history.
- The UK Parliament's website is an intriguing mix of the latest news from the House of Commons and the House of Lords as well as links to the latest Parliamentary research (on a variety of topics), committees and reports, bills and legislation. It also features alphabetical lists of MPs, Lords and constituencies in the UK.
Abbe Karavitis has a degree in law/business studies with marketing and runs an estate agency business.
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://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute>.
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Trial FUMSI - only £39 for three months
Order online »
For the cost of a single FUMSI report, you can get FUMSI for three months and share with every location of your organisation to gauge its value.
Take a no-obligation trial today and get:
- July: FUMSI Report: Folio and Survey on Social Media in the Enterprise
- August: FUMSI Report: Folio and Survey on Alternative Search.
Plus the monthly FUMSI Magazine and internal reuse of all materials -- intranet, internal newsletter, custom training packets...
Request sample materials, or order online today.
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FreePint Bar
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By Sara Waddington
ECM and EDRMS software information, data on UK importers, sources for old mobile phones/manuals, alternative search engines and FreePint's SLA experience 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 »
FreePint Bar
- Can anyone help a Bar member find i) the print and/or web publications from the IT-side that deal with ECM (enterprise content management) / EDRMS (electronic documents records management systems) software and solid reviews or commentary on such software; ii) forums which deal specifically or at great length with ECM and / or EDRMS software? Advice, hints and tips from the Bar would be greatly appreciated.
- The FreePint team has had a great time meeting with subscribers, customers, sponsors, contributors and fans at SLA 2009 in Washington, D.C. What's been the best session so far? What new ideas are you bringing home? Share your insights here, or contribute them to our SLA 2009 Special Report. Every contributor gets a free copy of the full report upon publication.
- One 'Pinter would appreciate the Bar's thoughts on finding data on UK importers. Recommendations on good resources (apart from HMR&C) that have details of shipment numbers and information such as values, sizes, arrival ports/airports are gratefully sought.
- Another 'Pinter is interested in good sources (specific collections, websites etc.) for old mobile phone manuals and old models of mobile phones, especially from the mid-1990's onwards.
- In August, FUMSI will be publishing a report on alternative search engines and tools to help researchers get the most value from web-based searching. As part of that project, we invite you to participate in a brief online survey about what kinds of searches you do regularly, which tools you use, and how you manage your knowledge on search engines. Take the 5-minute survey. We'll send a copy of the survey report to anyone who completes the survey and provides a valid email address.
Visit the FreePint Bar »
FreePint Feed
The FreePint Feed keeps you up to date on what's new across all the sites in the FreePint Family.
Visit the FreePint Feed »
Sara Waddington is Senior Managing Editor of FreePint. She can be contacted at sara.waddington@freepint.com
The FreePint Bar is where you can get free help with your tricky research questions.
Subscribe to the free FreePint Digest to receive a weekly update of the latest Bar discussion, plus FreePint Feed announcements.
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FUMSI Features
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 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.
Become a fan of FUMSI on Facebook »
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:
Information in the Cloud: 10-Point Check List for Choosing a Hosted Provider
 By Jennifer Smith
FUMSI: Manage
In an age when cloud storage architecture is becoming more robust, offering not just cost savings but reliability, information professionals are playing a bigger role in determining how enterprise information is getting stored in the cloud. Jennifer Smith offers a common sense checklist of attributes and questions to assess hosted providers, along with tips for the types of answers to look for.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Like cheap wine and cheap shoes, cheap hosting is best avoided. Your information is a critical asset and you need to ensure it is hosted by a company with the resources to store it securely.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Copyright and Content: Sharing in a Digital Age
 By Martin Belam
FUMSI: Share
In our digital age, copyright takes on a new urgency for publishers and corporate content consumers. Martin Belam sits down with Mark Bide, Project Director for ACAP (a protocol to allow machines to automatically understand the terms and conditions of content re-use over the Internet) to talk about how it can underpin the legal use of protected data assets.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'There are certainly those who oppose ACAP because they are opposed to any attempt to regulate online culture. I am sure the same types of voices have been heard on every frontier as civilisation reaches out to bring things under proper control. No doubt, something is lost in the process; but society itself has a great deal to gain.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Also recently added to the FUMSI database:
Browse all FUMSI articles »
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Discover Nexis®Direct
LexisNexis® offers world-class content, information and workflow solutions for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, accounting and academic markets - to make their jobs faster, easier and more productive.
Nexis, our comprehensive news and business information service and Nexis®Direct, our new tool for business users, provide quick access to premium content covering news, companies, executives and industries worldwide.
To find out more, visit our website or call us on 020 7400 2984.
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VIP Features
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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 »
 VIP Magazine No. 68 includes:
- Intriguing Results: The VIP Editorial Team details the results from a recent Outsourcing Survey conducted by Free Pint Ltd. and Integreon.
- Close-Up: Highlights from Anne Jordan's detailed reviews of Alacra Pulse (a recent addition to the Alacra suite of products) and RightTrade, a media sentiment and financial analytics service.
- Under Pressure: Licensing for re-use of newspaper content is set to extend to web sites from next year. VIP reports on this licensing story and rounds up the latest industry and product news.
- A special two-page section called VIP Horizon. Based on conversations with subscribers, we are experimenting with ways to help you communicate internally around issues and challenges in information work. We invite VIP subscribers to extract the VIP Horizon pages, add your notes, and share them freely throughout their *entire* organisation, regardless of their distribution level.
In the next VIP: We review SkyMinder's aggregated credit database and Esmerk.
Purchase VIP Magazine No. 68 from the VIP Website, or start your subscription now.
VIP LiveWire
VIP contributing editors comment daily on what's happening in the industry.
Visit the LiveWire for their insights, and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.
VIP Wires Weekly is generously sponsored by LexisNexis.
Recent posts:
- The newspaper industry's survival in the digital age has been the subject of discussion in several Livewire postings, as has the concept of the 'freemium' business model adopted by some online publishers.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e22056
- iStrategyLabs released its 2009 Facebook demographic and statistics report - http://digbig.com/5baath - to find that, horrors! The FB virtual corridors that once teemed with the 18-24 set are now filled with parents and grandparents. iStrategy found that 'There has been a staggering increase in the number of 55+.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e21704
- On July 13 Fitch Ratings and Fitch Solutions (www.fitchratings.com) announced the release of a new, integrated single platform website. The company, a global ratings agency providing the world's credit markets with independent and prospective credit opinions, research, and data, now has a single portal through which both registered users of.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e21930
VIP
LiveWire »
VIP Wire
Information-related product and news announcements. Post your
releases and receive news FREE.
VIP Wire »
VIP - Subscribe
and Back Issues
Start a trial subscription today for only £80 for three months. Visit http://web.vivavip.com/go/shop/volume/trial/ to start your trial. You can also purchase back-issues of VIP from the VIP Archive.
VIP Archive »
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Everyone's Searching for Search Solutions
Audio, video, text, transcripts...
an info pro has to know how to find them all, as and when needed.
Complete our brief survey on alternative search - share your favourite tips, and learn from your peers:
http://digbig.com/5baard
Participants receive a copy of full report upon publication in August.
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Jinfo - Jobs and Events in Information
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 Jinfo is the central location for supporting your information career. The Jinfo Jobs database lists vacancies, and the Jinfo Events database lists workshops, conferences, training, webinars and other professional development opportunities.
Start a free subscription to receive the weekly Jinfo Update, with a complete list of the latest vacancies and events, or search the databases at any time (free).
Jinfo Jobs in the FreePint Newsletter are supported through our partnership with Quantum2, an innovative skills development programme offered by Dialog. Learn more at <http://quantum.dialog.com/>.
Jinfo Jobs:
Here is a selection of the latest featured vacancies in the Jinfo database:
- Information Resources Coordinator
Info pro with German & English skills needed to manage & deliver info service in US law firm.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
Country: Germany
- Information Officer - VLE
Information Officer required to maintain and operate virtual learning environment and deal with help desk enquiries.
Recruiter: Weekes Gray Recruitment
Country: United Kingdom
- Knowledge Exchange Co-ordinator
A research organisation based in the Oxford/Wiltshire area seeks a Knowledge Exchange Co-ordinator...
Recruiter: TFPL
Country: United Kingdom
- Information Specialists - Unit Head
Information Specialists - Unit Head, Cheltenham
Recruiter: GCHQ
Country: United Kingdom
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Legal Information Officer - 12 month contract
Research for excellent opportunity with City Law Practice to do involved business information work.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
Country: United Kingdom
Browse all Jinfo
Jobs »
Jinfo Events:
Here is a selection of the latest featured events in the Jinfo database:
Browse all Jinfo
Events »
Jinfo - the best place for information-related job vacancies and professional development opportunities.
- RECRUITING?
- Advertise a vacancy for just GBP 195
- 10% discount for agencies
- 50% discount for registered charities
- RUNNING AN EVENT?
List it on Jinfo to reach a targeted audience seeking professional development opportunities
- Get started at <http://web.jinfo.com/events/load/>
- Partner events listed for free; enquire at <support@jinfo.com>.
Find out more today at <http://www.jinfo.com/>
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| Highlights from ResourceShelf and DocuTicker
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Gold
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A look back at what the FreePint Newsletter covered at this time in previous years:
- FreePint No. 257, 24th July 2008. "The EU: Closer Than You Thought!" and "Do We Have To Work Harder in a Downturn?"
- FreePint No. 234, 26th July 2007. "RSS Update: It's RSS, Jim, but Not as We Know It" and "Calling in the Specialists: Enhancing Your Services with Subcontractors"
- FreePint No. 210, 27th July 2006. "Embracing the Wiki Way: Deploying a Corporate Wiki" and "Job Trends in the Information Market: A Q&A with Hazel Hall"
- FreePint No. 187, 28th July 2005. "Plain and clear: Resources on Plain English" and "Local Search, The Search Engines and Yellow Pages"
- FreePint No. 164, 29th July 2004. "Artificial Intelligence" and "Money Laundering new regulations - implications for information provision"
- FreePint No. 141, 24th July 2003. "The Psychology of Corporations and Corporate Officers" and "Automotive Industry Sources: What Forest? All I See Are Trees!"
- FreePint No. 117, 25th July 2002. "News Agencies on the Web"
- FreePint No. 92, 19th July 2001. "Information Architecture and Web Usability Resources" and "Summoned by Bells"
- FreePint No. 67, 20th July 2000. "Puppetry and Animation Sources on the Web" and "Web resources for handheld computers"
- FreePint No. 43, 22nd July 1999. "Full Text Online?" and "Intranet 'Toolkits' for Integrating Online Services - a world of possibilities"
- FreePint No. 19, 23rd July 1998. "Wish You Were Here ... Travel and Tourism Resources on the Web" and "First Amongst Equals"
FreePint Newsletter Archive »
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| Forthcoming Articles - Provisional
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Contact Information
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Address:
Free Pint Limited
4-6 Station Approach Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2QN, United Kingdom
Telephone:
UK: 0870 141 7474 Int: +44 870 141 7474
Directions and maps: <http://www.freepint.com/contact.htm>
Contributors to this issue:
Sara Waddington (Senior Managing Editor, FreePint), Abbe Karavitis, Jennifer Smith, Martin Belam, Nancy Davis Kho (Copyeditor), Robin Neidorf (General Manager), William Hann (Publisher), Douglas Brown (Proofreader).
Advertisers/Sponsors:
Quantum2 from Dialog, City University London School of Informatics, LexisNexis, Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited, Glen Recruitment, TFPL, Weekes Gray Recruitment, GCHQ.
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2009 <http://www.freepint.com/>
Technology by Willco <http://www.Willco.com/>
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your subscriptions or password, visit <http://www.freepint.com/subs/> or forward this email, with your request and registered email address, to <support@freepint.com>. For details about contributing, advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at <http://www.freepint.com/>.
Please note: FreePint (ISSN 1460-7239) 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 Robin Neidorf, General Manager, <robin.neidorf@freepint.com> for more details. Product names used in FreePint are for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners. FreePint disclaims any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.
FreePint is published by Free Pint Limited, registered in England and
Wales. Registered Number: 3754418. Registered Office: Delaport Coach
House, Lamer Lane, Wheathampstead, Herts, AL4 8RQ
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