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8th December 2011
No.340
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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.
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Editorial
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 By Michelle Manafy
News: read all about it
With the Online Information show behind us for another year, we next focus our conference attention on the SIIA Information Industry Summit. We are active participants in this event; I've been working with the conference planning committee and our Director of Research Robin Neidorf will be delivering some sound advice in her session "Buyer-Seller-User: The True Lens for Evaluating ROI", which is part of this year's debut of the Buyer/Supplier Forum.
 For my part, I will also be moderating a session that promises to deliver some high level insights into an industry that produces something we all need: news. In my session, "The British Invasion: Leading the Global Media Charge", I'll be speaking with the CTO of The Economist Online, The Executive Director of Metro UK, and an executive from the FT. I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering at how certain brands develop successful business strategies despite the ever-decreasing value (that is in terms of what people are willing to pay) of news content.
That definition of value, in fact, is one of the things that confounds me most. There are few individuals or organisations that would say they don't need news (be it industry specific, local, national or international). In fact, it is clear from our FreePint Research Report: Survey on News Needs and Preferences 2011, that news remains one of the most important areas to information buyers and users. It is also clear that there remains a good deal of pressure to use good-enough free sources to reduce overall spending on news content.
There are areas in which premium content services continue to hold sway over their free counterparts, such as in the provision of alerts, industry news, company and financial news and a deep archive. Of note is the fact that mobile availability has reached a tipping point in terms of value and taken a significant step forward in importance in the past year. As our past research into news needs and preferences has often been predictive of what we'll see in other information areas in subsequent years, it will be particularly interesting to see whether this holds true in our forthcoming FreePint Research Report: Enterprise Market for Mobile Content 2012, which will be published in January.
As ever, we want to help inform decision-making processes for both buyers and sellers. Our FreePint Research Report: Survey on News Needs and Preferences 2011 is certainly undertaken with that in mind. However, this year we are also offering the FreePint Report: Buyer's Guide On Business News Information at everyone's favourite price: free. Request your free copy of the Buyer's Guide On Business News Information, and read all about it.
Best regards,
Michelle Manafy,
Director of Content
FreePint
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2011
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My Favourite Tipples
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 By Nicole Engard
As a library educator, I am always researching new tools, articles, resources, and technologies for use in the classes I teach. I find that tools that let me easily save and access resources are the ones I use the most often.
- Zotero is a desktop app and Firefox add on that enables you collect, manage and cite research sources. I have both versions installed and I also have an online account that I sync to so that I can access my resources when away from my computer. I have created folders for all the topics I teach and write about so that I can save articles, websites and blog posts as I find them in my day-to-day web browsing.
- Delicious scared a lot of people a little while back by almost going away. A lot of librarians moved to other services but I have stuck it out and have to say that without Delicious I don't know what I'd do. I use Delicious to bookmark all the new open source (and other library related) tools I find. I then use my tags and stacks to find tools when writing up a new course or updating an old one.
- Jing, in conjunction with Screencast.com, helps me when trying to teach something simple to a librarian. I have Jing installed on my computer and have a free account on Screencast.com so that I can record short screencasts that show something simple like how to check out a book in Koha and then post them on the web for the librarian to view.
- Dropbox makes it so that I can easily work with my worldwide colleagues without having to email files back and forth. Working in a virtual office means that we don't have a local network where we can share files, so we're always putting files in our Dropbox to share them. Dropbox's free account is usually enough for this type of space, but at work we did buy some extra storage so that we could keep files there longer.
- Google Docs also helps make working with colleagues at a distance possible and easy. I am always creating new documents and spreadsheets in Google Docs and sharing them with others to help me with the editing. Using Google Docs, I'm able to start a manuscript and have others come in and help me enhance it and build upon it. The built-in chat also comes in handy when working with others on the same document because we can "talk" while we edit the document or spreadsheet.
Nicole C. Engard is the Director of Open Source Education at ByWater Solutions. Nicole has published two books on technology in libraries, is working on a third and keeps librarians up-to-date on web technologies via her website What I Learned Today...
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 submit them to support@freepint.com.
Have a single tip to share? Post it to the FUMSI Forum.
View the guidelines at: <http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute>.
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Request your free FreePint Report: Buyer's Guide On Business News Information
In addition to providing a guide to companies providing tools to power business news information, this free report includes three FUMSI articles, written by experts in the field, on:
- Selected sources for news
- Sound advice: Online audio archives & repositories for research
- Search engines revisited
Plus helpful information from listings in the FreePint Buyer's Guide on business news information.
Request your free copy »
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The best kept secret in Risk Management
The interactive online Business Intelligence system from Company Watch provides:
- information & analysis on companies from around the world
- tools to manipulate financial data: what-if, stress testing and forecasting
- the ability to add companies & generate immediate H-Score evaluations.
Find out more at www.companywatch.net
9 out of 10 companies that fail are identified in advance by the Company Watch H-Score.
Also available via Bloomberg and Alacra Premium
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FreePint Bar
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The FreePint Bar is where we publish information about the latest content from across the FreePint Family of resources.
The FreePint Bar is sponsored by:
Latest posts at the FreePint Bar:
- [DocuTopic] Stubborn facts and slippery statistics
"Facts are stubborn things," but often they are not stubborn enough. This quote about stubborn facts has long been attributed to the American founder John Adams, and lately it has also been attributed to former president Ronald Reagan, at least on some websites. Fortunately, QuoteInvestigator.com has done the research and found the facts. The Investigator, the pseudonymous but trusted Garson O'Toole, located the sentence in the 1713 English book Treason Unmask'd ("Facts Are Stubborn Things", 18 June 2010).
We have always meddled with facts, and we have access to so many more to meddle with today. Beyond misquotation and simple factual errors, there are plenty of ways to muddy the truth: mischaracterisation, exaggeration or underestimation, selective reporting, reporting out of context, and... I am sure you can think of a few more. Many of the re-interpretations are legitimate...
Read posting online »
- [VIP] Latest popular LiveWire posts
There's a lot of valuable comment at the VIP LiveWire. The following are the most popular posts from our contributing editors over the last 30 days:
* Social media: ongoing challenges and conversations
* Social networkers to business: "Get out!"
* Keep taking the tablets
* Start-ups "make sense" of social media firehose
* ProQuest announces reorganisation
Subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly to stay informed. Your comments on any posting are always welcome.
Read posting online »
- [FreePint] Free Pint Limited Named 2011 EContent 100 Company
Free Pint Limited, the leading global provider of practical publications and resources serving knowledge workers, is pleased to announce that it has been named to the 2011-2012 EContent 100 list of companies that matter most in the digital content industry.
The EContent 100 was compiled by the EContent magazine editorial staff, its contributing editors, colleagues from Information Today, Inc. and other experts in the digital content industry. The EContent 100 List recognises leaders in the world of digital publishing and media...
Read posting online »
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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 »
Follow FUMSI on Twitter »
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:
Where the jobs are: Listings and resources for LIS professionals
 By Africa S. Hands
FUMSI: Find
The art of job seeking transforms itself to keep pace with ever-changing technology, so what are the best techniques to use and places to go when looking for an LIS job? Africa S Hands gives us an insight into not only the resources to use but also how to plan job seeking activities to make the most of what is available.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'A number of quality online resources are available. LibGig.com, LISjobnet.com, Jinfo, and I Need a Library Job (INALJ) are sites with job postings; some offer extras like career resources and related articles and some extend beyond library jobs. Job seekers are encouraged to add all sites to their RSS feeds or create a Twitter list for these and other sites. LinkedIn LIS-related groups have become a daily destination for connecting with and obtaining practical advice from experienced professionals.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Social media and the emergency services: Part 1 - Policing in your pocket
 By Christa M. Miller and Joanna Ptolomey
FUMSI: Use
Using social media to enable law enforcement agencies to engage with communities seems like a laudable objective, but what happens when those same media are used to crowdsource private information? Joanna Ptolomey and Christa Miller consider the implications of the social media initiatives being used by the police.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Both Surrey Police and UK initiative MyPolice have used social media as tools for engagement, transparency and co-design in working with the public and being actively part of the community. However there are some concerns that the police are turning to social media to crowdsource private information and are perhaps not coming to correct conclusions, and indeed are using them as a short term remedy for deeper social issues.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
FUMSI Forum
The latest recommendations and tips from our editors, contributors and community:
Visit the FUMSI Forum »
FUMSI - Forthcoming Topics
- Think global, act local
- Social media and emergency services: Part 2
- Info defrag series, Part 1
- Sense Worldwide.
If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.
Browse all FUMSI articles »
Subscribe to the free FUMSI Focus to receive a weekly update of the latest FUMSI Forum discussion.
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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: Insider
In addition to providing in-depth reviews of information products, VIP Magazine features VIP Insider, which offers an inside look at current FreePint Research projects.
The October issue of VIP (No. 95) features the following in VIP Insider:
Defining value through pricing
By Robin Neidorf,
Director of Research,
Free Pint Limited
When acquiring content, information managers are always seeking value for money on behalf of their organisations. Price negotiations with content vendors are an exercise in coming up with a contract amount that appropriately reflects value to both sides of the deal.
To make the most of negotiations, it's essential for buyers to understand what "value" means to the vendor, as well as to their own organisations. By understanding what vendors value, and how they express that value through pricing, buyers can enter negotiations from a position of knowledge.
FreePint Research has piloted Benchmarking on Pricing, a confidential process through which content buyers can determine how well their content contracts reflect current pricing norms. Blind data submission produces a pool of aggregated data, from which benchmarks can be established for pricing based on size, industry, product features and location.
An unexpected additional benefit of this project has been enhanced understanding of the basic pricing philosophies that different vendors apply to contract negotiations. By assembling a lot of data in the same format for a range of vendors, FreePint Research has been able to spot patterns in approaches to pricing. These patterns highlight what vendors invest in when building their products or, in other words, what they value.
Three main approaches to pricing have emerged as a result of comparing benchmarking results:
- Value metrics: based on multiplying seats, content sets and product features in a reasonably consistent way
- Delivery framework: accounts for underlying content but focuses primarily on the delivery mechanism - the user interface, workflow tools or function-specific framework through which users access the content
- Consultative: starts from a detailed understanding of buyer's desired outcomes and then builds a comprehensive solution, based on core functionality, content and integration.
Each of these approaches to pricing reflects a different investment on the part of the vendor, with different risks involved. The more you as a buyer understands these investments and risks, the easier negotiations are because you already share an understanding of the vendor's stake in the contract...
To read the remainder of this article, purchase VIP No. 95 in the FreePint Shop, or subscribe today »
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 Company Watch.
Most Read Postings on the LiveWire Recently...
- Does information management exist outside London?
Information management positions seem not to exist visibly outside London. Try looking for advertised jobs using any decent aggregator using terms such as Information Manager, Content Manager (or even Knowledge Manager), limiting by region or county, and you'll see what I mean. For example, have a quick look on Jinfo Jobs and click on any of the UK Region filters. Interesting isn't it?
Read posting online »
- More players after the social CRM pot of gold
With Gartner forecasting that the market for social customer relationship management could be worth over $1 billion in revenue by the end of next year, it's hardly surprising that companies are scrambling to strengthen their social CRM offerings. Recent developments at NewsGator and LinkedIn may show the way things are going...
Read posting online »
- Posted something silly on Facebook? Too late.
Where do employers go first to get background information on potential job candidates? Two surveys suggest that it's not LinkedIn but Facebook - so, as employers focus their efforts on burnishing their image on social media, perhaps it's time for the rest of us to do so too...
Read posting online »
- Social media - a voice for the outliers
I felt a slightly different vibe at DigiPharm this year. It seemed a newer and different audience, specifically wanting to collect evidence to take back to their directors. They were looking to present evidence for integrating social media into organisational strategies...
Read posting online »
- Independent and Guardian launch new online venture
The Guardian has alerted us to yet another online newspaper paywall. However, this one has a twist to it: the UK's Independent, whose parent company Independent News & Media was purchased by Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev last year, is introducing a metered model along the lines of the New York Times for its US and Canadian online readers only. UK readers of the site will still be able to access the Independent's content at no charge. The paper's international readership is particularly strong, with almost 50% of traffic coming from outside the UK...
Read posting online »
Always feel free to comment on any item on the LiveWire, and if you do not yet have a free subscription to the VIP Wires Weekly, you can sign up now »
VIP LiveWire »
VIP Wire
Information-related product and news announcements. Post your releases and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.
Recent VIP Wire announcements...
- Brand Launch: WorldShare
OCLC introduces OCLC WorldShare
OCLC WorldShare Platform to support strategy to build Webscale services with libraries. New data center to be implemented this week in United Kingdom.
OCLC, together with OCLC Global Council and members, is taking the cooperative's ongoing strategy to help libraries operate and innovate at Webscale to a much broader level with the introduction of OCLC WorldShare, a new platform and a new brand that signals OCLC's commitment to greater collaboration in library service delivery...
Read Press Release online »
- ASCO Journals Integrate CCC Software Dev Kit
Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), a not-for-profit organization and leading provider of licensing solutions, has announced that the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer, recently integrated CCC's latest software development kit (SDK) to its Journal of Clinical Oncology and Journal of Oncology Practice iPad and iPhone app, to conduct mobile licensing transactions...
Read Press Release online »
- Pubget partners with Wolper for PaperStats product
Pubget Inc. and Wolper Subscription Services Inc. today announced the availability of Pubget's content analytics tool, PaperStats, through Wolper's proprietary, custom, cloud-based subscription management system, WOLPERweb®. WOLPERweb® was the first in the industry when it debuted in 2001 and recently earned recognition as a finalist for the prestigious KM (Knowledge Management) Promise Award from KMWorld magazine...
Read Press Release online »
VIP Wire »
VIP - Subscribe and Back Issues
Start a trial subscription today for only £84 for three months.
Visit http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/vip/volume/trial/ to start your trial. You can also purchase back-issues of VIP from the FreePint Shop.
VIP Archive »
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 - Forthcoming Topics
- StrategyEye
- Highbeam
- Novares
- Bibliogo
If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.
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Introducing MyShop at FreePint
 Ever wonder whether you have access to content from the FreePint Family of Publications?
Unsure if your subscription includes one of our publications or reports?
We want you to know ... and now you will.
Log in to your FreePint account via our new MyShop to quickly and easily see what you have access to.
Log in now:
http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/myshop/
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If your organisation uses SharePoint or is considering making the investment understanding how best to maximise this tool is essential
The FUMSI Report: Folio on SharePoint Strategies will help you make the most of your SharePoint investment
Providing four articles written by information practitioners delivering hands on insights into:
- Information architecture
- Internal social networking
- Records management
- Library, legal and media industry use cases.
Starting at only £39 for a single site license, the FUMSI Report: Folio on SharePoint Strategies will fuel the efforts of your SharePoint portal or intranet management team.
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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:
- Search Analyst
A medical body requires a Search Analyst for a 3 month role starting immediately. They provide a web...
Recruiter: TFPL
Country: United Kingdom
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Information Specialist
This is an excellent opportunity for a driven and enthusiastic individual to build upon their existing...
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
Country: United Kingdom
- Consumer Sector Analyst - Corporate Finance
Analyst/Researcher with excellent writing skills to work in the area of Corporate Finance and specialise in the Consumer/Retail sector.
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:
- No events as of publication date
Browse all Jinfo Events »
Jinfo - the best place for information-related job vacancies and professional development opportunities.
- RECRUITING?
- Advertise a vacancy for just £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 DocuTicker
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Highlights from ResourceShelf
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Contact Information
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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.
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