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22nd December 2011
No.341
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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.
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 FreePint Bar provides the latest announcements, including publication contents. Subscribe to an RSS feed for the FreePint Bar for the fastest updates.
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Please share FreePint with others by forwarding this newsletter.
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Editorial
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 By Michelle Manafy
A look back ... and looking forward
As the year winds down, it is a good time to reflect upon what the past year has shown us, particularly as we get ready for the New Year. For me, this issue finds me concluding my first year here at FreePint and mulling a bit over what we've done.
 My joining the company not only afforded me an opportunity to become part of FreePint's 100,000-strong community, which has welcomed me with open arms, it also allowed me to join the ranks of the wonderful FreePint team. Each member of this team brings remarkable strengths to VIP, FUMSI, DocuTicker, ResourceShelf and thus to FreePint overall.
Of course I hope that, in joining FreePint, I too have brought some qualities to the mix. I am pleased that my taking on the editorial role has allowed for such wonderful growth in FreePint Research, under the leadership of our Director of Research Robin Neidorf. This year has also seen Robin's successful launch of FreePint Webinars through which we've added another avenue to provide you with continued professional growth.
Joining a digitally-rooted company such as FreePint has certainly shown me how much foresight our Founder and Managing Director William Hann had when he eschewed the constrictions of "traditional publishing" and set out to inform the work of information professionals. Given that your work was (and is) increasingly digital, delivering the information you need digitally made sense. Yet even now, 14 years after the FreePint Newsletter debut, the vast majority of publishers still work (and struggle) with the primacy of their legacy print offerings.
One thing I can say about digital that I could never say with certainty about print is that you know when people are reading - or at least what they found interesting enough to click. When this reflective mood came on, I had the benefit of being able to see which articles on our sites garnered the most views this year.
The view counts indicate that posts on the VIP LiveWire, FreePint Bar and FUMSI Forum on eBooks, Apps and mobile were of high interest, demonstrating that delivery in the right format at the right time remains as important today as it was when the FreePint Newsletter began. An examination of view counts on the FUMSI Forum and FUMSI Article database also shows that interest remains high in search, be it on the open web or inside organisational repositories.
And it will probably not surprise anyone that across all of our brands, this year has seen a spike in interest in social media - from Webinars on Social Media for Corporate Libraries, to combing Twitter for Competitive Intelligence, to the incorporation of social media insights into traditional news monitoring tools.
Interestingly, the most viewed issue of the FreePint Newsletter in the past year (online viewing rather than by email) was the one announcing my joining FreePint. I can only imagine that our long time readers were wondering what might happen in this first change to FreePint's management team since the column's writer, Robin, joined the company six years before. I hope you have found this year as interesting and informative as I have and are looking forward with me to what the New Year will bring.
Do you have suggestions for what you want to see in the New Year? As ever, I welcome your feedback and thoughts.
Wishing you the very best from all of us at FreePint.
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 Neil Infield
Working as I do at the Business & IP Centre at the British Library, I need to keep an eye on a wide range of topics relating to innovation and entrepreneurship. These are some of the tools that keep me informed:
I am constantly surprised by how few people seem to know about and use Google Alerts. I have one set up for The British Library to keep me up to date with both press coverage, as well as the wonderful and sometimes weird comments about us on blogs around the world.
Springwise has been mentioned before, but its fortnightly email newsletter, and searchable database, of new business ideas is a wonderful inspiration. Combined with its sister publication Trendwatching, you can get a handle on newly emerging markets for which they create words as Maturialism. The Icecreamists are a wonderful example, which I couldn't resist blogging about.
Another favourite is the Cool Infographics blog, which monitors the increasingly popular approach of combining information and graphics to make information more accessible. The Guardian website often create them using government statistics such as Just how big are the Thailand Floods, which was created by writer and designer David McCandless, who offers other excellent examples at Information is Beautiful.
That leads me nicely on to TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. Not only do they cover amazing topics, such as the man who creates sculptures that fit inside a needle, or the incredible visual display of global population and health over the last 100 years, the speakers demonstrate best in class presentation skills.
Finally I would mention Phil Bradley's Weblog. I have know Phil for more years than I would like to say, but his passion for the information profession, and in particular, finding tools for the web, has never diminished. His blog is a constant source of useful information, such as his recent post "Google removes more search functionality".
Neil manages a team of 12 business and intellectual property reference specialists, providing information and advice to inventors, business start-ups and entrepreneurs. In his four years at The British Library Neil has introduced a number of innovations, including a range of free workshops and one-to-one advice sessions.
Prior to joining the British Library Neil spent 16 years working in the pensions investment world in the City of London managing business information services. He has spoken widely on innovation in business information, and blogs at http://ninfield.wordpress.com.
He has been active in SLA Europe for nearly 20 years including President in 2004, and becoming a fellow in 2006. In 2011 he became a fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA).
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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 Tend Your Garden: Influencing your stakeholders and making your organization look good
"Thank you for selecting this topic. It was most informative and relevant to a role I enjoy. I appreciate your focus to provide value by allowing us to have presentation materials as reference resources to support the application of lessons learned." -- Tend Your Garden webinar participant
Missed this session? You can access the recorded version and learn from panelists Anne Caputo, Scott Brown and Helen Clegg:
- How to identify and prioritise stakeholders
- Best practices for stakeholder communication
- Approaches to creating a communication plan.
Register now for free access to the recorded version of this FreePint Webinar »
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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:
- [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:
* Enterprise social requires governance
* Can search replace "the perfect secretary"?
* Picture this
* Kindle Fire: The buzz is electric!
* Who will win in the trust tool stakes?
Subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly to stay informed. Your comments on any posting are always welcome.
Read posting online »
- FreePint Delivers the News You Need on News You Need
FreePint announces its new FreePint Volume: Business News Sources and the release of the FreePint Research Report: Survey on News Needs and Preferences 2011
Free Pint Limited, the leading global provider of practical publications to support the value of information throughout the enterprise, has just released the new FreePint Volume: Business News Sources. This unique collection offers customers the latest original research on key products, a detailed comparison of product features, as well as insights into buyer needs and preferences based upon the newly published FreePint Research Report: Survey on News Needs and Preferences 2011...
Read posting online »
- [DocuTopic] Grey Literature
I was fortunate to get to attend the Thirteenth Annual Conference on Grey Literature (GL13) in my own town of Washington, DC, on 6-7 December 2011. The GL13 conference attracted about 100 attendees from around the world, all involved in grey lit studies and practice. It was a busy, thought-provoking two days of presentations, poster sessions, tours and networking...
Read posting online »
Visit the FreePint Bar »
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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:
Social Networks in the workplace - some data protection issues
 By David Haynes
FUMSI: Manage
There are many benefits to be gained from using social networks in the workplace but there is a downside - a growing concern about privacy and misuse of personal information. Using the results from a survey he conducted to highlight the issues, David Haynes puts forward an approach to managing social networks through the introduction of organisational policy.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'There are risks associated with social networks. In a survey conducted in April 2011, users were typically concerned about loss of privacy and misuse of personal data. Many respondents felt that enforcing the Data Protection Act was not an effective means of protecting personal data in this context. One argument is that it is impossible to regulate the internet, so why not leave it to the market to evolve a way of working? However, organisations cannot afford to wait for emerging social norms to regulate access to, and use of, personal data on social networks. Some of the measures described in this article provide a starting point for an organisational policy on use of social networking services.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Seven things I've learnt about organising a conference
 By Jonathan Kahn
FUMSI: Share
With the help of the internet and social media, it's now possible to organise a conference without a large advertising budget and an army of staff. You just need to follow Jonathan Khan's seven-point plan - developed from personal experience - to create a successful conference.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'It's now possible to organise a conference for a relatively small group of people who are passionate about a topic, even if they're scattered around the world. You don't need a large advertising budget, the support of mainstream media, or an office full of staff. To do this you need to: do your research; be realistic about risk; work with great people and avoid committees; choose speakers carefully; make the city part of the sales pitch; build excitement using original content, a communications plan and preview events; and sweat the details. '
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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Are your current news sources the best ones for your purposes?
Are you sure?
None of us can afford to take shortcuts in due diligence. The FreePint Volume: Business News Sources provides you with an easy and convenient way to:
- Compare and contrast premium business news providers across variables like underlying content, output formats, languages and more
- Dig into the strengths and weaknesses of each product
- Gain the insight of a global pool of information managers on how they manage their business news sources, both free and fee.
Includes product reviews of Factiva, NexisUK and FirstRain, a report comparing these providers, our Survey on News Needs and Preferences, plus a recent issue of VIP with a feature story on alternative news sources.
Get the collection -- valued at over £170 -- for only £97.50 (single site).
Learn more and purchase now »
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You know the value of government sources.
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- Award winning reference works like Business Statistics of the United States and County and City Extra
- Catalog of over 45,000 titles!
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Save 20% on your next purchase when you use Promo #1E11DOC in your order.
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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: Paying proper attention to the news - A VIP Editorial
By William Patterson
I now know what's wrong with me, at least in one facet of my life (cue laughter). For several years I have noticed that I am losing my ability to focus on the written word. At work when someone presents me with a research report I immediately glaze over, rarely getting past the second page. At home I sometimes sit down to read a book and I find myself almost immediately distracted, quickly looking for an excuse to get up after I settle in my favourite chair. I can't read the Sunday edition of the New York Times cover-to-cover anymore. I often just read the article summaries and pledge to read the rest later.
I actually did read a book recently (on my Nook no less). Well, I really just scanned it. It was Nicholas Carr's "The Shallows." Carr, the former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review, says the internet is doing some interesting things to our brains, essentially rewiring them, turning us into computers of sorts with the ability to take in huge amounts of data and information. According to Carr, we are no longer attuned to deep intellectual reading. We have been remapped in the mould of Frederick Winslow Taylor, who epitomised the Industrial Revolution by breaking down the tasks of factory workers into precise and efficient steps, thereby creating the science of industrial manufacturing. Digitised information has turned many of us into the ultimate in industrialists, our brains efficiently connected to the internet. It might explain the shallowness of my reading habits...
To read the remainder of this article, purchase VIP No. 96 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 »
- eReader news round up
With the holiday season fast approaching, eReader vendors are amping up production and marketing efforts to capture consumer attention. New devices, new titles, and new distribution channels are providing a plethora of choice, and point to an ever-increasing rate of market penetration for eReader technology...
Read posting online »
- Social networkers to business: "Get out!"
Most businesses still struggle to find the Holy Grail of engagement with customers on social media, suggest a couple of new reports. If so, it's not for want of tools to help them - but the real question is whether social network users want the big brands to be there at all...
Read posting online »
- Social media: ongoing challenges and conversations
I've just had the privilege of participating on a panel called Social Media Success: Uncovering What Works, hosted by WBZ (CBS Boston) Radio. The panel was the latest in a series of Business Breakfasts on social media that WBZ has held to provide a forum for local businesspeople to learn about and discuss their issues with implementing social media successfully. (They are also available to anyone via archived streaming video.) Not surprisingly, the topic has been incredibly popular for WBZ and, as with its previous events, this panel discussion was standing room only...
Read posting online »
- Factiva is revving its engine
No, Factiva is not the sponsor of the next Indianapolis 500. But it is tuning up its own vehicle of sorts, adding tools and search features that encourage synthesis and analysis. Hence their tagline: Factiva: The Intelligence Engine...
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...
- DynaMed® Rated Higher Than Other Disease Reference Tools in New KLAS Report on Healthcare Clinical Decision Support
IPSWICH, Mass. - December 13, 2011 - DynaMed®, a point-of-care clinical reference tool from EBSCO Publishing, has been rated highest in its category by healthcare providers. A new report on clinical decision support resources by KLAS, a research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors, rated disease reference tools in a number of categories and according to the report, DynaMed was rated, "10 points higher in KLAS than any other disease reference product in the study."...
Read Press Release online »
- Elsevier Acquires Ariadne Genomics
Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, announced today the acquisition of the business assets of Ariadne Genomics, a provider of pathway analysis tools and semantic technologies for life science researchers. Ariadne will be integrated with Elsevier's Corporate Markets division...
Read Press Release online »
- EBSCO and OPENEdition Discovery Agreement
Content from the French open access publishing platform openedition.org (OpenEdition) will be searchable through EBSCO Discovery Service™ from EBSCO Publishing. OpenEdition is made up of three community publishing platforms dedicated to the humanities and social sciences. The complementary platforms represent a complete electronic publishing system dedicated to promoting research and open access publishing of tens of thousands of scientific papers...
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
- Novares
- Bibliogo
- SciVerse
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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Not a day goes by without news of the economy strongly featured, largely stories of crisis: recession, fears of a "double dip recession", hopes of recovery found in some figures set against evidence of continued problems in others.
The DocuTicker Report: DocuTips on the Global Economy informs your research on this pressing issue.
Providing:
- A deep collection of current research
- Resources for further research
- Articles and insights on information accessibility in practise
Starting at only £12 for a single site license, the DocuTicker Report: DocuTips on the Global Economy is a smart addition to your learning and library.
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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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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:
- Senior Enterprise Taxonomy Manager
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Enterprise Taxonomy Manager to join a leading global...
Recruiter: TFPL
Country: United Kingdom
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Legal Research and Library Manager
Legal Library/Information Manager with management abilities and law library work experience required to manage small team for prestigious City Law Practice.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
Country: United Kingdom
- E Resources Project Officer
Do you have experience of metadata creation, SQL, Excel & Access? 12 week contract at prestigious university.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
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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Address:
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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.
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.
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