Editorial
In our just-launched FreePint Survey "Web Content Policies", we ask respondents if their organisations have policies in place to govern use of web content:
- One-third of our respondents to date report that they do not have policies
- Another 30% are not sure if their organisations have policies.
Even in an early stage of research, these results are remarkable. The web has had more impact on expectations, behaviours and usage of information at work than any other innovation of the past generation. Yet fewer than 40% of information professionals affirm that their organisations have defined a set of standards around its usage.
Part of me believes that this very early result will change with a broader base of responses, so please take 10 minutes to complete the survey now.
But on the other hand, I'm also not entirely surprised. For years, we've heard from information managers that their organisations have limited sophistication with regard to incorporating the strengths of web content while minimising its weaknesses. They regularly report that policies are far too strict, locking down any and all usage, or they are non-existent and create an "anything goes" environment that devalues quality resources and vetting practices.
This survey is part of the current Topic Series, "All About Usage: From Content Sharing to Data Mining", highlighted in the most recent Subscription Update. As part of this series, we've also run a survey on authentication practices and technologies, which will be the focus of an upcoming webinar and Communities of Practice session in September.
Before then, I'll be doing some face-to-face research with a global team of 100+ information professionals as we cycle from Oslo, Norway, to Aarhus, Denmark, as part of Cycling for Libraries: 10 days, 3 countries, 600 km of cycling and conference sessions all along the way. Watch for postings from the road, as well as commentary afterwards. I'm focusing on gathering stories about information centres as innovation centres, and the information professionals who dreamt up this "un-conference" have to be an ideal source.
Robin Neidorf
Director of Research, FreePint
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