Subject: Free Pint No.60 - Knowledge Management, Web Marketing and Weddings Free Pint "Helping 28,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.co.uk/ ISSN 1460-7239 13th April 2000 No.60 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL TIPS AND TECHNIQUES "Wedding Sources on the Web" By Anne Ku BOOKSHELF "World Wide Web Marketing - Second Edition" Reviewed by Nicola Garrett MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Caryn Wesner-Early FEATURE ARTICLE "Knowledge Management" By Martin White FREE PINT BAR SUMMARY by Simon Collery FREE PINT GOLD FORTHCOMING EVENTS http://www.freepint.co.uk/events FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/130400.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** STOP! *** * Performance based advertising is the future of web advertising * Cost-per-Click pricing is a step in the right direction * Come and talk to the leaders in that market place ! Build traffic now by calling ValueClick at +44 (0)20 7751 0555 www.valueclick.com or mailto:advertise@valueclick-europe.com > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [vc601] >>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<< Free Pint is a community of business professionals who use the Web for their work. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips and articles by information professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet. Sign up at for free access to the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, industry news and events, and have your research questions answered at the "Free Pint Bar". > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EDITORIAL The launch of the various Tipples in the last edition of Free Pint seems to have met with the approval our members judging by your wonderful letters. We've really enjoyed receiving your suggestions for "My Favourite Tipples" and regular visitors to the Bar have been enjoying Simon's "Today's Tipple" - a review of a different Web site every day. On this note, please do take some time to visit the Web site at as there really are an awful lot of resources there to help you use the Web more effectively. The number of new postings to the Bar every month has trebled in the last six months alone, and with the newsletter archive (120 articles), Bookshelf (30 reviews), events and realtime newsfeed, we're sure you'll find lots of interesting material. Of course, all of this is made financially possible thanks to the support of our advertisers. Our sponsors have all booked long advertising campaigns and include FT.com, ValueClick, Learned Information, British Library and Bureau Van Dijk. I would really encourage you to support Free Pint by checking out their offerings and letting them know how you found out about them. We now have advertising booked until the end of the year which is further reassurance that Free Pint will continue to offer you a wide range of useful services and content. Talking of which ... we've packed lots of great articles, reviews and tipples into this edition. For those of you in the market for matrimony we start with a great roundup of the range of information resources available on the subject of weddings. The very popular contributor Martin White takes us through Knowledge Managment Web sites. The latest edition of Jim Sterne's book on Web marketing is reviewed, along with a reader's top tips, summaries of forthcoming events and a roundup of what's being discussed and asked at the Free Pint Bar. Your feedback on any aspect of Free Pint really does spur us on and so please don't hesitate if you'd like to get in touch. Full details of all members of the team can be found at the end of this issue, as well as confirmation of which email address we have on record for you. Kind regards, William William Hann BSc MIInfSc Founder and Managing Editor, Free Pint e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Free Pint is a trademark of Free Pint Limited http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** VALUECLICK MAXIMISES YOUR REVENUE *** Alleviate the pressure of selling and concentrate on the development of your site. ValueClick's advertising model will deliver the following: * We pay you TWICE a month for all the Clicks you deliver * We guarantee 100% sell-out of all your available inventory * Easy to get started and no contracts required Sign up at www.valueclick.com or mailto:sales@valueclick-europe.com > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [vc602] >>> EARLY BOOKING NOW ESSENTIAL <<< If you want to advertise here then book early. The next edition is full again. Advertisers are now reserving slots months in advance. http://www.freepint.co.uk/advert.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = TIPS AND TECHNIQUES http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/130400.htm#tips "Wedding Sources on the Web" By Anne Ku A wedding is an event that celebrates the act of marriage. It can be viewed as a project that takes a lot of planning, budgeting, decision making, and management. lists two pages of articles on budgeting for a wedding. The cost of getting married depends on the scale and scope of the wedding, from as low as a trip to the registry office to as high as the sky's the limit. Various articles can be found on the web sites listed here. Couples who want to have a wedding would typically 1- seek advice from others who have been through the wedding preparation and experience 2- read about it in magazines 3- talk to specialists and vendors 4- appoint someone to manage this project (if possible) 5- make many decisions: colour and style of dress, venue, guest list, choice of music, etc. The Internet increases the amount of information available in each of the five steps above, thereby allowing the marrying couple to make informed decisions. A greater variety of choices reassures the couple that they are not missing out. A greater amount of advice, in the form of published articles and discussion forums, provides greater insight into each stage of the process so as to reduce the chance of making a mistake. The Internet facilitates price discovery and quality of service to determine what is value for money and what is reasonable to expect. Many brides I meet these days tell me that they surf the Internet to get ideas for their wedding, but they do not trust the Internet as the sole source of information. Often they prefer to talk to wedding specialists, e.g. florists, dress makers, etc. for in depth advice. Getting married is a meta decision, made up of many smaller decisions but which altogether defines a turning point in one’s life. The smaller decisions all contribute towards the big decision. Having a wedding means choosing the right location, inviting the right guests, wearing the right dress, putting together the right programme, etc. The sheer number of decisions can be overwhelming. One mother of a bride-to-be believed that the decisions can be made sequentially, starting with an agreement on the venue of the church and reception. The location not only needs to be booked well in advance, it also sets the tone for the wedding. Once that’s decided, the next most important decision is the bride’s dress. Thereafter, bridesmaids’ dresses and flowers follow. Meta-search engines are those which employ other search engines simultaneously. My favourites , , and generate a variety of results thereby giving me a quick overview on “weddings” and “marriage”. More in depth search on “marry”, “bride”, “bridegroom”, “wedding music”, and “nuptial” produced only slightly better results. The results fall into three categories: meta, specialist/vendor, and personal. The first category is what I would call “meta web sites” as they are the one-stop shops, the “all you wanted to know about” weddings but were afraid to ask, the comprehensive “Hotel California” come here and hope you never leave. Indeed, it is difficult to resist free advice, tempting offers, and most importantly, a web community of other brides and grooms. These sites are professionally designed with dynamic content and fast search engines. You can announce your wedding, design your invitation card, make a wedding gift list at a store or stores of your choice, join a discussion forum to get a second opinion, and see photographs and read about other people’s weddings. You can select your stationery, order your flowers, order your wedding cake, choose the reception menu, contact a photographer, and book your honeymoon package. Aimed at potential buyers (not just those who are actually getting married but also those who are only thinking about it), such meta-web sites are clearly designed to attract vendors to advertise and get linked from their site. Thus traffic volume is the key. Sticky surfers get themselves registered and hopefully return again and again to buy more. These web sites try to be independent and unbiased – but yet maintain quality control in selection of vendors. The popular meta-wedding web sites in the UK also contain useful tips and advice: , , , and . Other meta web sites are not informative but contain links and guru links (links of links) such as . In the US, and are two of the many well-laid out sites. The latter has a web ring which takes you to other wedding sites. At you can even send a virtual proposal, enter a contest, chat, participate in a survey, and if that is not enough, buy their magazine. Vendors may submit their details for listing at a number of “yellow pages” directories: , , , and . If this is not sufficient, you may always submit and rank your favourite to compete for the listing at . The second category contains the individual vendors who cater for only one aspect of the wedding. For example, I specialise in organising and performing wedding music, nothing else. The florist specialises in arranging and delivering flowers. The English Riviera is a choice of venue promoted by – but not the only choice. The wedding business, like the travel business, sells dreams. The dream of getting married in paradise – and as a result, takes you to Maui. The dream of getting everything you need for your new life by putting your wedding gift list at . These websites exist to promote their own products and services, but their traffic would be greatly boosted if they are directed from one of the meta web sites. On wedding music, and are two of many informative guides which categorise and discuss the different kinds of music that are suitable. Other music guides include , , and . For a list of top requested songs at weddings, see . Marriage poems can be found at . Years ago as chief organist of three different churches on a small island, I was often asked to play for weddings. The choice of music was limited to my collection of sheet music then. Nowadays, you can find the score to any known tune on the Internet. For the bride and groom, this means they can choose their favourite songs. Indeed, on a concert grand in Palo Alto, California recently, I played romantic and soothing parts of well-known piano concertos for the one hour photo session after the ceremony. These pieces along with wedding stories and other interesting wedding music related advice are given at . The third and final category of sites that I have found are personal sites. These are not easily found by search engines. It is not clear how long they will stay in cyberspace. Nevertheless, such sites add a personal touch to the entire wedding experience. Most sites show photographs of the wedding, from the couple to the dance floor. Some sites such as give useful tips. Others, such as , give interesting perspective on weddings and marriages, e.g. links to wedding traditions/cultures and relationships. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For twenty years, Anne Ku has organised and played music in weddings in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Although primarily a pianist and accompanist, she also specialises in arranging medleys of the marrying couple’s favourite tunes as preludes or postludes in wedding ceremonies and receptions. Samples of her original work can be heard on her web site . As a decision scientist, she is interested in how people make decisions. In this vein, she has contributed articles on UK immigration and weather . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Discuss this article with the author now at the Free Pint Bar > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ***** FREE OFFICE TOOLS FROM FT.com ***** FT.com’s free Personal Office provides web based office tools for mobile business professionals. Personal Office is the only free web e-mail account offering *** unlimited e-mail storage ** It also includes a FREE 15 MB file storage area and much more. http://www.ft.com/personaloffice > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft603] FREE PINT BOOKSHELF http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf "World Wide Web Marketing - Second Edition" Reviewed by Nicola Garrett If Web time is counted in dog years, it is nearly 28 years since I read the first edition of this book. At the time, in early 1996, it succeeded in making sense of the chaos that was Internet marketing. It is testament to Jim Sterne's knowledge of his subject that the first edition was packed with evergreen advice that still rings true years later. Internet marketing is a huge subject so any book can only attempt to cover the tip of the iceberg. Jim's approach is refreshing in that while he admits to being enthralled by technology, his main interest is divining how it can best be used to achieve business objectives. Common sense prevails throughout as is evidenced by the quote "The [Internet] game will go to those who come up with unique services. If you have to choose between fun, interesting or useful, useful wins every time. Hands down.". In the second edition, Customer Service is explored using email, newsgroups and the Web with useful advice about adopting an email policy and generating FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Sections on interactivity and feedback give a good overview of these important areas, as does a chapter on Value-Added Marketing, which discusses how to unearth a company's added value. There is a detailed section on how to attract attention to a Website while avoiding spamming and other breaches of Netiquette. The usability section has been expanded as much has happened in this area. Navigational tools should be organised to accommodate smaller screens by allowing quick traversing without scrolling. Examples of good navigation are given. Information people, often experiencing the annoyance of Websites with poor search functionality, will appreciate the overview of alternatives such as hyperbolic trees and cones of links. There is a discussion about the optimum number of choices to give a user, which is based on people remembering simultaneously seven items plus or minus two. Overall, I would recommend World Wide Web Marketing for people new to creating a Website from a business perspective, or for more experienced business people who would benefit from a refresher grounded in good business sense. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nicola Garrett has worked in marketing and consulting within the information/Internet industry in both UK and Ireland. She is a Senior Consultant with Nua in Dublin, Ireland. Nua is an Internet consulting and development company, which specialises in Web content management solutions. Using its proven tools and methodologies Nua enables large organisations to successfully publish and manage their information in an online environment. Online every organisation becomes a publisher. Nua helps companies succeed in publishing information online. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read about other Internet marketing books on the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * Search for any other book from Amazon via the Bookshelf homepage To propose a business-Web-related book for review, send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** THE PREMIER SOURCE FOR FREE NEWS ARTICLES ON THE WEB *** FT.com’s Global Archive brings together over eight million articles from leading business publications worldwide. The database is fully searchable and over 75% of the content is free. It’s updated 8 times a day - articles from today’s news are now online http://www.globalarchive.ft.com > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft604] MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Caryn Wesner-Early * The Newbies Site assumes users start with no knowledge of computers at all, and covers things like "how to double-click" on up to more advanced subjects. * Bare Bones 101: A Very Basic Web Search Tutorial is for people with little or no experience searching the Web; gives tips on evaluating information found for accuracy. * HTML: An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners takes you step-by-step through creating a Web page, and answers questions such as "How do I do frames?" * SYSTRAN uses the software that Babelfish runs on to translate words or pages, but it has a larger selection of languages (and can translate between 2 non-English languages). * If you're using Windows 95, 98, or NT, get back to your desktop quickly by hitting the Flying Window on your keyboard simultaneously with the letter M (for Minimize). > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Caryn Wesner-Early is a librarian, currently working as a contractor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Her hobbies inclued reading and cats and her home page is at Email > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To submit your top five favourite tipples see the guidelines at or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> QUICK TIPPLE <<< Every time you view the Free Pint homepage you're presented with a different short tip. Click Reload/Refresh for another. http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/130400.htm#feature "Knowledge Management" By Martin White Introduction ------------ The phenomenal growth of the Web means that every time I contribute to Free Pint the task of sifting through sites becomes ever more difficult. This is especially the case with a topic like knowledge management, which is itself only about as old as the Web. Putting the term Knowledge Management into any of the search engines is rather depressing, as the number of hits is invariably well in excess of 100,000. As I began to look at these sites I was quite surprised by the number that seem to have fallen into a state of decay over the last twelve months, with no visible sign of updating. In the selection that follows I have been fairly ruthless in excluding sites that are not being maintained on a fairly current basis. A useful source of current awareness for knowledge management links is the regular Site Watch section in Knowledge Management . Portal sites ------------ There are three main portal sites, and a number of important but less comprehensive sites. The location of the WWW Virtual Library for Knowledge Management is . The site is compiled by Dr. Yogesh Malhotra and offers a very large number of sites and other resources, and is an excellent starting point. The main sections of the site include articles, white papers and interviews, periodicals and publications, executives in knowledge management, an online forum and notable quotes. There are however some problems with this site. The sheer size means that you have to drill down through several levels to get to the articles, which takes time and effort, and then you will find that although there are many from the 1996/97 era, there seem to be relatively few from 1998 onwards, if indeed any date is given in some of the annotations to the articles. The number of sections also means that you are never quite sure which section will deal with a particular topic. The second option is to make use of the Open Directory Project. This was created as an alternative to Yahoo! and uses a world-wide team of 'editors' who review the sites that are submitted for inclusion.. The editor for the Knowledge Management section is Paul Lareau, from St. Paul, Minnesota, a former public librarian who records his interests as knowledge management, information retrieval, and knowledge pollution issues. The section includes just over 400 sites in six sections, including a selection of French language sites which is rather unusual. There is a brief annotation for each site, though often these are rather inadequate. Recently the Google search site licensed the Open Directory, and now uses it to provide structured search access to Google. In my opinion the best of the three portal sites is , compiled by the IKM Corporation. In all there are sixteen sections of resources, including universities with interests in knowledge management, a list of knowledge markets and exchanges, and some pre-defined searches on a wide range of search sites. The layout of the site is excellent. Another valuable resource is a list of over 120 books on knowledge management, linked directly into the Amazon site, so in some cases there are reader reviews. In addition to these very comprehensive sites there are a number of others that offer perhaps more in the way of quality than quantity. The Knowledge Management Central section of the web site of the Institute of Public Policy at George Mason University, Virginia, USA provides links to other KM sites, articles, books and events. Of particular value is a useful section on case studies, and a list of 25 companies that have been involved with KM initiatives. The NetAcademy of Knowledge Media offers a wide range of links into both knowledge management itself, and some related areas. The KM links are well selected, and each has an informative annotation. I also like the approach of Joe Katzman. On his site he has rated resources on knowledge management on a scale from Basic (B) to Intermediate (I) and Expert (X) and also provided a 5-star scale of quality. Each link is also provided with a brief, and expert, commentary. A very good starting point for research, and I found little to fault with his assessment of the sites listed. Guru sites ---------- Over the last few years a number of people have established themselves as gurus in knowledge management, and are often quoted in articles and conference presentations. Karl-Erik Svieby's site not only offers all his own papers and articles, but also acts as a publishing site for other knowledge management practitioners, and indeed he welcomes contributions for publication. There is also a link to a very comprehensive bibliography compiled by Eric Tsui on all aspects of knowledge management. This bibliography exists in at least two formats. The August 1999 version is at , but there is an updated version from January 2000 on Sveiby's site. Karl and Elizabeth Wiig have also been in the forefront of the development of knowledge management thinking, and although their site consists almost totally of references to their work and the publications of Schema Press, such is the importance of their contribution that I have included the site in this review. The site does contain some useful diagrams which readers of their books will be familiar with. Rory L. Chase, is another high-profile consultant in knowledge management. His site, , is subtitled Teleos, and provides a good range of links to other sites which are provided with short annotations. However the design of the site does make it difficult to read the annotations as the titles are in red on a blue background, and in quite a small font. Among the features of the site are reviews of books, and it is also the home site of the KNOW network for knowledge management practitioners. Buckman Laboratories has been one of the classic case studies in knowledge management, and the company has set up the Knowledge Nurture site to provide a very practical resource on knowledge management. The Buckman Room provides descriptions of the projects that the company has been undertaking, and there is a Starter Kit of articles on KM for anyone seeking a good introduction to the subject. The Library section is a very comprehensive and well-selected list of web resources, and covers related areas such as leadership and culture change. Highly recommended, and the site design is first rate as well. David Skyrme is a UK consultant who has written some important reports on knowledge management and has made some significant contributions to KM implementation. His site is . This site is in the process of being substantially upgraded, and David has told me that this should be completed by the end of April. Finally there is a site maintained by Gene Bellinger , which contains a rather personal selection of articles, many by Gene himself. There are also useful lists of KM software suppliers and consultancies. Virtually none of the links has any annotations, and some appear quite dated, but when all else fails this site might well be a solution to your problems. Consultancies ------------- Many of the major consulting companies provide briefing papers on knowledge management, but probably the most comprehensive and accessible is the Virtual Library on Knowledge-Based Business from Ernst and Young. . The main sections are Knowledge and the economy, Knowledge and business areas, Knowledge and the organisation, and case studies. In each section there are briefing papers from a wide range of sources, mainly downloadable as pdf files. Smith Weaver Smith Inc is a management consultancy based in Indianapolis, USA, specialising in culture change projects. Their site contains a well- considered list of articles. KMPG have also been active in the knowledge management arena, and have recently published their Knowledge Management Research Report 2000 which is well worth downloading from as a pdf file before it disappears from sight. Finally there is TFPL Ltd. , which has been in the forefront of KM in the UK for a number of years. There is not much that can be downloaded directly from the site, but some of their reports and briefing papers, especially a summary of a CKO Summit that took place in 1999, can be requested through the site. Publications ------------ There are many publications on the subject of knowledge management, and any short list is bound to provoke comments from the editors of those I have omitted, but here goes - KM World Knowledge Management CIO Knowledge Management Research Center Knowledge Management News And finally ------------ There are always some sites that do not fit easily into categories This site provides brief reviews of many of the books on knowledge management, thought the site has not been updated since August 1999. Quite a useful news clippings service on KM from IBM, with not unexpectedly a technology slant. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has a number of special interest groups, and this is the site of the KM SIG. Currently the site does not have an editor. The Special Libraries Association maintains a list of KM articles that are of interest to its members. The site design is poor, with blue links on a blue background, or maybe my eyesight is not what it was. This is the web site of the American Productivity and Quality Center, which has long had a keen interest in various aspects of knowledge management. Do read a current article co-written by Carla O'Dell, the APQC President on overcoming the cultural barriers to sharing knowledge at > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Martin White is Managing Director of Intranet Focus Ltd. . His main areas of consulting activity are the design of intranets, developing marketing strategies for publishing companies, and tracking developments in the corporate portal market. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Information Management, and a Past-President of the Institute of Information Scientists. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = British Library Training Courses - Spring/Summer 2000. It is impossible to put a price on the importance of being well-informed. Whether you are interested in Business, Environment, Health, Patents or Science and Technology, we can help you find the information you need to succeed. Our courses provide an easy, low cost way for you to develop your information finding skills - benefitting you and your organisation. For a full list of our forthcoming courses contact Maureen Heath, t: 020 7412 7470 :e:maureen.heath@bl.uk > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [bl605] >>> CHANGE OF ADDRESS <<< To change the email address to which we send Free Pint use the online subscription form at or send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR SUMMARY http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar Here is your summary of what's been happening at the Free Pint Bar over the last couple of weeks. To read a discussion thread you can: - Just visit the Bar. It's free to use and easy to access at: http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar - Read this summary online where all the links are activated: http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/130400.htm#bar - Add the message number (no brackets) to the end of this address: http://www.freepint.co.uk/cgi-bin/webbbs/config.pl?read= For example, to read message 1432 you would visit: http://www.freepint.co.uk/cgi-bin/webbbs/config.pl?read=1432 > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Specialist search facilities and portals are very useful fellows altogether. I recently came across one for tyres. Devastatingly, it's for North America only, so I guess I should have said 'tires'. But following last issue's article on museums, several high level museum sites were posted (2682). A punter looking for Web related law information was directed to a Law portal (2711). German environmental legislation should be available from a useful site listing European government resources online (2722). The person who wishes to order seeds for her garden should find out how in one of the gardening sites supplied (2724). Telecommunications research will be facilitated by a vertical portal (2740) and there are now many business portals available for people who like that sort of thing (2796). Technical queries ranged from specific ones about PDF files (2652, 2762) to broad ones, including how to build a Web site (2756). Somebody would like a facility that generates fee quotes when given certain criteria (2649). Any prescriptions? Somebody else is tearing their hair out over clickable calendars (2784), while the problem of providing a site with a search function comes up with great regularity (2650). Should Microsoft Backup gives you a headache, this may dissolve your pain and misery (2795). And if you know about Word 2000 autoformat files (2702) or the capacity of Outlook Express (2854), get in touch. In the process of updating their services, Excite have lost one Free Pinter's account (2840). Have you had problems with Excite or any free email account? Another Free Pinter has been having trouble with Freenetname when trying to transfer to a different host (2859). We would like to hear advice on how to gen up on XML (2656) or where to find out ISP subscriber numbers (2683). Also, are you interested in monitoring Web sites (2701, 2786)? Most people seem to be. Do you have experience of Internet fulfillment services (2833), archival standards (2709) or digital television in education (2754)? We'd like to hear your tuppence worth. More general queries have been posted on flat panel loudspeakers (2690), naming standards for databases (2729), a facility for calculating mileage expenses (2746), customer services in the public sector (2761), solar powered pumps for garden fountains (2797) and estate agents (2733). This would be a nice challenge for Ranganathan, the classification expert (2670). And how many information professionals are there (2780)? There's more than one question there. Simon Collery, Business Development, Free Pint Remember, to read this summary with activated hyperlinks visit ... > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bar: Do you have a research question or Web-related comment? It's easy to post a message at Digest: To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you every other day, send a blank email to Archive: Dormant postings older than 45 days are moved to Email: To write to the Free Pint team, please send your email to > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> FREE PINT GUIDE <<< Did you know you can browse Free Pint's content by alphabetical subject or article type? http://www.freepint.co.uk/guide > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT GOLD This time last year we ran an article on the Dublin Core Initiative, which suggested supplying meta-information about sites to make information classification and retrieval more efficient. We haven't heard so much about this issue recently. Are people still talking about it? People are certainly still talking about Chemistry information on the Web. To update what was written last year, we had an article on that very subject earlier this year. But don't forget this article if you are researching chemistry. It covers a lot of ground. Two years ago there was an article on 56k modems. That's what I use, and I suspect a lot of people are using that or lower. It's been great, but personally, I look forward to something faster now. An article on science on the Internet aimed to highlight the issues of scientific research and policy, as well as the scientific information available. This article brought in funding and education too, and it is still a good jumping off point. Free Pint one year ago ... * Free Pint No.36 15th April 1999 "Cataloging the Internet: The Dublin Core" and "Idiots' guide to chemistry information resources on the Web" http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/150499.htm Free Pint two years ago ... * Free Pint No.12, 16th April 1998 "The Duffers Guide to 56K Modems" and "Sources of information on science policy and popular science topics" http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/160498.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> FREE PINT HOMEPAGE REVAMP <<< The Free Pint homepage has been enhanced to make it much easier to enjoy the range of resources available. Make a note to visit soon. http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS http://www.freepint.co.uk/events The Internet Security Conference is on close to the end of April, mixing the theoretical and the practical, for better digestion. There will be an exhibition of relevant products, as well as a large range of workshops and presentations. The Search Engine Strategies seminar will pick up all the major issues in generating traffic, with some noteworthy companies represented. May brings us the Electronic Public Information 2000 conference in the UK, while the Medical Libraries Association has a joint conference with the Canadian Health Libraries Association in Canada. The American Society of Indexers are holding their Annual Conference in New Mexico, covering the latest trends and developments in the field, and the World Wide Web Consortium hold their 9th International Conference in Holland. Full details of these and over 30 other forthcoming conferences and exhibitions in the online-information and Internet industry can be found on the Free Pint Events page at http://www.freepint.co.uk/events > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES * Internet access from mobile phones * Corporate Web sites * * Space Science and Engineering * Legal information * Aeronautics * Researching for TV * Web sites for SMEs * * Air Transport * Surveillance * [Provisional] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = I hope you've enjoyed this tip-packed edition of Free Pint. Do remember to join us on the Web site, and feel free to forward this newsletter to any of your colleagues or friends. See you in two weeks! William Hann, Managing Editor william@freepint.co.uk (c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2000 http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = CONTACT INFORMATION William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Founder and Managing Editor e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Rex Cooke FIInfSc FRSA, Editor e: rex@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1342 316027 f: +44 (0)1342 316027 Lesley Robinson BA MBA, Business Development e: lesley@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)20 8871 4284 f: +44 (0)20 8875 9165 Simon Collery BA, Business Development e: simon@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1865 434143 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Jane, Administrator e: jane@freepint.co.uk Address Free Pint Limited, FREEPOST (SEA3901), Staines Middlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom (Please add a stamp if you would like to pay for postage) Web - http://www.freepint.co.uk Advertising - ads@freepint.co.uk Subscriptions - subs@freepint.co.uk Letters & Comments - feedback@freepint.co.uk Authors - http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm Latest Issue Autoresponder - auto@freepint.co.uk > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it is published every two weeks by email. To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing, advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at http://www.freepint.co.uk/ or call +44 (0)1784 455 466. Please note: Free Pint is a 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 Rex Cooke, Editor for more details. Product names used in Free Pint are for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Free Pint disclaims any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =