Subject: Free Pint No.63 - Web PR, XML and Competing Free Pint "Helping 28,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.co.uk/ ISSN 1460-7239 25th May 2000 No.63 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Michelle Alcock TIPS AND TECHNIQUES "Maximising Press and PR Exposure via the Internet" By Stuart Cliffe BOOKSHELF "Competing with Information - A manager's guide to creating business value with information content" Reviewed by Martin White FEATURE ARTICLE "XML : Perception to Practice" By Stuart Campbell FREE PINT BAR by Simon Collery EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/250500.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 15% OFF ALL BOOKS AT FT.COM's NEW BOOKSHOP FT.com has launched a new online bookshop which enables users to buy FT.com imprints and other business related books at discounted prices You can also take part in a live discussion forum with the author of Funky Business - Kjell Nordstrom. http://www.bookshop.ft.com/stores/ft/ft_com.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft631] >>> 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 I spoke a couple of issues back about the importance of fundamentals and long term viability of Internet businesses. I'm currently reading a fascinating book called "Of Permanent Value" about the tremendously successful stock market investor Warren Buffett. This is the guy who believes in investing in stocks and shares for the long term and who has managed to achieve compounded rates of return equivalent to 30% year on year for the last forty years. Even with the recent market corrections for business-to-consumer dotcoms and liquidation of certain high-profile sites, most of the criteria he has used over the years to value businesses still apply in the new economy. Indeed, the famous troubleshooter Sir John Harvey-Jones (former Chairman of ICI) was speaking at the Institute of Directors only last week about how IT doesn't change business fundamentals, just the pace of change. My day yesterday at the busy "Internet World" and "Online Information for the City" shows underlined all of this, highlighting the amount of buzz surrounding this industry which is now being tempered with a bit more realism. Indeed whilst talking for the City Information Group yesterday evening about online communities, I found out from friends that their flotation plans have been put on hold. They have already followed the investment route but I feel happy that companies like theirs, with demonstrable core competencies, have nothing to worry about in the current climate. We're working on an exciting new membership system at the moment which will allow you to login to the Free Pint Web site and modify your own account online. We'll be writing to you shortly with a password which will allow you to have much greater control over your subscriptions to Free Pint content. In today's issue there is definitely something for everyone. As well as the usual mix of tipples, goings-on at the Bar, book review and forthcoming conferences, we have a super article about getting great PR from simply being helpful. If you're a Webmaster and think you should know more about XML then the feature article couldn't be a better introduction. We do value your feedback on any aspect of the newsletter, either directly to me or at the Bar online. If you can pass this edition on to your colleagues or spread the word any other way then that really would be appreciated. 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/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = WIN HOME OFFICE EQUIPMENT WORTH 5000 POUNDS Visit FT.com for a chance to create an efficient space-saving office in your own home. We will provide you with everything you need including your choice of the latest PC, colour printer, scanner, office furniture and more. http://www.ft.com/cgi-bin/ft/site_track.pl?id=offcomp&url=/officecomp > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft632] >>> REGULAR UPDATE FOR POTENTIAL ADVERTISERS <<< Sign up for the monthly Free Pint Update with details of special offers, discounts, rates and subscriber anaylsis http://www.freepint.co.uk/advert.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Michelle Alcock * This is a search engine which only searches. You won't find the weather or the news on its home page. It is fast and usually brings up what I want in the first couple of sites returned. * Another search engine, but I find this one particularly useful for Australian queries. * This is a greeting card site. I often forget friends' birthdays and this site gives me the opportunity to send them a card electronically. * This is the site of the Internet Public Library, which I have found to be very useful in answering queries that I could not find the answers to elsewhere. * This is the lonely planet site and when I want to fantasise about getting away from study, work and family for a holiday, I come here. Michelle Alcock is a Library Technician and uses these sites regularly when she is on the reference desk helping customers. She lives in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. To submit your top five favourite tipples see the guidelines at or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** Are you getting the full picture? *** The BVD SUITE integrates many of Bureau van Dijk's leading company databases, including Fame and Amadeus, into a single Internet product. This gives you access to detailed information on 5.8 million UK and European companies and 11,100 banks. Whether you need company verification details via the free directory or detailed financial information and analysis, the BVD SUITE offers you the full picture. For a free trial visit www.bvdep.com or email Marketing@bvd.co.uk > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [bv633] >>> WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO FREE PINT? <<< http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = TIPS AND TECHNIQUES http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/250500.htm#tips "Maximising Press and PR Exposure via the Internet" By Stuart Cliffe Companies spend millions to achieve the sort of media coverage we get on a regular basis. That's not just spamming hype - Barclays recently paid a rather large amount for their 'Big' adverts, and as a result - according to recent searches on the 'News Now' site - attract about 30 very negative comments from the press per month. Let me explain: I'm CEO of a customer group which helps private and commercial customers obtain information about - and raise complaints with - bank and insurance products and services. My job includes a high proportion of press relations. We need to tell customers that we exist, and - from time to time - apply a little psychological pressure with institutions, but our funding is always marginal, so good PR is essential. Our budget for press promotion is zero. We spend time, certainly; we apply some reasonable amounts of ingenuity and common sense. We inevitably incur travelling expenses, some of which are refunded by individual TV and radio programmes. Despite that, our press exposure so far in 2000 has averaged nearly 150 interviews per month from national press, TV and radio to local journals from Pontefract to Lowestoft. How we achieve this coverage will be of interest, although for reasons which will become clear I don't necessarily guarantee you'll be able to match it. First we're not-for-profit; so there is a certain understanding that we don't have a marketing budget and our only outlet is publicity. Then of course we're hugely customer friendly. We (if you'll excuse a major oversimplification) beat up on banks and insurers for individual unhappy customers, and try to act as a general watchdog to protect financial service users' rights. We understand: - the media: a colleague and I do the interviews, and we both have a marketing and PR background. We return calls quickly. - that journalists and researchers need clear and careful briefings so that we all understand the technical issues. They can ask sensible questions, and we can give good, succinct answers. - that we must be aware from day to day what issues will be raised with us by journalists because of action elsewhere. Bank takeovers, cash machines charges, Cruickshank reports - we need to be aware not only of the issues, but what is currently being said about them. To stay informed we use sites like the BBC News, Times, London Evening Standard, DTI, OFT, Treasury and other .gov.uk departments fairly intensively. Where banking research or background is required, the Chartered Institute of Bankers have a modestly entitled 'Supersite' that lists financial service regulatory bodies, commercial and other organisations at home and overseas. The British Bankers' Association (BBA) also has current and historical technical information. The insurance industry is not quite as organised. Its professional body the CII has a London based library that is available for some technical research - even real world visits in extreme cases. Various professional magazines have Link pages which help identify insurance companies and brokers on the web, and there are Insurance Company and Intermediary groups with their own sites and membership lists. Because we are involved with disputes, we also need legal news. The surprisingly comprehensive availability of information from a sector which is still perceived as using quill pens some of the time has already been well profiled. If in doubt go to Delia Venables for legal leads almost anywhere. Having detailed our external sources of information overload, you should also be aware of our internal resources. We use W98 hosting an eclectic variety of software including some from bygone ages. Our guiding principle is "don't fix it till it's broke" mainly because the strain of trying to keep a busy real time helpline service running, while also retraining everyone in how to use this month's version of the word processor is one we like to avoid. Somewhere in there is a 'smart' database that has been collecting details of financial service complaints for nearly 10 years. Two of the hiccups in running a helpline are: i) your callers often don't actually know what problem they have, and therefore which questions to ask and ii) as a result there is no such thing as a standard screen layout. Screen headings tend to be: name, address, and 'details'. We do keyword searches to research specific matters, and use our experience of answering past problems to support advisers in the present. Our database uses the 'if it won't start: do you have petrol?' sort of logic to lead advisors through various levels of enquiry, then to a model answer. Such standards give consistency and accuracy in responses - and save valuable time. The answers we give most frequently are printed as DataSheets, and can be sent out by post. Current versions are also on the web. This saves some call time, and gives callers a printed response that saves taking lengthy notes - and often getting it wrong. We also save press cuttings - the same database lists articles we have viewed from around the world which cover particular points. We list landmark legal cases which are often mentioned in disputes. It is important that we have at least some idea of the meaning of each one. However we are not legal advisers, and with only telephone information on a particular case, could not hope to comment usefully on whether or not the same circumstances might apply. This is for information only. If all else fails we use a legal advice service of our own - Law Express in Bristol who are commercial suppliers of consumer legal information to a variety of employers and unions. So we have our external information and research, our internal data gathering and communications. All this leads to a certain excess of expertise and information which can usefully be deployed to the Press. Like any organisation we issue press releases, and will continue to do so. But these tend to be detailed comment on specific issues. Some large organisations issue frequent releases, on the basis that one or other each month will attract some attention. A little while ago however we started talking to the journalists and researchers who were contacting us - would they be interested in being added to a mailing list to receive free technical and factual information about current financial issues? This would not be an in-depth release, just paragraphs on issues - like cash machine surcharges - being raised on our helpline, or which had caught our attention as being of some concern to customers. The answer has always been a resounding 'yes' - we now have a couple of hundred individual journo and programme emails from national down to local media, and it is still growing. Anyone who feels that our information and opinions might be useful to them, please contact . We issue our notes about once every 15 days, and whether or not the content is interesting, our position as experts in this field is re- confirmed. Journalists talk to us about our own points, or about the issues they think are important. And we get another interview. Good PR produces new members, has caused us to be involved in setting up the BSI's BS8600 Complaints Handling standard, and to contribute to various banking and insurance regulatory reviews. In general it is indispensable to the growth of our organisation. Of course we do have a website. We're after someone described customers with too little money or too many problems as 'lemons'. We help lemons, so 'LemonAid'. The site at the moment is a disgrace - our only excuse is that we have to spend too much time on alligators. Swamp clearance has to wait. We mention it at this late stage is because after throwing all sorts of information at it for years, we are at last in a position to apply some logic and common sense. The correct design is 'obvious' in hindsight, and currently under construction. Because people look to us for factual information, we'll have a section which is all summaries and links, and a researchers dream. For those who like their facts a little pre-digested, we'll do our own research, jump to our own conclusions, and write some articles to entertain browsers. This section will also include DataSheets on frequently asked questions. If you are looking for the answer to a specific problem, and bearing in mind you probably don't know enough to ask the right questions, we'll include a list of recent queries and model answers. New problems are infrequent, so you should find something close to your situation if you look. There are other specialist sections - including after a recent personal and VERY close shave, something on Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Another specialist item will be a section for communities which have lost, or are in danger of losing, their local banking services. This seems another case for an email newsletter keeping local groups in touch with developments - in Post Office banking for instance. The site will be informed by ongoing calls, disputes, and developments, and should be up and running shortly. Meantime visitors get to see our 'old' presentation, about which you can only say "it loads quickly." Our business, we think, is receiving and processing a lot of information, to send it out again to interested recipients in easily digestible form. Those target customers include the media, who themselves have to find daily topics of interest to cover. If we can help them, they will certainly help us. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stuart Cliffe, FCII MCIM is an Englishman abroad, based in Wales. He is also an insurance underwriting, marketing and systems specialist now dealing mainly with banking. As Chief Executive of the National Association of Bank + Insurance Customers he is recognised by the media as an expert customer spokesman on most financial service issues. Having started in computing in the days when bugs in the system were cured with rolled up newspaper, he has helped develop software for user-friendly Windows-based business planning, forensic checks on bank mortgage and credit card statements, and 'smart' customer service support. Contact him via the NABIC website . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Free Pint Bookshelf review of "Poor Richard's Internet Marketing and Promotions" * Discuss this article with the author now at the Free Pint Bar > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Sourcing the right computer products and services has never been so simple! http://www.cssonline.co.uk Access this most authoritative database to identify the right companies to supply your software and hardware products or provide IT services, as well as for finding out who does what in the IT industry. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li634] >>> FREE PINT FACT <<< If all 28,000 Free Pint subscribers were to stand in line at a real Free Pint Bar ... ... the last person would be over 12 miles away > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BOOKSHELF http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf "Competing with Information - A manager's guide to creating business value with information content" Reviewed by Martin White At a TFPL New York Business Information conference a couple of years ago Donald Marchand, Professor of Information Management and Strategy at the IMD business school in Lausanne gave a most interesting presentation on the ways in which information can create significant business value. One of the points he made at that time, and to which he returns in the introduction to this book, is that general and senior managers have a critical role in leading and managing a company to use information in this way. Professor Marchand also described his Strategic Information Alignment (SIA) framework which is a conceptual model that assists managers to ask three key questions. * Why is information important to competing in business today and in the future? * What priorities for information use and management are appropriate? * How should managers implement their strategic priorities and achieve improved business performance through people, information and IT? I have been using this SIA framework (with acknowledgement) in my presentations on intranet strategy development, and it works, but until now the only reference to the framework had been in a series on Mastering Information that the Financial Times published in early 1999. After two scene-setting chapters by Professor Marchand the core of the book consists of ten chapters dealing with the four axes of the SIA framework, each of which is a way of putting information to work for competitive advantage, namely adding value with customers, creating new reality, reducing costs, and minimising risks. These chapters are then followed by five more where the emphasis is on the practical application of the basic principles of the SIA framework. Do not be put off for one moment by the fact that this book consists of individual chapters by business school professors! First, the use of the SIA framework enables all the chapters to have a common focus and vocabulary. Second, these professors clearly work in the real world, and have listened to, and learned from, their students, clients and each other. A helpful touch is that e-mail addresses are given for each of the authors. Within each chapter the format is also consistent, with selected case histories (mostly quite current and familiar), concise analysis, practical guidance on management responsibilities and actions, and a set of questions that can be used to assess the performance of the company against current best practice and to set a framework for a company information management strategy. I was initially disappointed that the role of corporate information departments, and the use of commercial information services is scarcely mentioned in the book. On reflection I decided that good managers reading this book and wanting to achieve best practice in the use of information will soon recognise the contribution that information professionals can make without it. I have two small criticisms. First, the important benchmark questions are printed in a lighter tone than the main text, making them difficult to read, a very poor piece of typographic design. Second, although there are some literature references at the end of each chapter they are few in number and are often to short news items in newspapers and magazines. Business school case studies are also cited, which are often not in the public domain. The amount of expertise packed into the book is quite extraordinary, and yet it is very readable. I recommend you buy as many copies as you have senior managers, because reading this book and putting in effect the advice of its authors will have a very positive effect on the performance of your organisation. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Martin White is Managing Director of Intranet Focus Ltd. . The company provides services in strategic intranet and corporate portal design, and in the development of networked delivery strategies for publishers of both business and scientific information services. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Information Management and on the Executive Board of Online Information 2000. He has recently contributed articles to Free Pint on Knowledge Management and on Portals. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read about other Internet strategy 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 . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> LIVE FREE INDUSTRY NEWSFEED <<< Do you know what's going on in your industry or country today? Free Pint members have free access to today's news in over 200 categories and topics. Why not check it out today? http://www.freepint.co.uk/news > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/250500.htm#feature "XML : Perception to Practice" By Stuart Campbell XML. eXtensible Markup Language. Yet another acronym to clutter our mind and budgets with. However, it's an acronym which you had best remember - quickly! For many, XML is the new magic bullet, and is destined to take the crown from HTML and to replace tried and tested EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) which is the cornerstone of Business-to-Business transactions (B2B) of today. Name any software vendor and they will have announced an XML partnership, interface, or other functionality. You name the majority of users and many will have never heard of XML. In this article I intend to present some ideas of where XML fits into the practical world of today. But first, what exactly is XML and where did it come from? XML is a computer syntax derived from SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) which is a complex standard providing structure to documents ranging from books to the entire technical references for battleships - 10 tonnes of it!. Due to its complexity SGML hovered in the background until Tim Berners-Lee derived the much simpler HTML from it - and the rest is history. So XML is much like HTML in format, since they both have the same common ancestor. PRACTICE: XML technology is familiar and thus experience, implementations and resources are all migratable. HTML was primarily designed to enable presentation - e.g. for presenting information in a browser. From this origin, HTML has grown - tables, forms, interaction and so on - but this is essentially the problem of HTML. It has expanded as designers and users have required more and more features but HTML is simply not intrinsically designed for such extensibility and thus it too has become complex. PRACTICE: XML is a response to the by-design limitations of HTML. The e-Landscape is also extending. From a web initially driven by marketing to a current focus on B2B transactions and B2C (Business to consumer) interactions that add more value than just marketing presence - for example, banking, ordering, logistics etc. Each of these areas requires highly structured information if the data is going to be reused within related business applications as with EDI. Thus, users have been demanding a solution which focuses on structuring information in terms of content rather than presentation - a little like a database focuses on structure. PRACTICE: XML solutions provide data structuring at their core. Also it is clear that the extension is away from PCs to other devices; TVs, PDAs, Mobile Telephones are all destined to take their share in the information world. These devices often only need (or can handle) certain profiles of information. For example, with the Internet enabled phones of today there is not the capability to handle large graphics. They need the data content, but the presentation is limited by the size of the phones' display panel as well as the bandwidth. PRACTICE: XML profiles are easy to create. Thus, what was needed is a simple language, which could be as popular, usable and be leveraged from the success of HTML, but at the same time to be flexible enough to deal with the new landscape. Welcome to XML! XML is a subset of SGML; but whereas with HTML all the tags are pre- defined (H1, TITLE, BODY etc.) with XML there are no such predefined structures. The structure is defined by users in an XML Document Type Definition (DTD) although in the near future these will be replaced by 'XML Schema'. In fact HTML is simply a DTD of SGML. Schemas have the same basic role as a DTDs but extended functionality, such as datatyping which is needed for B2B, and are themselves structured in XML syntax making them easier to process. PRACTICE: Many XML standards are still at working draft stage and thus many aspects of XML are relatively unstable. Let's take an example - a catalogue entry for a product. In HTML it would probably be described through an entry in an HTML table, for example: Computer Speedy 1000MHz . This works fine, but all you can essentially do is present the information in one way. If you wish to present it differently you need to re-write your pages or, for example, if you wish to search you need to know that the first column of the table is actually the product identifier and the second column relates to the speed property. With XML the format would be similar to: Computer Speedy 1000MHz speedy.gif . The basic XML structure is composed of compulsory beginning and end tags containing content although as with HTML, attributes can also be included. With this structure it is easy to parse (read) it to find the range of computer speeds in our catalogue and then report the related product code element. If I wish to present this same information on a browser I simply need an external display profile (XML stylesheet) which would include the image whereas if I were to use the phone based viewer I would simply access a different stylesheet without the image. PRACTICE: XML is extremely flexible yet very simple. The main problems are of course: 'Who defines the tags?' and 'What if they are duplicated?' - for example a 'speed' of a car is a slightly different concept from the 'speed' of a computer. With B2B EDI the data formats are defined by bureaucratic, consensus building, international organisations such as the United Nations. With XML the definition is by users. However, users are recognising that it is in the best interests of their community to develop a common language for at least the core elements; for example: package, catalogue, invoice etc. Some of these will be common with other sectors (e.g. address) and some not. For common items it makes sense for cross sector co-operations. This flexible but co-operative approach to standardization is what industry has seized upon with XML. PRACTICE : However, at the same time it illustrates the weakness of XML in that it does not define these semantics - for example, what exactly is a Title - Mr, Mrs, Manager, Lord of the rings? In terms of duplicate tags this is taken care of by a concept called namespaces. Namespaces associate an element to a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (similar to a URL) which in turn is allocated to an owner. For example, 'ean:order' would refer to the order element (document) defined in the ean namespace. The namespace standard is just one of a series of companion standards to XML. XML itself is very simple, but the power and usefulness is built up by extending the basic functionality through accompanying standards in an overall XML architecture. For example, just as Cascading Stylesheets (CSS) are companion to HTML for presentation; there is a standard called XSL (XML Stylesheet Language) which can define presentation of XML documents; XQL for querying XML documents, XLink for defining links between documents etc. PRACTICE : There are now so many candidate XML 'standards' that it is difficult to know which will 'win' and which will pass by the wayside. To use XML there are a multitude of tools dealing with the different aspects. XML enabled browsers such as IE5 and Netscape 6, parsers, tools to design DTDs, Stylesheet editors, document generators etc. One of the problems is that many of these tools are not interoperable and thus when you start to integrate XML in a real environment, particularly business applications, you end up needing to create considerable coded glue to tie it all together. PRACTICE : Beware, as many of the best tools are free or shareware, this offers both the benefits of cheap tools with the disadvantage of what happens to the tools in the future. This simplicity, flexibility, path forward from HTML, and companionship has made XML highly attractive. Most medium to large sized software vendors have either implemented or announced XML extensions to their products or even have stated that the underlying product architecture will be XML based. XML is a core in Microsoft DNA, Oracle have implemented XML ability in its latest database offerings. WAP phones use Wireless markup language (WML) and WML is simply a specific XML DTD. So, is XML the magic bullet? It seems to be in many senses. However, many of the issues with existing technologies are still there to be resolved. Standard message formats, semantic libraries, integrated tools, plug and play environment, stability. Watch this space! Useful links to accompany this article: * Standards: W3C European Commissions * Technology: Microsoft IBM XML Zone * Information and Resources: ; ; * Initiatives: Biztalk OASIS RosettaNet ebXML * Tools: XML Spy -ICON (XML Editor) Near & Far - OpenText (DTD Design) >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stuart Campbell BSc (Hons), DIS is Operations Manager at 'CMASS - Critical Mass in Electronic Commerce' and has been involved in EDI and XML for over 10 years. Recently Stuart has established and runs CMASS' XML Introductory 1-day and Practical 4- day XML training courses. CMASS also provides B2B products and services in the field of information exchange including training, consultancy, and implementations. CMASS markets the EDIFECS range of community collaboration tools that assist you in developing electronic relationships with your whole network of partners. Mail Stuart @ if you have any comments on this article. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> A DIFFERENT TIPPLE EVERY DAY <<< If you've got to get your daily fix of Web site reviews then read Simon's Tipple every working day at the Free Pint Bar http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR by Simon Collery 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 access this summary online with activated hyperlinks , visit the Bar itself or add the message number to the end of . One thing that puts people off spending money over the Web is the potential security risk involved in giving out credit card details. In brief, it is not wise to send credit card details by email or through a site that is not secure (3257). Another thing giving people the jitters at the moment is viruses (3286). There are some good sites with information on how you can protect yourself against the threat of these destructive agents (3312, 3314). The data you save may be your own! And luckily the Web itself is often the best place to look for information on things Web related. Whether it's legal issues (3293) or Internet growth and economy (3302, 3326), data is usually forthcoming, but if you know where to find statistics on UK ecommerce transactions and email usage, please post the goodies here (3310). Demand in the Bar is still mainly for resources, so that's what we have been dishing out. Poetry and literature get a look in (3204), as do law (3237), PR (3263), transportation (3271), manufacturing (3273), B2B (3291), breast cancer (3222), Web site reviews (3305) and cosmetics (3315). Do you know about interest rates for various types of security (3259)? Isn't it well for those that have the ready rhino. We also mixed some cocktails: Swiss company information (3311), Dutch pharmaceutical companies (3325) and UK telecommunications salaries (3316). Interest in searching tools has continued, tools such as meta search engines (3211, 3239), book comparison engines (3220), Australia specific tools (3242), journal back issue finders (3255), UK search engines (3276) and country specific search facilities (3287). And we're always willing to try new recipes. On the technical front, there have been queries about database software (3208), Internet phones (3252), intranet and KM software (3261), customized emails (3303), maximizing one's Internet connection (3304), IIS server setup (3327), DVD (3339), load testing (3342) and coping with the change in power supply when taking a computer from the UK and setting it up in Canada (3354). Honestly, don't people employ techies any more? There have been more general questions about surveys on KM (3225), how to put together press packs (3219), information on publishing companies (3228) and virtual teams (3300). I only know about virtuous ones. Several questions relating to content were raised (3234, 3238, 3244), and someone is looking for a register of seals (3262), whatever that might be. Finally, finding free content for a newsletter is bothering one punter (3355). Now, who would know about that? 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 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> COMPREHENSIVE ARCHIVE OF FREE PINT ARTICLES <<< http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/issues.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS http://www.freepint.co.uk/events The Hypertext '00 meet will be run back to back with the Digital Libraries '00 event in Texas. Around the same time the WebContent hungry will be discussing my favourite topic, content. The Supercomm 2000 conference in Georgia will be taking place then also, so you'll have to choose between them. And if that isn't enough, eMarketing 2000 will be overlapping with the last two, and the next six. Those will be the NetWorld and Interop event in Japan, the e2e 2000 bash in London, the Library and Information Show in London, the Corporate Portal Seminar in Washington, the i-deals four day gathering in Colorado and the Data in the Digital Library shindig in Chicago. All in all, you'll need to do a bit of delegating if these are all of interest. Full details of these and many 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 GOLD This time last year we ran an article which highlighted the benefits of the Internet for learning foreign languages. It didn't just review the multitude of sites with tutorials, reference materials, courses and the rest, but also noted the availability of sound files and the chance to converse by email and ICQ with native speakers of numerous current languages. Another article was on Central and Eastern European resources, giving a large set of annotated links to sites on all the countries involved, divided into a number of categories. This time two years ago we had an article about bots, devices which carry out some of the more arduous chores of researching, searching and filtering data. Three such bots were reviewed, Copernic, Bullseye and Agentware. I don't know about the last, but the first two have developed a lot in the last two years. Then there was an article on food industry information on the Web, government information, academic sites, industry data, medical, health and nutritional information, retailer information and legal information. Free Pint one year ago ... * Free Pint No.39 27th May 1999 "Languages resources on the World Wide Web" and "Central and Eastern European Web Sources" http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/270599.htm Free Pint two years ago ... * Free Pint No.15, 28th May 1998 "Web Slavery - Automating Information Retrieval" and "Food Industry Information on the Web" http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/280598.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES * Corporate Web sites * Space Science and Engineering * * Legal Information * Aeronautics * Researching for TV * * Web sites for SMEs * Genealogy and the Web * * Surveillance * Surfing the Sludge * The Invisible Web * * Web sources for handheld computers * Insurance Web sites * * Internet Intelligence * ICQ * Puppetry and Animation Sources * [Provisional] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Thanks for taking the time to read through today's Free Pint. I hope you've picked up a few handy tipples and can possibly help us by spreading the word to others who may not already enjoy their own regular Free Pint. 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 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. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =