Free Pint Newsletter 113 - Exchanges, Unions and Mobiles Free Pint "Helping 49,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.com/ ISSN 1460-7239 30th May 2002 No.113 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES From Steven M. Cohen FREE PINT BAR & STUDENT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery JOBS Information Assistant Content Manager Director, Knowledge Management Business Analyst TIPS ARTICLE "Trade Unions on the Net" By Jane Taylor BOOKSHELF "The Internet Weather" Reviewed by Charles Oppenheim FEATURE ARTICLE "The Future of Mobile Telephony" By Nick Mackenzie EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS ADOBE ACROBAT VERSION WITH NEWSLETTER FORMATTING > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = BUREAU VAN DIJK OFFERS GREAT DEALS ON NEW M&A DATABASE ZEPHYR is the latest information solution to be launched by Bureau van Dijk. ZEPHYR combines Zephus pan-European M&A, IPO & private equity data with detailed financial company information from the BvD SUITE, including FAME and AMADEUS. Free Pint readers can register for a free trial by visiting http://www.bvdep.com/productpage.asp?product=ZEPHYR > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [bv1131] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<< Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet. Joining is free at and provides access to the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, jobs, industry news & events, with answers to your research questions and networking at the Free Pint Bar. Pay to upgrade your membership and also receive the weekly Free Pint Pub Crawl current awareness newsletter. Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out. To receive the Adobe Acrobat version as an attachment or a brief notification when it's online, visit . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EDITORIAL 'Exchange' is what Free Pint is all about. As a community, we all share details of good quality Web resources through the Free Pint Newsletter and Bar. We know the Newsletter is popular because we're about to welcome our 50,000th member. The Bar works, since there have been 15,000 questions and answers, and 8,500 people get the Bar Digest thrice weekly. However, sharing knowledge 'offline' is something we've never really tried. Do Free Pinters want to get together face-to-face? Can Free Pint act as a facilitator for personal development and networking? To test the waters, we announced our first 'Free Pint Exchange' seminar on Content Management in the last Free Pint Newsletter. This was published on the Thursday and the session was full by Friday. We had to close bookings after only one day. This was a revelation to us. We didn't survey our members to see if it's something they might be interested in. We stuck our neck out to test the response, and it's been a very positive one indeed. We've therefore added July 1st as a second date for Martin White's 'Content Management Exchange', and there are also a number of other new sessions we've been working on for a while. I'm running two Exchanges in July on developing an email publication. I'll be looking at issues like content, technology and finance, using my experiences at Free Pint and in creating a list hosting system. Paul Pedley worked on the development of the Economist Group's new intranet. His Exchange will therefore cover the practical issues involved in building and running a global intranet (implementation, taxonomy, knowledge sharing). The basis for all of these Exchange events is sharing practical experience, and delegates will be encouraged to share what has worked for them, and what hasn't. Find out more and book a place at: http://www.freepint.com/exchange This is an exciting time for Free Pint, encouraging our members to get together and learn from each other. If you have ideas for events we should be organising where you are, then please do contact me. Back to today, and we bring you a super resource-packed article on trade union sites. The future of mobile telephony and the Internet is discussed, and there is the usual eclectic mix of tips and reviews. I hope you enjoy today's Free Pint, and I look forward to possibly meeting you at a future Free Pint Exchange event. Cheers William William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor Email: Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044 Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (c) 1997-2002 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MARKETRESEARCH.COM OFFERS FREE SERVICES AND MORE! * FREE access to 50,000 publications from 350+ publishers * Purchase reports instantly online, and by sections/slices * FREE Alert Me service lets you know when new research is added (by e-mail); over 650 categories available to choose from * Extensive coverage of markets from Europe to Asia to South America * FREE help finding research: Our industry experts will search for you Visit us at http://www.marketresearch.com/redirect.asp?progid=1642 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [mr1132] >>> POPULAR PUB CRAWL PERUSES PUBLICATIONS <<< The 'Free Pint Pub Crawl' is a great tool for keeping an eye on what's new in a vast range of publications and their Web sites. You can trial this invaluable weekly newsletter by visiting: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES From Steven M. Cohen * Infominder - Infominder is a free web product that will inform the user of new additions to any web site via e-mail. Infominder will provide a link back to the site with the additions highlighted. * The Shifted Librarian - Jenny Levine runs this weblog on going from "pursuing information to receiving information and how they will affect libraries". She points to other weblogs and news articles on her quest to become more "shifted". Also a big fan of RSS feeds. * Bloglet - Bloglet is a newsletter client specifically tailored toward the weblogging community. Simply place a piece of code in the weblog and users can sign up right from the site. Each morning, Bloglet will scrape the content from weblog and deliver it via e-mail. Many options are available. * Newzcrawler - This very easy to install free software enables the user to subscribe to RSS feeds and read them directly via a built in browser. When a feed is updated, a box pops up to inform the reader of the title. A very useful tool to keep current. * LLRX Newstand - Compiled and Edited by Sabrina I. Pacifici, this resource provides annotated links of news and web sites regarding technology, libraries, and the law. * Syndic8 - One of the best places to find RSS feeds. Syndic8 also provides an RSS version of the Open Directory Project and Newsisfree (another RSS Feed Directory) topics. Users can also read posts from sites that have incorporated RSS feeds. * Rocket News - Rocket News is one of the best news engines available on the public web because of the size of the database and the currency of the results. Users can also utilize the "launch monitor" which rests on the desktop and continuously searches throughout the day. Steven M. Cohen is assistant librarian at the law firm of Rivkin Radler, LLP, and the creator of Library Stuff, a library and information science weblog . Email your top five favourite Web sites to or see the guidelines at . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Factiva Launches 2002 White Paper Series Factiva launches its 2002 White Paper Series with a new report on the value of information tools. Free, Fee-Based and Value-Added Information Services considers the quality, availability and value of information on free Web sites, fee-based Web sites and value-added information services. To learn more visit: http://factiva.com/collateral/files/whitepaper_feevsfree_032002.pdf > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fa1133] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> THE LOW DOWN ON UK COMPANY DIRECTORS FOR ONLY 8 POUNDS <<< Nationality, birth date, address, live and resigned directorships of trading companies, dissolved companies and those with insolvency proceedings. For each company, details include company name, registered number, status, turnover, pre-tax profit and net worth. Search free at > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery Free Pint Bar ------------------------------------------- [Note: To read a Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXXX in the address ] We've heard a lot over the years about the Nigerian scams that plague our email inboxes. A regular in the Bar has pointed to an article about scam victims fighting back. If lots of people engage the scammers in an email exchange they'll waste hours of the culprits' time, as well as their own, but the scammers will find it impossible to know which replies to follow up (17902). Be warned, though, don't get involved unless you know what you are doing! And let's face it, most of us have better things to do, such as researching the use of audio visual materials in teaching (17767), developing a weekly rota (17918), wheelchair suspensions (17712), metal baseball bats (17770), London Underground air vents (17904) and a checklist of licenses you'll need when setting up a business (17917). All these queries still need some answers, so if you know about these things, do get in touch. Other research issues include short and long term fund raising techniques (17727), putting together email lists (17717), collecting contact details for FTSE100 companies (17800) and getting in touch with a particular company (17875). These postings have all received some response but you may wish to put your oar in or to find out the answers to the same questions. Just in case anyone forgets about all the good things you can find on the Web, we have had many recommendations of online resources covering intranet and knowledge management blogs (17769), news delivery services and alerts (17838, 17801), Internet advertising terminology (17734), automatic keyword searching and other current awareness tools (17821), and Gary Price's blog, which is now hosted by Free Pint (17709). Tipplewise, I reviewed a handy visual search tool (17808) and an excellent site that lists the best economics sites around (17908). There were several interesting UK library related postings in the past couple of weeks. Many have been concerned with the results of the audit commission's recent report into public libraries (17796) and wonder how it will affect future policy changes. Concern has also been expressed over the British Library's Patent Express service, which has been discontinued (17733). Yet another correspondent wants to know if the government is really committed to getting all libraries online by the end of this year or is it all just puff (17910). Surely not! Quantitative data is sought covering the PC industry's 2001 figures (17903), the cost of project engineers as a percentage of revenue (17848), pharmaceutical data, presumably for the UK (17732), US supermarket and drugstore sales figures (17715), software industry data (17776), UK music and video retail sales (17754) and French company rankings (17831). There are several unanswered technical questions concerning the BBC search engine (17720), adding contacts in Outlook Express (17836), word processing in Arabic (17749), CD-ROM networking (17723), database software reviews (17802, 17834), choosing spreadsheet software (17697) and printing out lists of favourites (17919). There were further questions about explanations of escrow (17718), reinstalling AOL (17892), storing Web pages in a database (17862) and using Access for a bibliographic database (17816). Finally, there have been miscellaneous queries about freelance rates (17871), buying laptops (17747), getting a recording of a TV programme (17771), alternatives to sodium lauryl sulphate (17867), finding the source of a quotation (17823) and what countries Free Pinters come from (17805). It was suggested that one should ask what countries have no Free Pinters and I suspect that list would be far shorter! [Note: To read a Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXXX in the address ] Free Pint Student Bar ------------------------------------------------------- [Note: To read a Student Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] Students have been researching political activity in various professional librarians' institutions (2505), UK interactive multimedia courses (2508), the effects of ICT on employment levels (2514), writing research proposals (2515) and musicologists' use of the Internet (2518). [Note: To read a Student Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] Simon Collery, Content Developer If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters then do post a message at the Bar or the Student Bar . To have the latest Bar postings sent to you every other day, log in to your account online at . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ****Need access to industry specific information?**** Esmerk Ltd offers access to same-day abstracted information from hundreds of sources including 497 newspapers in 22 languages from 85 different countries and delivered daily to you in English. For more information on how you can keep abreast in your industry contact us at Esmerk... We are here to keep you ahead! > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [es1134] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> NEWSLETTER HOSTING FROM FRIENDLY FOLK <<< "When we were looking for a list hosting service, Free Pint impressed us with their professional and friendly manner." CosmicCupid.com > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT JOBS There have been some changes to the UK regions in the Free Pint Jobs database. London has become 'London - Central', and we've added 'London - Outer', 'West', 'South Coast', 'M4 Corridor' and 'Eire'. As well as the selected listings below, check out the weekly Bar postings which list the latest additions to Free Pint Jobs. This week's can be found at and last week's at . Here are some of the latest featured jobs: Information Assistant New post created to support the work of the information and enquiries service. Due to network disruption, please contact ASH again if you responded before. Recruiter: ASH (Action on Smoking & Health) Scotland Content Manager Use your content & project mgt skills at educational portal site, draw in content & links & forge relationships with providers. Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment Director, Knowledge Management For intl corporate, to create/manage knowledge assets, processes and global strategy for the organisation's intranet. London base. To 73k. Recruiter: Recruit Media Business Analyst Telecoms Business Analyst (2-5 years experience) for Strategic Consultancy. In-depth Analysis and report-writing. 32-38k p.a. Recruiter: Glen Recruitment [The above jobs are paid listings] Free Pint Jobs is a great place for finding and advertising information-related vacancies. Candidates can search the database for free, and set up a profile to be notified weekly of relevant new vacancies. Advertisers will receive significant publicity for listed vacancies, and jobs will be matched against the 500+ stored job seeker profiles. Find out more today at > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Ready to do Ecommerce? http://www.globalgold.co.uk/Ecommerce/ For trusted Ecommerce-based hosting solutions contact Global Gold TODAY! You'll get a voice on the line, great Customer Service and fair prices! Call 0870 0044444 NOW to work with one of Europe's most forward thinking hosting providers, we make things simple. http://www.globalgold.co.uk/Hosting/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [gg1135] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> BROWSING THE BAR IS A BREEZE <<< If you'd rather browse the Free Pint Bar by topic rather than date, then make sure you check out the new Bar Browser: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = TIPS ARTICLE "Trade Unions on the Net" By Jane Taylor Introduction ============ The Trades Union Congress has 69 affiliated unions representing nearly 6.8 million members. A majority of those 69 unions have a website. I have looked at most of them on and off over the years and most have become sophisticated sites, providing a wealth of information for both their members and any other interested parties. There are a number of features that are common to union sites. Most have a members only section, almost all have either an application form online, or the facility to request an information pack and most, but not all, have a search facility. Trade union sites are good sources for news about what is happening in their sector. Some confine themselves to what the union is doing, others will comment on wider issues. More and more unions are providing online access to their internal and external documents. Some only provide access to their journals, but others put a full range of their documents online. These are often the most interesting as they tend to be responses to government proposals, briefings on changes in employment legislation and briefings around the issues facing their members, whether they be teachers or postal workers. I have looked in detail at sites of TUC-affiliated unions with more than 100,000 members and have given basic details of the rest. But the most useful site for the general public is the Trades Union Congress site itself . The TUC have a policy of publishing all their documents online and you can also buy paper copies of the more substantial documents online. General Unions ============== UNISON is the largest union in the country with nearly 1.3 million members in local government, healthcare, the water, gas and electricity industries, education, transport, voluntary sector and police support staff. The site is unusual in that, in addition to all the usual facilities, it has a discussion forum which is open to all users. The site also provides excellent resources for officials to use in local bargaining. However it does not have a general search facility. Amicus was recently formed from a merger of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU) and the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union (MSF) . They represent people working in a myriad of sectors, including manufacturing, engineering, IT, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, education, financial services, voluntary sector and the National Health Service. The union does not yet have a site of its own. Both the old sites are still available, but the AEEU site doesn't appear to have been updated since July 2001. The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) represents administrative, clerical, technical and supervisory workers in a variety of blue collar sectors, such as construction, manufacturing, transport and public services. The site is currently being revamped for a launch in Summer 2002, but the old site has a members only section, search facility and online versions of some paper publications. The General and Municipal Boilermakers Union (GMB) has nearly 700,000 members in transport, defence, retail, food industries, local government, the NHS, education, utilities, etc. The GMB site is one of the few to have a 'click to enter' screen, but once you have got into the site you can access a range of their documents, from a long A-Z list. They have separate sections on the site for various categories of member and a FAQ section covering such general employment issues as maternity and parental rights, contracts of employment and pay, health and safety, etc. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) represents people in government departments and agencies, public bodies, private sector information technology and other service companies. The site has news and information about its campaigns on the front page and publications are grouped within the relevant sections, e.g. Parliamentary. The PCS library has its own section on the site. Prospect is a new union, formed on 1st November 2001 after the merger of the Engineering Managers Association (EMA) and the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists (IPMS). They represent workers in engineering, managerial and professional staff in agriculture, defence, energy, environment, health & safety, heritage, law and order, shipbuilding, and transport. The new site is mostly just news dating from the merger of the two unions, but the old EMA and IPMS sites still exist, providing archived information. Specialist Unions ================= In addition to the general unions who also represent members in a variety of sectors there are the following specialist unions. Banking ------- UNIFI , the largest banking union, represents around 160,000 members. The site has news on the front page, with publications in the relevant section. The site has no search facility, but it does have full contact details, including photographs, for its research officers. The Abbey National Group Union (ANGU) - as you might expect - represents staff employed in the Abbey National Group. Their site at is under construction. The Britannia Staff Union (BSU) represents staff working in Britannia Building Society and its group of companies, the Independent Union of Halifax Staff (IUHS) represents all staff within HBOS plc and the Nationwide Group Staff Union (NGSU) as their name suggests, represents people working for the Nationwide Group. Construction ------------ The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) is another union that has a 'click to enter' page. The main front page is devoted to recent news about the union and its sector, but the rest of the site is either undated material on general issues, or the pages are awaiting updating. Education --------- The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is the largest teaching union, with around 200,000 members. The site has an advanced search facility and gives teachers the opportunity to calculate their new pay taking into account the various allowances now payable. It has campaigns and news on the front page and a special section for newly qualified teachers. Publications are within the relevant section rather than in a specific publications section. The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) has a separate publications section in addition to its thematic section. It also has a members only section. Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) represents staff in nursery, primary, secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges. In addition to the general search facility on the site it has an assisted search function allowing users to search for Key Areas and Key Concerns. The University & College Lecturers' Union (NATFHE) represents people working in post school education, lecturers in prisons, adult education, further education, higher education and universities. The Association of University Teachers (AUT) represents academic and related staff in higher education. The Association for College Management (ACM) is a trade union and professional association and represents managers in post 16 education. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) represents staff in Nursery, Primary, Special, Secondary and Further and Higher Education in Scotland and Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru (UCAC) represents teachers and lecturers in Wales. This is a Welsh language site. The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) represents educational psychologists in local authorities and other organisations. The site was last updated in July 2001. The Community and Youth Workers' Union (CYWU) represents youth workers, workers in youth theatre, community education, outdoor education, play and personal advisers/mentors. The National Association of Educational Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants (NAEIAC) represents inspectors, advisors and consultants in education. Health ------ The British Dietetic Association (BDA) represents people involved in the science of dietetics in the private and public sector. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) represents chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and physiotherapy assistants. The Community and District Nursing Association (CDNA) is for community nurses. The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) represents Consultants, Associate Specialists, Specialist Registrars and Staff Grade Doctors. The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP) represents State Registered chiropodists and podiatrists. The Society of Radiographers (SoR) represents Radiographers and associated grades. The British Orthoptic Society (BOS) site was under construction until recently. Manufacturing ------------- The Ceramic and Allied Trades Union (CATU) represents members in all areas of the ceramics industry. ISTC - The Community Union represents people working in the industries in and around steel and metal communities. The site has not been updated recently. The National Union of Domestic Appliances and General Operatives (NUDAGO) represents people working in the domestic appliance industries, engineering, foundries and electronics. The site is a single page on the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) site at . The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) represents workers in textiles and other apparel industries. The site has not been updated since August 2001. Media ----- The Graphical, Paper and Media Union (GPMU) represents workers in paper and board making, ink making, graphic design, graphic reproduction, printing, packaging, bookbinding and print finishing. It also represents clerical, administration and production workers in all areas of printing, publishing and allied trades, multi-media and information technology. This is one of the sites with a 'click here to enter' screen. Where a document is not available online the site provides contact email addresses for the person responsible for it. The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) represents people working in broadcasting, film, video, theatre, cinema and related sectors. EQUITY is for performance workers in theatre, film television, radio and variety. The Musicians' Union (MU) represents performers engaged in the music profession including music writers and instrumental music teachers. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) naturally represents journalists. Their official site was launched in March 2002, prior to this they had an unofficial site at which was maintained by London Freelance Branch and which still exists as a branch site. Posts and Telecommunications ---------------------------- The Communication Workers Union represents people employed in the Post Office, British Telecom, Cable and Wireless, Cable TV, National Girobank and related industries. Our site follows the pattern that many trade union sites follow, with information about our campaigns, a news section and general information about the union and its work in the public section of the site. We also have a members only section which contains a very lively discussion forum. This is particularly useful for gauging how members feel about a specific issue. Connect is one of our sister unions. They mainly represent managers in telecommunications, information technology and related industries. I particularly like their FAQ section, but they also put their publications online. An innovation in the trade union movement is their recruitment consultancy OPUS2, details of which are on the site. The Communication Managers Association (CMA) is also a sister union. They represent managerial grades in postal services and are now part of Amicus. Research papers and publications are available online and their opening page gives a run down of what's been happening in the industry in the past year. Public Services --------------- FDA is the union and professional body for Britain's senior public servants. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) represents people working for local authority fire brigades. Napo is the Trade Union and Professional Association for Family Court and Probation Staff and the Prison Officers Association (POA) represents people employed in any penal or secure establishment or special hospital including prison officers, nursing grades, non-industrial stores grades and special hospitals staff. Retail and Distribution ----------------------- The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) represents people working in retail, distributive, food processing and manufacturing and call centres. It is one of the few unions that is not based in London. The site has a publications section, a special interest groups section (for gay and lesbian members, women members, disabled members, etc.) and a members only section. Transport --------- The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) represents airline cabin crew whilst the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) represents commercial airline pilots and flight engineers. The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) represents train drivers, operational supervisors and other staff and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) represents people working in railways and shipping, underground and road transport. The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) represents administrative, clerical, supervisory, managerial, professional and technical employees in rail, road and water transport. They also represent employees in the travel trade, hotel and catering industries, whilst the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) represents people in the merchant navy and all related areas. This site is a single page, which was last updated in May 2001. Miscellaneous ------------- The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) represents workers in the food industry. The British Association of Colliery Management - Technical, Energy and Administrative Management (BACM-TEAM) represents colliery managers as well as members in finance, distribution, manufacturing, technical administration and utilities. And finally the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) represents professional footballers. The site is part of the givemefootball.com site. How to Find Trade Union Sites ============================= The best place to start is the TUC Directory at . The list, of TUC- affiliated unions only, is correct as at Autumn 2001 and is updated annually. DMOZ - the open directory project also has a list of trade unions at . However it has not been updated recently and some of the entries are out of date. Other labour movement organisations will also have details of UK trade unions. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jane Taylor has been Information Manager at the Communication Workers Union for over 10 years and, until a full time web editor was appointed, she looked after the union's website. At present she is working on developing an online information resource for the CWU Research Department. She is a member of the GMB. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Employment/Recruitment/HR" industry articles in the Free Pint Portal * Post a message to the author, Jane Taylor, or suggest further resources, at the Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Access the entire archive of Free Pint articles and issues > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE FREE PINT 'CUSTOMER PORTAL' <<< It's just a flashy name for the place where you can change your Free Pint subscriptions and password, view past invoices, change your job alert profile, Bar preferences, view purchased company reports ... Actually, it's a pretty flashy place: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BOOKSHELF "The Internet Weather" Written by James W. Moore Reviewed by Charles Oppenheim The title of this 250-page hardback book is intriguing. The sub-title helps explain the metaphor a bit more: "Balancing continuous change and constant truths". The book is intended as a guidebook to the perplexed (especially someone thinking of getting into e-commerce in a big way) regarding what is likely to happen to the e-economy in the near future. The book is written in a fairly typical US management book found in an airport bookshop style, as the chapter titles indicate: winner take all; anonymity, the ultimate luxury good; chipmunks in the wheel of time; fast facts and factoid fiction crowd out the truth; taxis, technology and trust; individual sovereignty; inbots and outbots; trustees of time; the color of data; principled agility; invest in verities; and navigating the Internet weather. Each chapter takes a different theme and explores it with commentary, a few case studies, and supported by a few (very badly referenced) supporting publications. Whilst some of the fundamental messages, such as the importance of trust in the Internet economy, are very important, the author masks this with a gee-whizz approach. I could tolerate this well enough (after all, it is the ubiquitous style of US management books) if it weren't for the fact that the book has errors in it. This is ironic in view of the fact that the author stresses how the Internet tends to encourage inaccurate or superficial information ("factoid fiction") and that this is something that should be guarded against. The errors include: a misunderstanding of Darwin's theory of evolution, confusing it with the largely discredited Larmarkian theories of development; a claim that people have stopped paying for stock market prices because they can get such data for free on the Internet (try telling Bloomberg and Reuters that); getting the date of the German hyperinflation out by six years; getting the geographical location of Russia badly wrong (day is not six hours long in winter and 18 hours long in summer for the vast bulk of Russia); the claim that we are having to invent new prefixes for quantities because of the growth in the amount of data in the world (the prefixes such as mega, tera, giga and so on existed centuries before computers were created); getting the name of the Metropolitan Police incorrect; claiming that taxi drivers in London have to memorise EVERY London street; claiming that all information is available for free (something he contradicts elsewhere); claiming that nearly everyone will experience a period in their career of freelancing; claiming that no politician or business analyst foresaw the ability to assemble the data that now exists in the Internet; and the recommendation that all corporations should delete their e-mails after three months. Many of these claims are factoid fiction and demonstrate a superficiality of thought. This would be annoying enough if it weren't for the fact that the author bangs on about how we should learn to avoid such factoids. The author has a lot of sensible messages embedded within the book. What a pity he ruins it by his own eagerness to impress. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Charles Oppenheim is Professor of Information Science at Loughborough University. Prior to that he had a varied career in academia and the electronic information industry. He is best known for his work on legal issues for the information professional, but his professional interests also cover topics such as citation studies, the value and impact of information, the electronic information industry, information policies and knowledge management. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Like all ex-Infotainers, most of his hobbies are unpublishable, but he can reveal that he is an aficionado of T-shirts and sandals. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * "The Internet Weather" ISBN 0471064084 published by John Wiley written by James W. Moore * Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint Bookshelf at * Read about other Internet marketing books on the Free Pint Bookshelf To propose an information-related book for review, send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> LOOKING FOR QUALITY JOB CANDIDATES ON A BUDGET? <<< Low cost doesn't necessarily mean low quality. Advertise with Free Pint Jobs and reach 50,000 information researchers for only 195 pounds. It works and it's low cost. Brilliant. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE "The Future of Mobile Telephony" By Nick Mackenzie Mobile telephones have been one of the fastest new technologies to be taken up by the general public, as they provide flexibility, reliability and practicality, as well as being highly fashionable and inexpensive. In the near future, mobile telephony is expected to change radically as operators and manufacturers introduce new services and equipment to take advantage of new technologies. A Worldwide Technology ---------------------- There are three major regional markets for mobile telephony - Western Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. In both the Western Europe and Asia Pacific regions, mobile telephony has grown rapidly, with Western Europe showing a growth rate of 9.5 per cent during 2001, according to the European Commission , whereas North America has a significantly lower level of mobile penetration. There are several reasons for the low level of mobile telephone usage in North America, including poor coverage outside urban areas, continued use of analogue technologies, operators charging subscribers for incoming calls (which encourages users to make only outgoing calls and switch off at all other times), and poor roaming arrangements (the ability to use handsets outside "home" markets). As a result, there were only 40.1 mobile subscribers per 100 population in the US in 2001, compared to levels of 57.5 in the UK, 64.1 in Italy and 48.9 in Japan. The growth of mobile telephony is charted graphically in the 'Library - Facts and Figures' section at . It should be noted that mobile telephony is seen as having an increasingly important role in developing countries, where many consumers do not even have basic fixed line telephony. According to statistics published in 2001 by the International Telecommunications Union (the UN agency responsible for telecommunications), the average number of fixed-line telephones in 2000 was 2.48 per 100 population for the whole of Africa, and 0.75 for sub-Saharan Africa, as opposed to an average of 55.59 in the EC . The ITU announced in November 2001 that the total number of mobile subscribers in Africa had surpassed the number of fixed-line subscribers. The use of pre-paid cards has given a significant boost to the use and penetration of mobile telephony by providing access to people on lower incomes and without bank accounts - both of which are significant problems in developing countries. New Mobile Technologies - GPRS, EDGE and UMTS --------------------------------------------- One of the reasons for the rapid growth of mobile telephony in recent years is the superior technology offered by digital networks over the previous analogue systems - in terms of the size and weight of handsets, the quality of sound and the efficient use of the radio spectrum. Mobile operators are hoping that the introduction of new mobile technologies will have a similar impact. Although several different technologies exist, the European standard Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is increasingly used throughout the world, with an estimated 67 per cent of the global market . GSM provides a number of advantages, including a wide variety of handsets and international roaming. A further advantage is that GSM permits operators to upgrade their networks to more advanced services, including the ability to transmit and receive data at high speeds. One of the disadvantages of the GSM standard has been its low speeds for data communications. In the last three years, most European network operators have upgraded their networks using General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technologies, and manufacturers are currently developing handsets using Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, which provides even higher data communication speeds. These technologies are seen as being an interim step in preparing customers for the higher data capacities of third generation (3G) technologies, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Technology Maximum Data Speed (kbps) GSM 9.6 GPRS 171.2 EDGE 384.0 UMTS 2000.0 Source: GSM Association Higher data speeds will increase the ability of users to send and receive more complicated data communications. In the near future, subscribers will be able to check their email, send and receive photograph- and animation-based messages and interact directly with other mobile users without noticing any delay. One of the most important developments which will follow the introduction of these new technologies will be changes in the way that customers are billed for their use of these services. Customers will have a permanently open connection to the network, and will be charged on the basis of their information use. This will take the form of billing on the basis of megabytes received and sent, rather than the minutes used making calls. New Handsets ------------ The handsets using these new technologies will look progressively less like existing mobile phones. Manufacturers are already developing the first handsets with larger and colour-capable screens, which will take advantage of the Internet-style applications. Nokia has already begun marketing mobile telephones with full QWERTY keyboards. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) have already been developed for using mobile networks to download and exchange information, and manufacturers are developing cards which can be plugged into laptop computers, providing Internet access over mobile networks. Similarly, Research in Motion launched its Blackberry handset early in 2001, allowing users to send and receive email via a GPRS network. In this way, users can respond quickly to important messages, and deal with less important messages and "spam" at a time that is convenient for them. Further into the future, consumer products such as cars and televisions will be designed with built-in communication systems, with automatic access to their own data services. Mobile Internet --------------- In the last three years, governments throughout the industrialised world have issued more than 100 licences for third generation (3G) networks to mobile operators, enabling them to provide mobile high- speed data services. Operators have invested enormous amounts both in the licences and in the infrastructure to deliver services, including total licence fees of 51,616 million Euros in Germany and 22,476 million pounds in the UK. To see how the operators will use these expensive licences, the Japanese market provides a useful example of a working mobile data network. Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo was the first company to launch a mobile data system with its "i-mode" service in February 1999. i-mode's popularity can be seen in the 31.5 million subscribers who had signed up by February 2002. i-mode is an Internet-type service giving users access to a wide range of information sites (NTT DoCoMo estimates that 40,000 sites are available, although there is a wide range of additional unofficial sites) which can be categorised into four groups: * Financial services - access to bank accounts, share dealing accounts, ticket booking systems and credit card information; * Information services - news, weather, sports results and stock prices * Database services - telephone directories, restaurant guides and dictionaries * Entertainment services - horoscopes, radio stations, ringtone downloads, etc. Many i-mode websites are created and administered by independent companies, which charge users for access through their monthly telephone bill from NTT DoCoMo. NTT DoCoMo charges a commission of approximately 9 per cent on each transaction, in addition to receiving the customer's basic subscription fee. NTT DoCoMo has taken advantage of being the first company to offer advanced mobile data services by imposing specifications for handset manufacturers. Already Japanese manufacturers have developed new handsets featuring full colour screens and fixed-image cameras, allowing subscribers to exchange still images. NTT DoCoMo launched its 3G i-mode services in October 2001, encouraging users to upgrade their handsets and subscriptions to take advantage of the higher data speeds. NTT DoCoMo claimed that more than 4,000 3G handsets were sold on the first day of service, and that it had a total of 60,000 subscribers by the end of February 2002. NTT DoCoMo has already announced plans to introduce a version of its i-mode service in Europe. Dutch mobile operator KPN Mobile will introduce "European i-mode" services on the networks run by its subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany during 2002. It should be noted that NTT DoCoMo purchased a shareholding of 15 per cent in KPN Mobile in June 2000. Text Messaging -------------- One of the most unexpected successes of the mobile market has been the dramatic increase in the number of short messages sent by mobile users. Initially, short messaging services (SMS) was seen by operators as a simple technological add-on with little potential value. As consumers became more aware of the possibilities offered by such services, the market has grown considerably. The GSM Association estimates that the global total of SMS messages sent per month increased from 4 million in January 2000 to 30 million in December 2001 . The mobile industry currently expects that Enhanced Messaging Services (EMS) and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) will be the "next big thing". EMS will extend messaging services to include formatted text (bold, underline, italic, centred, large/small), black and white still images and short melodies, while MMS will include fully formatable text messages of unlimited length, colour images, CD-quality sound and, eventually, real-time audio and video sequencing. Ericsson claims to be the first manufacturer to launch MMS-enabled handsets, which will be on the market in the second quarter of 2002. Conclusions ----------- The mobile market is expected to continue its pattern of growth, with a range of new services and devices answering the needs of users. Mobile telephony is here to stay, due to the practical advantages to subscribers. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nick Mackenzie works as a freelance market analyst, specialising in the telecommunications industry. Since studying Philosophy at the University of Durham, he has worked on a self-employed basis for ten years, and currently lives in Marseille in the South of France. He has carried out work for the Prince's Youth Business Trust, Health Management Consultancy, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, and the International Telecommunications Union, and his work has been published by Espicom Business Intelligence and Baskerville Strategic Research. He can be contacted on . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Telecommunications" articles and tipples in the Free Pint Portal * Post a message to the author, Nick Mackenzie, or suggest further resources, at the Free Pint Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS The 'Library + Information Show' from Resources Exhibitions has moved this year from Birmingham's NEC to London's Docklands. It is a showcase of library-related products and services with a number of free talks . Free Pint's second 'Content Management Exchange' with Martin White is on the 1st of July . This is followed by William Hann's two 'Email Publishing Exchanges' on July 4th and July 16th , and Paul Pedley's 'Intranet Exchange' on the July 11th . Infonortics are holding their fifth 'International Conference on Virtual Communities' , STN have a free 'User Day' , and the Construction Industry Information Group (CIIG) have their 'Construction Info. Forum' . Further afield in Corby, the Aslib Midlands Branch's event is entitled 'Surviving as a new manager' . Stateside, Frost & Sullivan have two events on opposite sides of the continent. The '3rd Annual Internet Marketing Strategies Executive Summit' is in California and 'Transforming Your Business Using CRM & PRM: 3rd Annual Executive Summit' is on the East Coast . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Details of these and many other conferences and exhibitions in the information industry can be found on the Free Pint Events page . Submit details of your event anywhere in the world for free promotion, and keep us informed of any changes to current listings. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT GOLD Nobody can say Free Pint is tasteless. This time last year we covered Web resources relating to both 'waste' and 'images'. Thankfully not together, as nobody wants 'images of waste'. * Free Pint No.88, 24th May 2001. "Waste on the WWW" and "Images on the Web" Two years ago, popular Bar contributor Stuart Cliffe wrote about promoting yourself on the Web, whilst another Stuart gave a great introduction to XML. If you want to understand the tla XML then cfp63 (tla = three letter acronym, c = see, fp63 = Free Pint No.63). * Free Pint No.63, 25th May 2000. "Maximising Press and PR Exposure via the Internet" and "XML : Perception to Practice" If you're looking to learn a language online, then see the Tips article from 1999. Then use your new found linguistic skills to do business in Eastern Europe. * Free Pint No.39, 27th May 1999. "Lingo on-line - Languages resources on the World Wide Web" and "Central and Eastern European Web Sources" If you're a slave to your food, then you must read the issue from four years ago. Automating Web searching using a Web Slave was a hot topic then, and food is always on people's minds every few hours. * Free Pint No.15, 28th May 1998. "Web Slavery - Automating Information Retrieval" and "Food Industry Information on the Web" > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES [Provisional] * Animal & Pet Resources * Legal Sources * * Technology Transfer * Virtual Reference * * Biomedical Sources * Web Usability Resources * Academic, Economic and Social Science * * War & Peace, Famine & Disaster * Toxicology * If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write for Free Pint then please contact me or sign up for the regular Author Update on the Web site at . Rex Cooke, Editor > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = GOODBYE I really hope that today's newsletter has given you lots of ideas and new resources to check out. While you're online, don't forget to sign up for our Exchange seminars . William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor (c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2002 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = CONTACT INFORMATION Address: Free Pint Limited 4-6 Station Approach Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2QN, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044 Fax: +44 (0)1784 420033 Directions and maps: Key contacts: William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor Rex Cooke, Editor Simon Collery, Content Developer Penny, Administrator Web Subscriptions Letters & Comments Authors Latest Issue Autoresponder Advertising > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 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 or email . Please note: Free Pint 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. 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. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = This edition has been sent to <{EMAIL}>.