INFORMATION UPDATE "Offering Information Solutions" February, 2003 Number 41 A Monthly Publication of Shamel Information Services mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, the free monthly newsletter for people who need to know. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ IN THIS ISSUE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ => Do It Yourself - Recommended Reading => Did You Know - It Costs Money. . . => Notes, News and Announcements => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information ************************************************************ DO IT YOURSELF - Recommended Reading In Theory and In Practice ************************************************************ In Theory - Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian offer an excellent look at Internet economics in "Information Rules" from the Harvard Business School Press. Shapiro and Varian set out to write a book that would help managers and policy makers make informed strategic choices involving information tech- nology. They succeeded. Using jargon free explanations grounded in real life examples we can all relate to, the authors apply durable economic principles to today's frenetic business environment. For example, Varian and Shapiro use the advent of the telephone system one hundred years ago to explain the vulnerability of Netscape as it developed its Web browser in competition with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. A reader will surely find her/himself thinking, "OK. Now I understand what happened, and why." And not only as it relates to this example. Readers will learn about strategies for differential pricing, ways to sell an infor- mation good to identifiable markets, and ways to 'version' information goods to make them appeal to different market segments. The book includes discussion of intellectual property and how lessons from history apply to rights management on the Internet. The authors hope to provide the reader with models, concepts and analysis that will provide a "deeper understanding of the fundamental forces at work in today's high-tech industries and enable you to craft winning strategies for tomorrow's network economy." (pg.18) Shapiro, Carl and Hal R. Varian. "Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Networking Economy." Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999. http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/ In Practice - Mary Diffley takes a hands-on approach to effective e-business strategies in "Internet Prophets: En- lightened E-Business Strategies for Every Budget" from CyberAge Books. Diffley looks at fundamentals such as online shopping, marketing, digital delivery, stickiness, online communities, portals, auctions, pricing and more to guide e-business development. She explains how to pre- pare an Internet business plan, how to create a project plan, and how to market the Web site. Probably the most novel tools in the book are the four prophets, Eenie, Meenie, Miney, and Moe that Diffley creates to model the simple site, the enhanced customized site, the transaction and interactive site, and the "full-blown e-business strategies" site respect- ively. Get ready to enjoy the fun as the Internet Prophet strives to educate you and assist you in implementing e-business strategies that really work. Diffley, Mary. "Internet Prophets: Enlightened E-Business Strategies for Every Budget." Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books, 2002. http://books.infotoday.com/ ************************************************************ Did You Know? - It Costs Money to Place Information in the Hands of the Right People at the Right Time, but It May Well Cost More Not To ************************************************************ Paying for verifiable, reliable information upon which to base business decisions definitely costs money. But what are the costs of not making this investment? How much did it cost the research and development group to spend six months investigating a substance for new drug potential before learning that some other company already held the patent? How much does it cost to allow highly paid research scientists to conduct their own literature searches with nothing more at their disposal than an incomplete freely available public database? How much does it cost to allow internal market researchers to purchase expensive market research reports in order to obtain merely the executive summary? How much does it cost to rely on only one CD-ROM database to provide information on products being developed by the competition? I haven't quantified the costs, but these examples are not hypothetical. They are based on real corporate business practices. Don't cut corners when it comes to supplying your decision- makers with the information they need. Contact an information professional for assistance. ************************************************************* Notes, News, and Announcements ************************************************************* >>WebSearch University, April 7-8, 2003, San Francisco, CA WebSearch University is a unique, valuable, and intensive learning opportunity in which intermediate and advanced searchers can improve their skills and learn new search tactics, strategies, and tools. To register go to: http://www.websearchu.com/ >>Buying and Selling eContent, April 13-15, 2003, Scottsdale, AZ. Buying & Selling eContent 2003 will focus on strategic issues faced by top-level executives responsible for buying & selling content in the electronic marketplace. http://www.buy-sell-econtent.com/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Shamel Information Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com contains Information Update archives. Just click on "Newsletters" and check for any issues you might have missed. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free. You may subscribe or unsubscribe by sending a message to: mailto:InfoUpdate@shamelinfo.com with SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Copyright 2003 Shamel Information Services Please feel free to forward this issue to colleagues, in its entirety. Other uses without permission may violate copyright. Online archives at http://shamelinfo.com/newsletter.htm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Cynthia L. Shamel, editor Shamel Information Services Poway, California mailto:cshamel@shamelinfo.com Author, "Centralized Library and Learning Resources: A Remote Access Demonstration Project," Community & Junior College Libraries 10(4):13-28. Author, "Building a Brand: Got Librarian?" Searcher July/August, 2002. http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/default.htm President-Elect of the Association of Independent Information Professionals http://www.aiip.org. Telephone: 858-673-4673 Toll Free: 800-330-9939