INFORMATION UPDATE

             "Offering Information Solutions"

     June, 2003                              Number 45
   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.

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     IN THIS ISSUE
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     => Do It Yourself - Whatis?com and How Stuff Works
     => Did You Know? - Simple Questions Not Always So Simple
     => Notes, News and Announcements
     => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information


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     DO IT YOURSELF - Whatis?com and How Stuff Works
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Recently I needed a working understanding of "flash memory."
I had heard of it, but needed to know more, since the concept 
figured prominently into a project I was working on.

Whatis?com http://whatis.techtarget.com/ and How Stuff Works 
http://www.howstuffworks.com/index.htm provide answers.

Whatis?com contains over 4,000 individual encyclopedic defini-
tions with about 12,000 hyperlinked cross-references for
further information.  The focus is on words and concepts
related to information technology, so it was perfect for the
"flash memory" question.  Whatis?com also offers a list of
"Every File Format in the World" at 
http://whatis.techtarget.com/fileFormatA/0,289933,sid9,00.html
and a Fast Guide to Tutorials for information technology 
training.  
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci532335,00.html

How Stuff Works has explanations of ComputerStuff, AutoStuff,
ElectronicsStuff, ScienceStuff, HomeStuff, EntertainmentStuff,
MoneyStuff, TravelStuff, and PeopleStuff.  You can browse the
categories or enter your search terms in the Search box.  I 
entered "flash memory" (without the quotes) and got a list of 
relevant web sites, along with HowStuffWorks explanation of
flash memory with related entries on other types of computer
memory.

I recommend saving these two sites in your bookmarks or list
of favorites.  They are reliable, accurate, and comprehen-
sive resources.


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     DID YOU KNOW? - Simple Questions Not Always so Simple
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In a way, this article is a continuation of last month's
discussion of market research sources.  Good market research
requires access to hundreds of sources of information.  It
can also require some creative searching using the powerful
search capabilities of the commercial online databases.

Recently I was looking for information on black and white
photography.  The question was straight forward, but the
search terms were not.  After exploring several sources, I
determined that the concept "black and white" could be a 
little problematic.

A little experimentation demonstrated that a good search
strategy would require several synonyms, including 
   bw
   b&w
   black and white
   monochrome

Because AND is a Boolean operator often used to combine terms
in a search statement, it required special treatment in this
case in order to deliver the phrase "black and white" in the 
proper context.

Managing this search in order to retrieve relevant results
was not difficult, but it did require an understanding of 
how databases are constructed and how the various search
services retrieve information from a database.  It also
required careful attention to search terms and the
appropriate synonyms.

To bring the experience and knowledge of professional search
skills to your business decisions, contact Shamel Information 
Services at 858-673-4763.

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       Notes, News, and Announcements
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Special Libraries Association Annual Conference, New York
     City, June 8-11, 2004 http://www.sla.org

Readers have contacted Information Update to express 
appreciation for the April Fool's Hoaxes site and to thank 
us for the timesaving Internet search tips.

Please let us know what you like or would rather see changed
about Information Update.

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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.

Cynthia L. Shamel, editor
Shamel Information Services
AIIP President, 2003-2004
http://www.aiip.org

mailto:cshamel@shamelinfo.com
Telephone: 858-673-4673

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Copyright 2003 Shamel Information Services

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