INFORMATION UPDATE  
   December 2005                         Number 69

Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, a monthly resource for
information seekers and users.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
IN THIS ISSUE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   => Do It Yourself - A9.com
   => Did You Know? - When to Call for Backup
   => Notes, News and Announcements
   => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information

************************************************************
DO IT YOURSELF - A9.com - http://a9.com 
************************************************************
Yesterday someone asked if I'd ever heard of A9.com, the
search engine.  The feature that captured his attention was
A9.com's yellow pages and image database.  Search for 
businesses in A9's yellow pages and you will often be able
to see a picture of the business.  When it works, it's very
cool, and it seems to work better in urban areas than it in
suburban areas.

A9 offers a kind of federated search allowing you to search
the Web (powered by Google), blogs, images (again Google),
yellow pages (see above), reference works, movie info (IMDB), 
and more.  Just tick the box in front of those sources that
you want to include in a search and the results are sorted
into columns.

A9 is owned by Amazon.com, and they take advantage of that
relationship by offering a 'search-inside-the-book' capa-
bility.  With this option your results list will show the
search term in bold type with a few lines of surrounding 
text.

If you chose to sign in to the site using your Amazon id
or to download the A9 toolbar you will have even more
capabilities.  We will take a look at that in a future issue
of Information Update.

************************************************************
DID YOU KNOW? - When to Call for Backup
************************************************************
You're swamped and neither you nor your staff can possibly
take on one more task or project.

You know what kind of information you need, but you have no
idea where or how to look for it.

You know where to look for the information you need, but
you do not have access to the necessary sources.

You need information in a specialized subject area, and you
simply do not have adequate knowledge of that particular
subject.

These are just a few of the situations that arise in most
companies at one time or another.  Fortunately there are
options for you and your staff to obtain the extra hands,
heads, and resources to deliver the goods.

Over the next several months in this column we will examine
the process of how to identify suitable contractors, how to
negotiate a working arrangement, and how to manage or work
with the contractor you choose.  

As we approach year end and strategic planning for next 
year is underway, now would be a good time to consider how
your company could benefit from establishing working rela-
tionships with outside information professionals.  Make a 
list and check it twice, then watch this space for workable
ideas on how to call for backup when you need it. 

For more information, contact Shamel Information Services, 
858-673-4673 or mailto:cshamel@shamelinfo.com

*************************************************************
Notes, News, and Announcements
*************************************************************
Best wishes for a happy holiday season!

>>Information Seekers may now subscribe to Information Update
using the web form at http://shamelinfo.com.  If someone has
forwarded this newsletter to you, why not register for your
own free copy?  Use the form on the Shamel Information
Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com.

************************************************************** 
Shamel Information Services Web Site 
************************************************************** 
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

Telephone: 858-673-4673

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free.  

Copyright 2005 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

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^