INFORMATION UPDATE November 2006 Number 79 Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, a monthly resource for information seekers and users. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ IN THIS ISSUE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ => Do It Yourself - Wikipedia => Did You Know - Market Research Doesn't Always Mean Buying Expensive Reports => Notes, News and Announcements => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information ************************************************************ DO IT YOURSELF - Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia That Anyone Can Edit ************************************************************ The title summarizes for us the value and the caution attached to this evolving information resource. It is free - yeah! Anyone can edit - whoa! Feel free to check this source whenever you need information, but in some cases you will want to validate or double check what you find there. "Wiki" comes from Hawaiian and it means quick or fast. "Pedia" comes from Greek and it means instruction or education. QuickInstruction is not a bad way to think of the Wikipedia. In order to make the best use of it it helps to know that it is always evolving and anyone can contribute to or edit articles. Articles contain hyperlinks to other articles, references to convey sources, and links to relevant sites and sources out- side the Wikipedia. Older articles tend to be more thorough and balanced, while newer articles may contain misinformation or even vandalism. As time goes on people contribute and the articles evolve. The English language site contains almost 1.5 million articles, and related sites contain articles in over 30 languages. Visit Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org. Because it is a wiki, "anyone with access to an Internet-connected computer can edit, correct, or improve information throughout the encyclopedia, simply by clicking the edit this page link." Users are invited to contribute knowledge to the Wikipedia. The Wikipedia Foundation has put policies and standards in place to guide the collaboration, so contributors needn't worry about damaging the encyclopedia. I have found the Wikipedia to provide particular value in cases where very current information about new technologies, including the history of the technology and how it has developed over time. The content is truly dynamic. While I've been writing this newsletter, "Today's featured article" on the home page has changed from one about J.R.R. Tolkein to one about the Katyn Massacre and now the feature is on San Francisco. Check it out and let me know how it works for you. ************************************************************* => Did You Know - Market Research Doesn't Always Mean Buying Expensive Reports ************************************************************* Buying market research reports from companies like Gartner, Forrester, and Frost & Sullivan often provides just the kind of information decision-makers need. These reports contain forecasts, trends, competitor intelligence, market share, best practices, product information and more. The cost of one report could easily run into four figures. Is there a better way to access the valuable content that market research reports often contain? Well, as a matter of fact there is. Market research aggregators such as Thomson Business Intelligence (formerly known as Profound) license content from the research companies and make it available to subscribers through a web site. With a sub- scription you can use the TBI search engine to search the full text of these reports to pinpoint just the information you need. Not every organization can justify the cost of a subscription to a service like Thomson Business Intelligence, however, you do have options. For more information contact Shamel Information Services, 858-673-4673. ************************************************************* Notes, News, and Announcements ************************************************************* >>December 1, 2006 is World AIDS Day. Learn more about this day, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, and how you can join Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Bill Clinton and others to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Go to http://www.unaids.org >>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. To subscribe use the form at http://shamelinfo.com. To unsubscribe, please send your request to cshamel@shamelinfo.com. All requests are handled promptly. Copyright 2006 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 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^