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Home /Issues / No.64
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Free Pint"Helping 28,000 people use the Web for their work"http://www.freepint.co.uk/ISSN 1460-7239 8th June 2000 No.64> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =IN THIS ISSUEEDITORIALMY FAVOURITE TIPPLESfrom Josette CraneTIPS AND TECHNIQUES"Understanding Insurance"By Samantha Crown and Howard KnightBOOKSHELF"StrikingItRich.Com: Profiles of 23 IncrediblySuccessful Websites That You‘ve Probably Never Heard Of"Reviewed by Anne KuFEATURE ARTICLE"The Invisible Web"By Chris ShermanFREE PINT BARby Simon ColleryEVENTS,GOLD ANDFORTHCOMING ARTICLESCONTACT INFORMATIONONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKShttp://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/080600.htm> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =INVESTMENT RESEARCH MADE EASYFT.com‘s free Interactive Charting Tool is a great placeto carry out investment research. This easy to use toolwill produce informative charts that will help you analysecompany stock performance over pre-selected periods.http://www.marketprices.ft.com/ftpages/mp_bigchartOKIE.htm> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft641]>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<
for free access to the substantialarchive of articles, book reviews, industry news and events, and haveyour research questions answered at the "Free Pint Bar".> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =EDITORIALI have two pieces of great news to share with you in this issue ...Firstly, I‘m delighted to announce that Free Pint has won formalrecognition within the information industry. I‘m off shortly to pickup the award as "European Special Librarian of the Year" (ESLY) atthe Special Libraries Association‘s annual conference in Philadelphia.The award is sponsored by Factiva and I think it‘s a real credit tothe tremendous commitment and hard work by the team here as well asto all the wonderful authors and contributors to the Bar. To find outmore then please read the formal announcement at
.Secondly, after many hours of development and testing we have nowcompleted the membership system. This is very exciting because itmeans that you will be able to log in to your account next time youvisit the Web site and change your subscriptions or registered detailsas required. Every user has been assigned a unique password and thereare simple instructions on how to retrieve it when you go to login.As a registered member you will begin to notice a number of member-only benefits on the site, such as being able to have past issuesemailed to you immediately from the archive at. This provides uswith a fantastic foundation for developing a wide range of excitingnew personalised services and so I do encourage you to log in nexttime you visit the Web site.In today‘s articles you can find out about the intricacies of theinsurance industry as well as how to search the massive amount ofmaterial which is hidden to search engines.The title of the book we review makes it sound like another additionto dotcom mania, however this book is really quite rare in that ituses genuine examples of small Web site success (avoiding the hype)uniquely including actual revenue, profit and sales figures. I haveread the book and would indeed recommend it if you‘re trying totranslate success in the traditional economy onto the Web.With the usual mix of tips and reviews of what‘s been happening on theWeb site I‘m sure you‘ll find something of value in today‘s edition.If you can help us spread the word then that would be great and pleasedo give us your feedback either directly by email or at the Bar.Kind regards,WilliamWilliam Hann BSc MIInfScFounder and Managing Editor, Free Pinte:william@freepint.co.ukt: +44 (0)1784 455435f: +44 (0)1784 455436Free Pint is a trademark of Free Pint Limitedhttp://www.freepint.co.uk/> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =THE PREMIER SOURCE FOR FREE NEWS ARTICLES ON THE WEBFT.com‘s Global Archive brings together over eight millionarticles from leading business publications worldwide.The database is fully searchable and over 75% of the contentis free. Frequently updated, today‘s news is online now.http://www.globalarchive.ft.com> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ft642]>>> SPECIAL OFFER: UP TO 60% DISCOUNT FOR ADVERTISERS <<> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =MY FAVOURITE TIPPLESfrom Josette Crane* My current preferred metasearch engine is Ixquick which ranks results using stars.* I am often asked how many people use the Internet. For this andother Net statistics look at .* For business travel the country reports prepared annually by U.S.embassies are an invaluable travel companion:.* The annual reports of publicly listed UK companies can be orderedfree on-line from the Financial Times at.* To track a Web site try Netmind . Youspecify which pages to follow and an e-mail is sent to you wheneverthe pages are altered.Josette Crane enjoys working athome as an Internet Researcher for Wessex Water in England, providingsearching, training and current awareness services.To submit your top five favourite tipples see the guidelines at or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =BUSINESS INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET - 27 June 2000 A one day workshopfrom the British Library with plenty of opportunity for practice andfeedback. In this course one of the country‘s foremost Internetlecturers shows you how to cut through the maze of Internet sourcesand gives delegates pointers to the essential retrieval and browsingtools and how to get the best out of them. Contact Tony Catarinicchia020 7412 7915 or visit our website atwww.bl.uk/services/stb/courses.html for further details.> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [bl643]>>> TODAY‘S NEWS IN 200+ CATEGORIES << = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =TIPS AND TECHNIQUEShttp://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/080600.htm#tips"Understanding Insurance"By Samantha Crown and Howard KnightAfter a hesitant start, particularly in the United Kingdom, theinsurance industry is taking to the Internet with enthusiasm. Thefollowing sites provide a general introduction to the industry,focussing primarily on the UK market.Portal Sites------------ home of Insurance-links.com, a portalsite for insurance and insurance-related web sites. Another portal, (with a strong US bias) enables youto dip your feet into specific insurance topics such as earthquakesand insurance history.Regulation----------The new regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has overallresponsibility for the UK insurance industry. Its web site at provides general information on the role ofthe FSA, copies of consultation documents (including those concerninginsurance), press releases and information for consumers.The General Insurance Standards Council (GISC) is a new, independent, self-regulating and non-statutory body set upto supervise the selling of general insurance in the UK. Content onthe web site is sparse at present (general information about the GISC,press releases and a consultation paper) but will undoubtedly grow asthe GISC gets into its stride.Professional Bodies-------------------A good starting point for queries regarding the UK insurance market isthe Association of British Insurers. It represents the majority ofcompanies in the UK market and at maintains acomprehensive site with useful information for industry members andconsumers alike. For example, you can access ABI codes of practice,policy statements, relevant political news, a catalogue ofpublications and information on purchasing insurance. The FAQ sectionprovides information for consumers on different types of insurancesuch as pensions, home, motor and holiday. Answers are supported bycodes of practice, guidance notes and information sheets that clarifythe questions you should ask when buying insurance.The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is the leading professionaland educational body for UK insurance practitioners. provides background information on theInstitute, its work at home and abroad, and information on careers andprofessional qualifications.The Insurance Institute of London supports the work of the CII and iswell known for its lecture series. Copies of speeches can be viewedon the site.The web site of the British Insurance Brokers Association allowsbuyers of insurance to find registered brokers in their area.Additional information includes news, services for members andtraining for brokers.Other trade bodies with a web presence:The International Underwriting Association of London which representsinsurance/reinsurance companies in the London market.The Association of Insurance and Risk Managers.The Institute of Risk Management.The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters.The Faculty and Institute of Actuaries.To find insurance associations in other countries, try the Faculty andInstitute of Actuaries web site, the Insurance Information Instituteat , or Insurance-links.com at.Lloyd‘s/Insurance Company Information-------------------------------------The London Insurance Market is a world leader in internationallytraded insurance and reinsurance comprising mainly overseas, but alsoUK, non-life large and high exposure risks. Lloyd‘s accounts for overhalf of the total London market premium.Your global gateway to participants in the Lloyd‘s market is at. Lloyd‘s unique structure and history areexplained and the Market Gateway offers comprehensive informationabout all the syndicates, managing agents and Lloyd‘s brokers whoconstitute the Lloyd‘s market. Lloyd‘s MarketView contains a table ofall syndicates/managing agents‘ web sites with a search engine thatenables searching across these sites. A similar system is in place forLloyd‘s brokers. has a Members search that provides basiccompany contact information, including links through to respective websites where available.On a global level a great tool for both investors and strategicmarketing is . Independent financial strengthratings and basic company profiles for more than 5,000 insurancecompanies allows benchmarking and provides an indication as to likelyfuture performance. Further widely recognised insurance ratings canbe found at and .Industry News-------------Brief news headlines from the current issue of Insurance Day can befound at . Access to online versions ofLloyd‘s List and Insurance Day is available on subscription.Post Magazine and Insurance Times are two leading weekly tradejournals in the UK. The Post Magazine site at provides the latest news and stories fromthe current print version of the magazine. There is a searchablearchive of articles (back to 1998), vacancy lists and links to theelectronic editions of its sister publications, Professional Brokingand Reinsurance. The Insurance Times site at provides news, links to otherindustry web sites and the aforementioned job section.Insurance Age Electronic at provides anarchive of articles but, sadly, not a search facility.For news from the US insurance sector go to the Business Insurance website at .The Review at has current news, an archive ofarticles (1997 onwards) and a search facility.Other electronic insurance journals may be found using one of theportal sites mentioned at the beginning of this article.Statistical Information-----------------------Aside from company data, contains a widerange of insurance publications on topics ranging from naturalcatastrophes to alternative risk financing (freely downloadable andoften available in a selection of languages). One publication worth abrowse is Sigma. Published approximately eight times a year, itexamines developments and trends in the non-life, life and healthsectors of international insurance markets. Articles are thoroughlyresearched and comprehensive, marrying insurance theory withpractical application and analysis. Nottingham Insurance School,in the guise of the Centre for Risk and Insurance Studies, containstotal premium data (1997 onwards) for the top ten UK insurancecompanies. The information is from company annual reports.Business Insurance produces a number of sector rankings throughout theyear on a world and US basis. See .Publishers----------LLP Ltd , Witherby & Co. and A. M. Best areall leading insurance publishers. They provide catalogues ofpublications on their web sites. A. M. Best is a US publisher but isexpanding throughout the UK and Europe with products aimed at localmarkets. Web access to some LLP publications is available onsubscription.Careers/Jobs------------If you think insurance is the life for you but want to find out more,then the CII‘s site at is a good place tostart. It hosts a lot of information concerning careers andprofessional qualifications.For job vacancies, go to . LLP places alarge selection of job ads in its trade newspaper Insurance Day andthese are included on the site.Other trade journals featuring job sections are Post Magazine andInsurance Times. The electronic editions, at and respectively, include vacancy details.That concludes our brief tour of selected insurance web sites. Wehope you find them as useful as we have.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Howard Knight has worked in a variety of information roles within theCity since 1992 and has an MLib in Librarianship from the UniversityCollege of Wales, Aberystwyth to supplement his initial BLib inLibrarianship and International Politics. He presently heads up theBusiness Intelligence Centre at Lloyd‘s of London, a library andinformation service that seeks to meet the business information needsof the wider Lloyd‘s community.Samantha Crown is an information officer in the Business IntelligenceCentre at Lloyd‘s of London. She has worked in the informationindustry for four years since graduating with a BSc in InformationStudies from Loughborough University.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Related Free Pint links:* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks* Discuss this article with the author now at the Free Pint Bar> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Low Cost Web Hosting on Unix, NT, Machttp://www.globalgold.co.uk/?affid=14Global Gold offers Web site hosting and domain name registration ataffordable prices. Instant name registration starts at just 19.99pounds for .uk and 39.99 pounds for .com, .net and .org. Hostingpackages start at just 6 pounds a month for our basic accounts. Checkyour domain or find out more athttp://www.globalgold.co.uk/?affid=14> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [gg644]>>> FREE PINT FACT << = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FREE PINT BOOKSHELFhttp://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf"StrikingItRich.Com: Profiles of 23 IncrediblySuccessful Websites That You‘ve Probably Never Heard Of"Reviewed by Anne KuThe Los Angeles Times columnist and feature writer Jaclyn Eastoninterviewed these 23 highly successful but relatively unknowncompanies on the secrets of their success. These small companies allstarted their web-based businesses early, way before the rest of ushave even heard of the Internet. In that sense, they all have thefirst-mover advantage. Although widely different, these niche sitesfall into two categories: content or transaction. A content-basedwebsite makes money off advertisers as the information provided on thesite attracts a high volume of traffic, like Free Pint. Atransaction-based website makes money from the sale of merchandise,like Amazon.com.Each case study is written like a short story, with hard facts to showprofitability of the business, details of problems encountered, tipsand advice from the owners, and a personal side. Easton makes it easyto relate to the owners by her crafty storytelling of the triumphs andtribulations of setting up and growing a web-based business. As such,they are highly comforting and encouraging for anyone starting theirown web-based business. You don‘t have to be big to be successful.You don‘t have to have lots of money. You don‘t have to be in yourtwenties. (In fact, the average age is 40.) You don‘t have to be well-known. You don‘t have to have lots of snazzy javascripts andShockwave gimmicks on your site. The main message is: be yourself.You just have to believe in and love what you‘re doing.Although the companies are all US-based, the stories reveal that theyalmost all want to expand internationally. One can copy Easton‘sexample and interview incredibly successful web-based businesses inEurope and Asia. Like the 23 in the book, they are probably unheardof.To fully make use of the book, one almost has to use a highlighter pento bring out the generic secrets of success that can be transportedelsewhere. There is no final chapter summarising such usefulinsights. Neither is it available on the companion website. Instead,you have to read the entire book yourself and take notes. Perhapsthat is why you have to purchase rather than borrow it (like I did!)Amazon.com has several lengthy editorial reviews and 51 customerreviews (at last count) which vary from overwhelming praise to a wasteof money. To determine that yourself, read the sample chapter onDiscount Games.More promotional information about the book can be obtained from the website, which contains editorialreviews, full extracts of two chapters from the book (Ask the Builderand I Go Golf), one-paragraph teasers about each story, and updates oneach of the companies since publication of the book. Easton alsomakes fully available other articles she has written: a simple 3-stepguide to putting a small business on the web, affiliate programs,cross-selling on the web, search engine secrets, impulse purchasing,misuse of the term "hits", and revenue alternative to ads on nichesites. After thoroughly digesting her site, I felt very compelled tocontribute. Sure enough, there is a section on success tips dividedinto four categories: sales and marketing, site design and hosting,great content, and customer service.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Anne Ku came across Striking It Rich.Com while perusing the LondonBusiness School library for books on the Internet. After writing herown review at , shewas contacted by Free Pint to write a longer review for thenewsletter. This book has inspired Anne to build content to buildtraffic to build revenue. Her content-based website "analyticalQpresents a platform for self-expression, world travel, andflexibility" at contains original music,art, and writing. Readers are invited to visit and givesuggestions for improvement.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Related Free Pint links:* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf* Read about other Internet strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.ukor Amazon.com* Search for any other book from Amazon via the Bookshelf homepageTo propose a business-Web-related book for review, senddetails to .> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =>>> THE LATEST FROM THE FREE PINT BAR <<.> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FEATURE ARTICLEhttp://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/080600.htm#feature"The Invisible Web"By Chris ShermanThere‘s a big problem with most search engines, and it‘s one manypeople aren‘t even aware of. The problem is that vast expanses of theWeb are completely invisible to general purpose search engines likeAltaVista, HotBot and Google. Even worse, this "Invisible Web" is inall likelihood growing significantly faster than the visible Webyou‘re familiar with.So what is this Invisible Web and why aren‘t search engines indexingit? To answer this question, it‘s important to first define the"visible" Web, and describe how search engines compile their indexes.The Web was created a little over ten years ago by Tim Berners-Lee, aresearcher at the CERN high-energy physics laboratory in Switzerland.Berners-Lee designed the Web to be platform-independent, so thatresearchers at CERN could share materials residing on any type ofcomputer system, avoiding cumbersome and potentially costly conversionissues. To enable this cross-platform capability, Berners-Lee createdHTML, or HyperText Markup Language - essentially a dramaticallysimplified version of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language).HTML documents are simple: they consist of a "head" portion, with atitle and perhaps some additional meta data describing the document,and a "body" portion, the actual document itself. The simplicity ofthis format makes it easy for search engines to retrieve HTMLdocuments, index every word on every page, and store them in hugedatabases that can be searched on demand.What‘s less easy is the task of actually finding all the pages on theWeb. Search engines use automated programs called spiders or robotsto "crawl" the Web and retrieve pages. Spiders function much like ahyper-caffeinated Web browser - they rely on links to take them frompage to page.Crawling is a resource-intensive operation. It also puts a certainamount of demand on the host computers being crawled. For thesereasons, search engines will often limit the number of pages theyretrieve and index from any given Web site. It‘s tempting to thinkthat these unretrieved pages are part of the Invisible Web, but theyaren‘t. They are visible and indexable, but the search engines havemade a conscious decision not to index them.In recent months, much has been made of these overlooked pages. Manyof the major engines are making serious efforts to include them andmake their indexes more comprehensive. Unfortunately, the engineshave also discovered through their "deep crawls" that there‘s atremendous amount of duplication and spam on the Web. Currentestimates put the Web at about 1.2 to 1.5 billion indexable pages.Both Inktomi and AltaVista have claimed that they‘ve spidered most ofthese documents, but have been forced to cull their indexes to copewith duplicates and spam. Inktomi puts the size of the distilled Webat about 500 million pages; AltaVista at about 350 million.But these numbers don‘t include Web pages that can‘t be indexed, orinformation that‘s available via the Web but isn‘t accessible by thesearch engines. This is the stuff of the Invisible Web.Why can‘t some pages be indexed? The most basic reason is that thereare no links pointing to a page that a search engine spider canfollow. Or, a page may be made up of data types that search enginesdon‘t index - graphics, CGI scripts, Macromedia flash or PDF files,for example.But the biggest part of the Invisible Web is made up of informationstored in databases. When an indexing spider comes across a database,it‘s as if it has run smack into the entrance of a massive librarywith securely bolted doors. Spiders can record the library‘s address,but can tell you nothing about the books, magazines or other documentsit contains.There are thousands - perhaps millions - of databases containinghigh-quality information that are accessible via the Web. But inorder to search them, you typically must visit the Web site thatprovides an interface to the database. The advantage to this directapproach is that you can use search tools that were specificallydesigned to retrieve the best results from the database. Thedisadvantage is that you need to find the database in the first place,a task the search engines may or may not be able to help you with.Another problem is that content in some databases isn‘t designed to bedirectly searchable. Instead, Web developers are taking advantage ofdatabase technology to offer customized content that‘s often assembledon the fly. Search engine results pages are an example of this type ofdynamically generated content - so are services like My Excite and MyYahoo. As Web sites get more complex and users demand morepersonalization, this trend toward dynamically generated content willaccelerate, making it even harder for search engines to createcomprehensive Web indexes.In a nutshell, the Invisible Web is made up of unindexable contentthat search engines either can‘t or won‘t index. It‘s a huge part ofthe Web, and it‘s growing. Fortunately, there are several reasonablythorough guides to the Invisible Web.Gary Price, Reference Librarian at the Gelman Library at GeorgeWashington University, is considered one of the foremost authoritieson online databases and other invaluable search resources on theInvisible Web. Price has assembled a massive collection of links toInvisible Web resources at his Direct Search page."A good librarian would not start looking for a phone number(specialized, Invisible Web info) by searching the EncyclopaediaBritannica (general knowledge resource)," says Price. "Bothprofessional and casual searchers should at least be aware that theycould be missing some information or wasting time finding what couldbe found more easily if the right tool for the job is easilyaccessible. This is very similar to a good reference librarian‘knowing‘ the major reference tools in his or her collection."What kinds of databases does Price consider to be essential InvisibleWeb search tools? He names four as examples:- The many databases that make up GPO Access.- Any of the telephone directory databases such as Anywho, Switchboard ,and Phone Net U.K. .And two that are crucial to the business searcher:- Any of the many flavors of EDGAR, particularly the 10K Wizard.- The Mercury Center searchable version of the PricewaterhouseCoopersMoney Tree Survey of venture capital made available by the San JoseMercury News. "In addition to text media, the Internet is serving up many otherformats. "One that interests me a great deal is streaming media. Oneexperimental project that is noteworthy is the Speechbot engine thatis being developed and tested by Compaq," says Price.Two other Invisible Web resources Price maintains are his NewsCenter, which focuses onsources providing up to the minute news stories on any subjectimaginable, and his Web Audio Current Awareness Resources page, with links to hundredsof live and recorded audio/video news and public affairs programmingon the Web."By the way, do not mistake an interest in the Invisible Web as a slamon the general search engines because it is NOT," says Price. "Generalsearch tools are still 100% essential for accessing material on theInternet."One of the largest gateways to the Invisible Web is the aptly namedInvisibleweb.com from Intelliseek."Invisible Web sources are critical because they provide users withspecific, targeted information, not just static text or HTML pages,"says Sundar Kadayam, CTO and Co-Founder, Intelliseek."InvisibleWeb.com is a Yahoo-like directory. It is a high quality,human edited and indexed, collection of highly targeted databases thatcontain specific answers to specific questions," says Kadayam.Intelliseek also makes BullsEye, a desktop based meta search enginethat can also access many of the sites included in InvisibleWeb.com.More information can be found at.Other notable Invisible Web resources include:AlphaSearchAlphaSearch is an extremely useful directory of "gateway" sites thatcollect and organize Web sites that focus on a particular subject.Created and maintained by the Hekman Library at Calvin College, it‘sboth searchable and browsable by either subject discipline ordescriptor.The Big HubThe Big Hub maintains a directory of over 1,500 subject specificsearchable databases in over 300 categories. Listings for eachdatabase feature both annotations and search forms to directly accessthe database. While these are useful for quick and dirty searches,Big Hub‘s search forms omit most advanced searching features offeredby each database on their own site.Infomine Multiple Database SearchInfomine might be called an "academic" search engine, focusing onscholarly resource collections, electronic journals and books, onlinelibrary card catalogs, and directories of researchers. Unlike manyInvisible Web search tools, Infomine allows simultaneous searching ofmultiple databases.WebData.comWebData is a database portal, specializing in finding, categorizingand organizing online databases, and providing annotated links withquality rankings.As fast as the Web has been growing over the past ten years, it‘slikely that its growth rate is accelerating, perhaps exponentially.Speaking at the NetWorld+Interop conference in May 2000, Inktomi CEODavid Peterschmidt said he expected the Web to grow to more than 8billion documents by the end of the year - more than a fivefoldincrease from its current size.The major search engines have done a creditable job of scaling withthe visible Web. For the foreseeable future, however, valuableresources that are part of the Invisible Web will be beyond theirreach. Fortunately, we have other workmanlike tools that can help usnavigate the portion of the Web that the search engines can‘t see.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Chris Sherman is the Web Search Guide for About.com,. Chris holds an MA from StanfordUniversity in Interactive Educational Technology and has worked in theInternet/Multimedia industry for two decades, currently as Presidentof Searchwise.net, a Web consulting and training firm. He‘s afrequent contributor to information industry trade publicationsincluding Online Magazine and Information Today. His email address iswebsearch.guide@about.com.> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Related Free Pint links:* Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =>>> PLEASE LINK TO FREE PINT << = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FREE PINT BARby Simon Colleryhttp://www.freepint.co.uk/barHere is your summary of what‘s been happening at the Free Pint Barover the last couple of weeks. To read a discussion thread you canaccess this summary online with activated hyperlinks, visit the Baritself or add the message number tothe end of .Those responsible for online content feel particularly vulnerable toplagiarism, as the legal issues involved here haven‘t all been fullythrashed out yet. Therefore copyright resources were the subject ofone of our Tipples this week (3495). And bad practices in general donothing to improve the Web‘s reputation, so another Tipple was about asite which completely fails to contribute to the general good (3482).But otherwise the purpose of our Daily Tipples at the Bar is tohighlight some great resource which would probably be of value toevery Web user. We have reviewed some excellent search facilities,covering reference data (3400), art resources (3424), accounts of howthings work (3434), DIY resources (3449) and Web developer resources(3369). If you feel we have left anything out, do say.Those who were on the edge of their stools or quaking in their bootswondering what spam clusters are, need quake nor wonder no longer(3441). Information was also supplied on accredited universities(3374), pesticides (3390), email newsletters (3407), electronic theses(3418), criminal records (3427), IT services in SMEs (3442) andaddresses of government and administrative offices (3489).Statistical information has been very much in demand recently. It hasbeen forthcoming in some cases. Queries about Yahoo! usage figures(3417), teenagers on the Net (3486) and the online training market(3491) have had a response. But statistics on SMEs and independentsoftware vendors (3359), capital investment (3425) and environmentaltraining (3426) are still wanting, so if you know anything about thesesubjects, please post your tuppence worth. We would also welcomeinformation on commercial property Web sites in Italy (3410).On the job front, someone looking for a change in direction was givena lead (3373), editors, researchers and question writers are in demand(3429), and there is an opening for a freelance PR person in IT(3460).There are always some queries about software, the last fortnight beingno exception. These requests ranged from room booking software (3367)to translation software (3384) and message board software (3471) toWeb traffic analysis tools (3488). And a Free Pinter converting paperrecords to electronic format is looking for something suitable forholding counselling records securely (3493).Searching and search tools, being a vital part of our day to daytasks, also crop up a lot. We know from today‘s feature article thatthere are large parts of the Web, sometimes called the invisible Web,which are not accessible using conventional search tools. And severalfacilities for exploring the invisible Web were highlighted in the Barlast week (3366). We also reviewed a new meta search engine and foundit to be unextraordinary (3465).The method of ranking hits employed by a search engine can make allthe difference to the quality of its results (3433) and the frequentquestion about how to promote your site on search engines came upagain too (3473). Promoting your intranet is no less of a problem,and some words of advice were imparted on this subject too (3494).When the search tool Kenjin was released, there was a lot of mediaattention (3436), with much emphasis on the fact that it relies on atheorem developed a long time ago. Less easy to find is a detailedanalysis of the product and whether it is a significant breakthroughin search technology. Yes, it‘s clever, but is it useful? So ifanyone has any direct experience of it, do let us know.Simon Collery, Business Development, Free PintRemember, to read this summary with activated hyperlinks visit ...> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Bar: Do you have a research question or Web-related comment? It‘seasy to post a message at Digest: To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you everyother day, send a blank email to Archive: Dormant postings older than 45 days are moved toEmail: To write to the Free Pint team, please send your email to> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =>>> HELP PLEASE <<or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FORTHCOMING EVENTShttp://www.freepint.co.uk/eventsI‘m sure many Free Pinters will be attending the Special LibrariesAssociation event in Philadelphia. On the other side of the world theAustralian World Wide Web Conference will be taking place, while theInternet World conference and exhibition will be held in Chicago.Here in the UK the Information for Empowerment event will be back toback with the Business Intelligence for the Web-Empowered Enterpriseconference. The Canadian Library Association will be holding itsInformation Communities at the Turn of the Century conference inEdmonton. And finally, the NECC will be holding its event ontechnology in education in Georgia.Full details of these and many other forthcoming conferences andexhibitions in the online-information and Internet industry can befound on the Free Pint Events page at http://www.freepint.co.uk/events> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FREE PINT GOLDThis time last year Free Pint ran an article on the wealth ofresources available for checking weather forecasts anywhere in theworld, and some records of weather in the past. We also had anarticle on the business models which have evolved for search toolsin the years since they first started to appear.Two years ago one of the subjects under discussion was the techniquesemployed by Web site owners for getting your site high up on a searchengine‘s list of hits. Running surveys and polls on the Web was thesubject of the second article, collecting together the bestresources, tools and tricks available.Free Pint one year ago ...* Free Pint No.40 10th June 1999 "Weather Sources on the Web" and"Searching for Mammon - Search engine business models"http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/100699.htmFree Pint two years ago ...* Free Pint No.16, 11th June 1998 "Web Site Marketing - How do theydo that?"" and "Web Site Marketing - How do they do that?""http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/110698.htm> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES* Corporate Web sites * Space Science and Engineering ** Legal Information * Aeronautics * Researching for TV ** Web sites for SMEs * Genealogy and the Web ** Web sources for handheld computers * Surveillance ** Internet Intelligence * ICQ * Reflexology Sources ** Puppetry and Animation *[Provisional]> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =We do hope you‘ve enjoyed this edition of Free Pint. Remember thatif you go to the Web site at and log in,then you can select the issues you would like emailed to you from thearchive as well as being able to manage your subscriptions directly.If you can help us spread the word about Free Pint to yourcolleagues and friends then that would be great. Why not forward thiscopy to them or use our "Recommend a Friend" page at.See you in two weeks!William Hann, Managing Editorwilliam@freepint.co.uk(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2000http://www.freepint.co.uk/> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = => = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =CONTACT INFORMATIONWilliam Hann BSc MIInfSc, Founder and Managing Editore:william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436Rex Cooke FIInfSc FRSA, Editore:rex@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1342 316027 f: +44 (0)1342 316027Simon Collery BA, Business Developmente:simon@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1865 434143 f: +44 (0)1784 455436Jane, Administrator e:jane@freepint.co.ukAddressFree Pint Limited, FREEPOST (SEA3901), StainesMiddlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom(Please add a stamp if you would like to pay for postage)Web -http://www.freepint.co.ukAdvertising -ads@freepint.co.ukSubscriptions -subs@freepint.co.ukLetters & Comments -feedback@freepint.co.ukAuthors -http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htmLatest Issue Autoresponder -auto@freepint.co.uk> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by informationprofessionals who share how they find quality and reliable informationon the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, itis published every two weeks by email.To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing,advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site athttp://www.freepint.co.uk/ or call +44 (0)1784 455 466.Please note: Free Pint is a trademark of, and published by, Free PintLimited . The publishers will NEVER makethe subscriber list available to any other company or organisation.The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are thesole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable carehas been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, thepublishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in itsentirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/ordistributed 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 disclaimsany and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = => = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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