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Gadget Of The Week: Topicalizer
2007-03-03 00:05:03
Here is a nifty little gadget for individuals who would like to analyse a website or an online document in terms of content structure. Topic alizer is an online tool that allows individuals to get a breakdown of: Number of words Sentence and paragraph count Collocations Syllable structure Lexical density Keywords Readability   Below is a sample of the report that I received for the lexical analysis for CBC.ca A complete report is composed of phrasal and textual analyses. Topicalizer is available at http://www.topicalizer.com/  
More About: Gadget , Cali , Week , Pica

Flaws In Google Desktop Discovered
2007-02-23 12:03:02
I recall when desktop search tools first made a big splash in the information industry, one of the major concerns that information professionals expressed was security.  Giving access to what is stored on your desktop, hard drive or server to such tools can put information at risk by possibility allowing hackers to conduct exhaustive searches. Yesterday, it was announced that Google  introduced a patch to prevent hackers from taking over a user’s computer and running a remote code. Watchfire, a provider of website security firm published a white paper discussing the vulnerability of tool and implications of allowing an attacker full access to user’s computer. It always amazes me how software companies can roll out applications with big fanfair and then years discover glitches that could cost their users in the long run.
More About: Desktop , Laws , Cover , Over

Cisco and Apple To Share iPhone Trademark
2007-02-23 12:03:02
On a previous post, I discussed the Cisco Systems and Apple dispute on the iPhone trademark and the implications of conducting throughout internet intelligence searching processes. Update:  Both companies has agreed to share the trademark.  Strange.  It will be interesting to see how two difference companies plan on marketing a product or service with the same trademark. For more details, please read: Cisco, Apple Settle ‘iPhone’ Dispute
More About: Iphone , Trade , Share

Interesting Finding About Online Consumers Searching Methods
2007-02-22 00:01:01
I came across the article, “Two New Web Research Studies Highlight New Business Opportunities” this morning and read a very telling fact.  According an IDC study, “roughly 70 percent of users’ queries on the Web are not going first to the search engines (to be then referred through results clicks to Web sites). Instead, users are going directly to destination sites (such as Amazon or Staples) to search for specific information and are bypassing the search engines.” As the article suggests, this fact will prompt online advertisers to strategically place ads on specific sites rather than on general websites. The fact can also open a discussion that some individuals still do not take the time to plan out their search to find information to be used in buying a product or obtaining a service. Yes, I know that some individuals do not have the experience to apply a search methodology to conduct an exhaustive query however; if people are seeking the best value ...
More About: Interesting , Inter , Search , Consumer , Find

Gadget of The Week: Keyword Forecasting Tool
2007-02-21 00:00:05
Here is a gadget for online marketing professionals who are seeking to adjust their selections of keywords to lead internet users to their site. Microsoft adCenter Lab offers a tool that permits you to track and forecasts the use of keyword(s) and relation to others.  The tool is very easy to use.  Simply enter a series of keyword(s) separated by semicolons and click on the green button located to the right of the search box.  The next page that will appear is a collection of graphs dealing with: ? Keyword monthly historical trends and impression count ? Keyword age distribution ? Keyword gender distribution The Microsoft adCenter Lab Keyword Forecasting Tool is available at http://adlab.msn.com/ForecastV2/KeywordTr endsWeb.aspx
More About: Word , Gadget , Cast

Copyright Issues Leads To Reduced Access
2007-02-21 00:00:05
Copyright infringement and the web has been a hot topic during the past few months.  Google is in the midst of a legal dispute with media giant, Viacom regarding the content on YouTube that was made available without Viacom’s permission. Today, Google lost in a Belgium court over a claim made by Copiepresse, a copyright protection group representing 18 mostly French-language newspapers.  Copiepresse stated that Google breached copyright laws by allowing free access to paid content via its “cache” feature.  The cache feature permits users of the internet to access a copy of a online document that is stored on the Google server once it is spider by the search tool. One has to wonder if this decision will prompt Google to change its outlook on the function.  Although Google has given individuals the power to search web easily, access to some premium information might be restricted once other publishers realize how much of their content is really be indexed by Google. ...
More About: Issues , Leads , Access , Reduce , Right

My Weekly Rant - ?The Next Google?
2007-02-21 00:00:05
I have been following the information industry for the past eighe years and one thing that I?m tired of is new search tools deeming themselves as the ?The N ext Google ?.  The amount of press releases that I received with the same marketing spin is getting pretty annoying and at the same time, amusing.   Whenever I am duped into trying these ?Google-like? tools, they do not come close to some of the really good search engines on the web in terms of functionalities and the amount of content they index. Here is a piece of advice for marketers of new search engines:  Stop comparing your engine to Google in your promotion material.  If you can’t deliver the goods that you are claiming in your releases, users will not be prompted to give you a second thought.   Focus on what your tool can bring to users.   There is nothing wrong with being different and unique.
More About: Rant , Next , Week

Welcome Gmail
2007-02-21 00:00:05
If you are like me and tried to obtain a Gmail account forever, here is a piece of good news for you.  Google has unveiled Gmail to the general public.  Before, you had to know someone who was priviledged enough to have access to the service.  Individuals had to invite you to register for an account.  Gmail has a built-in chat function letting people switch to instant messaging that is offered in more than 40 languages. Gmail is available at http://www.gmail.com.
More About: Mail , Welcome , Come

Wikipedia Traffic Increases Thanks To Google
2007-02-21 00:00:05
According to Hitwise, Wiki pedia has witness a drastic increase in web traffic via Google . Is this proof over good marketing and search engine placement? Maybe, however I would like to bring up a point that maybe overlooked by the casual web researcher. With the overwhelming about of individuals visiting the source for their information needs, can we have a bit of doubt regarding the validity of the content that is posted on a regular basis.  It may the cynical of me saying this but I think too many individuals take for granted that Wikipedia is ultimate source for information.  In addition, having Google indexing Wikipedia content does reinforce the sources credibility however; please be careful.   Any good information professional will cull data from reputable sources or verify data that is made available on such web 2.0 platforms such as Wikipedia.
More About: Traffic , Pedi

Jyve Talking?New Search Tool
2007-02-21 00:00:05
Don’t have time to conduct an exhaustive search to find relevant information? Jyve is a “ask engine,” where user searches provide a live chat, instant message or phone call from a person with expertise in the search topic.    
More About: Search , Tool , Talk , Talking , King

Gadget Of The Week: SearchforVideo
2007-02-10 11:56:05
Trivia time… Besides YouTube, name another platform that permits you to view video clips on the web? 3.2.1………..Time is up! If you were not able to come up with one platform, maybe you should consider Search forvideo. Searchforvideo is a gateway to access other video viewing platforms depending on theme.  The six categories that users can select from include: News Sports Entertainment Music Movies Celebrities Business Health The screenshot below presents the results from selecting the Business section of the resource.      What is not seen in the image is the different sources that Searchforvideo utilizes to provide their results such as: Wall Street Journal ROO TV Reuters MarketWatch Financial Times
More About: Video , Gadget , Week

My Weekly Rant - Busted Links v2
2007-02-10 11:56:05
I know that I have ranted on broken links before but I need to vent my rage at government websites. I’m currently working on a research mandate that prompts me to go through hundreds of webpages.  You will be surprised on the amount of broken links that I come accross.  There was one page which mentionned that the information has been removed since 2001.  SIX YEARS!!! I would like to think that individuals who are responsible for making information available to citzens would be proactive when it comes to maintaining government websites with updated content.
More About: Links , Rant , Link , Week , Bust

The Future of Newspapers
2007-02-08 17:54:01
Once again, the issue of the future of printed newspapers has been in the news lately thanks to comments made by Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the New York Times.  Sulzberger went on the record to say: “I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care either“. Interesting statement.  I really wonder how many  other publishers of large newspapers around the world would have the guts to admit the large shift in their industry. The implications of the shift on the information industry will be huge.  Obviously, premium content services will be quick to snap up digital content as soon as it is available and will result in an increase in price of their services.
More About: News , Newspapers , Future , The Future , Paper

Web 2.0: A Serious Source For Information Professionals
2007-02-08 05:53:03
YouTube, MySpace, Flickr are examples of platforms that can be found on Web 2.0.  A few years ago, nobody would have imaged how popular these website would be to users of the internet.  As for information professionals, the Web 2 .0 has become yet another source that people has not tapped into to find relevant information similar to the “invisible web”. It was just a question of time before firms that create information retrieval applications were going to hop on the “Web 2.0″ bandwagon and begin to introduce specialized tools.  A prime example of this fact is a tool from RocketInfo .   ROCKETresearch is “a turnkey solution provides the products necessary to transform a static Web Site into an active source of up-to-the minute information. ROCKETinfo’s customers can now quickly and easily offer their own clients media monitoring, competitive intelligence, or any other relevant information, in ROCKET’s unique B2B2C sales model. “
More About: Information , Profession , Source

Pew Internet and American Life Project Survey Regarding On Content Tagging
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Here is a waking up call to individuals that are responsible for classifying infomation and internet researchers who might want to change the way they search the Web 2.0 According to a recent survey conducting to the Pew Inter net & America n Life Project, “28% of internet users have tagged or categorized content online such as photos, news stories or blog posts. On a typical day online, 7% of internet users say they tag or categorize online content.” To read the results of the study, please visit the Pew Internet and American Life Project website to download the document.
More About: Survey

My Weekly Rant - Blogging Mania
2007-02-06 17:51:05
This morning, I woke to my favourite radio station to hear that the three co-hosts now have blogs.  On my way to work, I browsed through the local daily newspaper to see that a majority of its columnists are promoting their blogs in their articles.  As I checked my personal email, my friend forwarded a hyperlink to his new blog. Has the world gone mad with blogging?  Blog platforms has given anyone with the ability to write to become instant content providers.  Can this be good for internet researchers?  My answer: Yes…and no. Yes, having access to blogs with credible information is great.  Blogs can bring new content interms of opinions and links to articles to the web within minutes. No, having access to too many blogs can lead to information overload.  In addition, there is an enormous amount of trash that get indexed to the point that it takes time to weed out the good hits from the poor results.
More About: Blogging , Rant , Mani , Week

Distinguishing Strategic Intelligence from Competitive Intelligence
2007-02-06 17:51:05
I rarely pay attention to corporate press releases due to the amount of commercial content however; the release issued by Strategic Insights, is certainly worth a read. The consulting firm has done an excellent job in distinguishing strategic intelligence from competitive intelligence.  In the release, Alden R. Taylor, Managing Partner of Strategic Insights stated that:  “competitive intelligence focuses on verifying facts and past events, forcing companies to operate in reactionary mode. Strategic intelligence on the other hand, is forward-looking, providing executives with insight into the motives and decision making processes of competitors. Executives can make strategic decisions in advance of a competitive event versus responding with 20/20 hindsight.” Given the fact that the image of “competitive intelligence” has taken a hit over the years, it is nice to see that someone has tried to clarify the different aspects of the intelligence profession.
More About: Intelligence , Intel , Comp , Sting , Trat

Beware of Incoming Google Bombs
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Google Bombs are not new to the internet but they have just received publicity lately thanks to newspaper and television reports.  By definition, a Google Bomb is “an attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine, often with humorous or political intentions.[1] Because of the way that Google’s algorithm works, a page will be ranked higher if the sites that link to that page use consistent anchor text. A Google bomb is created if a large number of sites link to the page in this manner.” You maybe asking why would this be important to internet searchers?  Well I bet you that search engine marketers are going to take Google Bombing to another level sooner or lately.  When building up traffic is the key to generate revenues, marketers will pull out all the stops when trying to entice visitors to their site via Google. As a result, internet searchers will have to pay careful attention to the results that Google provides...
More About: Google , War , Ware , Google Bomb , Beware

Gadget Of The Week: RSS 2 PDF
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Here is a cool tool for individuals who often use RSS feeds to access news. RSS 2 PDF allows individuals to store content from RSS feeds into a .PDF. The end product is a file with text and images as it appeared online. The screenshot below is the .PDF version of the feeds available on ResourceShelf.  
More About: Gadget , Week

My Weekly Rant: Competitive Intelligence = Corporate Espionage, Ya Right
2007-02-06 17:51:05
I have spent the majority of my career in the field of competitive intelligence and the one of the most difficult mandates that I had to undertake was explaining the profession to family, friends and believe it or not, and other business professionals. After all the numerous articles, books and presentations on competitive intelligence, the practice is still associated with “corporate espionage”.  I have been wondering how and if the practice can shake this image.  Well, large corporations are not helping the cause.  I cite the following cases: Recently, a former Hewlett-Packard executive accused by the company of stealing trade secrets is now saying that he was instructed by the company’s management to spy on rival Dell. In 2001, Proctor & Gamble admitted breaking its own rules on corporate espionage to obtain information on Unilever’s hair care business. I know that it is very frustrating to professionals which have been working in the field for year...
More About: Intelligence , Intel , Corporate , Comp , Rant

It Was Just A Matter Of Time
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Wikipedia is great.  Plug in your keyword(s) and within seconds, you can have access to knowledge.  The Wikipedia platform is a great example of users getting to together to collaborate to create content on the web.  Unfortunately, there are some individuals that will try to exploit online platforms for commercial gains.  Perfect example: Microsoft. In case you have not heard, Microsoft was caught by the people at Wikipedia for editing content by getting bloggers to log on.  Technical articles were “modified” to inaccuracies in Wikipedia articles.  Anyone who really cares about the credibility of Wikipedia, should be concerned.  Is it a matter of time before we begin to question the information on commercial products and services? 
More About: Time , Just , Matter , Matt

Internet Intelligence for Entrepreneurs
2007-02-06 17:51:05
My brother has asked me to write a short piece for a newsletter on the topic of internet intelligence for young entrepreneurs.  Please allow me use this blog posting to draft an outline for the article. 1 - Introduction Discuss the research process for starting a business The importance of relying on the web for information 2 - Sources News sites Magazines Newsletters Blogs 3 -  Tools Search engine, meta-search engines, directories, blog services Content alerts Tracking alerts 4 - Budgets Free Vs Fee Outsourcing When should you spend it? 5 - Conclusion Risk Vs Rewards Guide to implementation Tips  I plan on beginning the first draft sometime this week.  I will post the entire article when it is published.  
More About: Internet , Intelligence , Intel , Entrepreneur , Inter

Gadget of the Week: WordTracker
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Here is a gadget for online marketers who are brainstorming for the keywords that will be placed in the meta tags for their websites. Word Track er is a free tool that permits individuals to find 100 alternatives keywords based on what users has submitted as their query. Each keywords on the list are linked to a page with another series of keywords that pertains to the tool’s suggestion.Although the tool is free, it is a matter of time before it becomes a fee based application.
More About: Gadget , Week , Rack

Google Video Intergrates YouTube Content
2007-02-06 17:51:05
Back in October 2006,  Google acquired YouTube , an online platform to share video content for $1.65 Billion. Starting today, Google will be slowly intergrating content from YouTube in Google Video . One should be aware that Google Video will be pulling content off the platform due to copyrighted material that has been uploaded to YouTube since its inception.  Ironically, it has been rumoured that Google has set aside bags of cash to deal with claims of copyright issues. To have an example of the copyright infringement issues that may arise in the future, please read, “News Corp. Goes After YouTube Uploader, Misses Forest in the Trees“.  The content that is in question are episodes of the popular American television show, 24.
More About: Youtube