Today’s Byte is a hodge podge of sites that I think are fun and/or useful.
Deep Web Research 2005 – this is a great article from a librarian about the “deep web”, which the author describes as the 600 billion pages of information located through the world wide web in various files and formats that the current search engines on the Internet either cannot find or have difficulty accessing. (Currently search engines find about 8 billion pages.)
EurekAlert – this is a list of the top science stories by EurekAlert in 2004. It includes an ancient brewery discovered on a mountain top in Peru. (Thanks to Sheldon in Minneapolis for this lead.)
Wikipedia – this is an encyclopedia written by everyone for everyone. You can search the encyclopedia without logging in. The entries include links on every word that could be expanded and links to external pages when helpful. You need to log in to edit or add to an entry. Registration is free.
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Today’s Byte is for anyone who needs to know about a business for a job interview, for a competitive advantage, to make an investment choice, or any other reason. The Internet is a great place to learn more about a company. Here is a short course on how to start competitive intelligence online:
1. Look for the company web site using a search engine such as Google. Use the company, product or service name. From the web site you can generally learn:
” The company purpose
” History, location, and staff members
” Future plans through press releases, letters from the president or investor notes
” You might even get a customer list from a clients or testimonials page
2. Look for recent news and press releases on Google News. Google News is better for press releases than news.
3. Check your local newspaper (especially if the company is local) and/or local library for access to local newspapers to so a search for more news on the company.
4. Check out stock information (if it’s a public company). You can start at Yahoo Finance or jump right into the Securities and Exchange Commission site, EDGAR.
5. See what regular people are saying about your company by doing a search with one of the following tools:
Look at the newsgroups: http://groups.google.com/
Look at blogs & RSS feeds: http://www.faganfinder.com/blogs/
Look at who links to them: http://www.lilnkpopularity.com
Check out these sources and you should have a pretty good view of the company in question.
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In honor of the passing of former Minnesota Governor (and long time library lover) Elmer Anderson, I am going to talk about libraries today. I know it’s not really technology – but they can be such as asset that I like to bring them up periodically.
Public Libraries
For business owners, libraries can be the best free consultant in the world. Next time you need a quick answer to a question – call (or email) your local library. As a former reference librarian I can tell you – we live for the fun and interesting questions!
Next time you need help with a business plan or major research, try visiting your library. Libraries have the books and electronic resources you need to look up information that will help you make good business decisions. The librarians can help you through the research process. (Again, we live for that stuff!)
Academic Libraries
If you live near a college, you might be able to access their collection too. Even if you can’t check items out – it can be a great place to get answers and do research. The University of Minnesota will let you access some pretty fancy databases if you visit them. And if you ever need technical or scientific information, it can be well worth the trip.
I have found when traveling that often academic libraries will let you use their computers to check email. Assuming that you aren’t there during finals weeks, don’t seem too menacing, and ask nicely.
Special Libraries
Special libraries focus in a niche area. They are open to the public in varying degrees. One example is the James J Hill Library. They have a business collection. You can access most of their items for free on site. Their web site has access to many free resources. But to get to the really good stuff online, you have to be a paying member. I mention them because the director said I could give you their phone number to call for a free trial. Their number is 651-265-5458; just ask about a HillSearch Trial and they will give you a password to try for a week.
I have focused on the business uses of the library – but I can tell you that the libraries are equal opportunity helpers. I know that some of the best (most fun) reference questions I got while a librarian stemmed from a bet among friends. So, next time you’re about to come to blows about who has won the most Oscars – call a librarian to settle the score.
Here are two web sites to help you find the library you need:
Metronet Minnesota Web Directory
The WWW Library Directory
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Today’s Byte of a hodge podge of info. First, Microsoft just put out a warning and a bunch of new patches for a few of their products. You can get the technical details here and instructions on downloading fixes here.
Second I have a very fun web site to share. The Star Tribune has a great site for kids on autumn leaves. It’s an interactive guide to identifying fall leaves. My kids and I used it over the weekend with some freshly hunted fallen leaves and had a great time.
Finally I have two great statistics-types sites from Sue in Duluth. Paycheck to Paycheck compares salaries and housing costs for various occupations in metropolitan areas. Childstats.gov published anything and everything on kids and families.
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I’m down on Yahoo. I used to like it. It was a great place to find general information or find info on a topic that was new to me. (Much easier to learn about Rugby through Yahoo than doing a keyword search on Google and getting 8 billion sites in return.) Sadly, Yahoo has become just a great place to find ads.
In mourning Yahoo, I’ve gone on the hunt for good general and topical directories. Here’s what I found:
Librarians’ Index to the Internet
A great general directory – maintained by librarians!
DMOZ
OK, this wasn’t new to me – but it is still a great general directory, maintained by volunteers.
All Music Guide
OK I can’t speak to their knowledge of classic music but they did list some artists that I know can be hard to find other places (such as El Vez and the Redskins).
Topix.Net
It’s all news, all searchable and organized by location, category, with links to people news. Enter your zip code and it will give you news in your area from the last few hours.
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The population in the library is getting younger and quieter – that means that homework season is back in swing. Here are some resources to help any homework victims you might know. (Some of these resources are great for life-after-school too!)
Internet Public Library
A fantastic directory of resources maintained by librarians. You can also submit a question. I volunteered here for years – the questions and answers are great. It also reminds me that you should also check with your local library for help online and off.
NoodleTools
Enter in data for a research resource and NoodleTools will give you the formatted citation. MLA formatting is available for free. Enhanced (and APA format) access is $8 a year. Where was this when I was in class?!
Yahooligans
A search engine and directory for kids. They provide a parent’s guide and curriculum for teachers. (I used some lesson plans when I was a computer teacher and I thought they were pretty good.)
Free Online Lookups
OK this is more for the workers out there. It’s a list of 23 database of info – from demographics of zip codes to place name locators. (This is really worth the look!)
InfoPlease
Great advice on how to be a students and how to do homework. The general site has links to reference resources. Unfortunately this site has popup ads.
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I know that many of you know about Management Assistance Programs (MAP) for nonprofits – but I thought I’d remind or introduce folks to some of their great programs.Tech Talk is an email list of nonprofit techies. It’s a great place to read and ask tech questions of all levels. People are very generous about helping each other. Also, the group meets monthly. The topic in September is GIS.
Verizon eTraining Scholarships is a program through MAP where nonprofits can apply for free computer training from the Science Museum. If you haven’t tried their classes I can testify that they are great!
Group Virus Protection is an event on October 10 where 100 computer professionals are volunteering to visit 50 nonprofit organizations to help install Norton AntiVirus software. (I’m pretty sure that these will be metro-based nonprofits.)
If you’re not at a nonprofit but are interested in MAP – you might consider their board recruitment. They match potential board members with nonprofit organizations. It could be a foray into something new and rewarding.
For my friends outside of the metro area – some other friends (Minnesota Rural Partners and Community Technology Advisors) are working on a Rural Broadband Promotion Project. With funding from Blandin they plan to work with 9 communities in Minnesota to promote high-speed Internet access. Get more information here.
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This week I thought I’d post some of my favorite online dictionaries.
Dictionary.com – Just like it sounds this site seems to draw from various dictionaries and will provide pronunciation and definitions. There is also a thesaurus link.
Webopedia – This is the best resources if you have a computer or Internet term to look up.
Glossarist – I heard about this one through the James J Hill library, it links to dictionaries on a wide range of topics from business to biodiversity.
Your Dictionary – They have lots of features but I especially like the translation piece that includes French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
MacBain’s Dictionary – Especially for my friends with an interest in Irish.
Anishinabe Language – Includes audio files of phrases for a number of American Indian languages. And the phrases aren’t from traditional language lessons like “I speak Anishinabe” (which is rarely true after one lesson)- they’re good ones such as “I like ice cream.”
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This week I thought I’d share my favorite e-newsletters. Some are work related; some aren’t.
GrantStation – A terrific list if you like to keep your eye on national nonprofit conferences and funding opportunities.
Dictionary Word of the Day – The name says it all!
Tourbus – Topical articles on a wide range of Internet issues, mostly targeting the end user.
The Rake – For local folks only – The Rake sends coupons and special invitations to events in the Twin Cities.
Great Dating Ideas – Cheesy and embarrassing yes, but I got two good ideas from this very sporadic newsletter!
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The Census has published a great “Facts for Features” page for Mother’s Day. It’s full of fun facts and it’s a great reminder that Mother’s Day is this weekend. It’s also a great reminder of the Census.
Census information can be great if you are doing industry research for a business or marketing plan, if you need demographic statistics for a grant proposal, or want to checkout a location before moving. Below are a few other resources available through the Census web site:
The Census site is very easy to use too! So, next time you need some statistical or demographics information. Check them out.
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