ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONCONNECTIONS PROFESSIONALS Page 1

Volume 15, Number 4 Association of Independent Information Professionals

President’s Message Lynn Ecklund, Seek Information Service, Inc. [email protected]

For the second year in a row, AIIP exhibited at the Online of us must take some responsibility for informing and International 2001 conference at the Olympia Grand Hall educating those in our sphere of operation. In doing so, we in London, England, through our partnership with Learned don’t just promote AIIP—our individual businesses benefit UK. This conference traditionally draws over 15,000 through belonging to a strong and well-recognized visitors—a great opportunity to make AIIP known to the Association. international information community. Our stand (British On a slightly different note, I wish to express sincere for booth) was situated within a prime strip of exhibit floor appreciation to all our Board members and the numerous space, so we received lots of attention. Traffic was constant. volunteers who enable AIIP to function and grow. Much of Cindy Shamel and I staffed the stand with the help of Amelia the work is done unseen and without fanfare: conference Kassel, Marydee Ojala and JoAn Street. planning and preparations, advertising coordination, website We met several AIIP members, including Ulrich Kaemper management, public relations, newsletter editing and so much and Christiane Wolff from Germany, Johan van Halm from more. Like the myriad dots in a Seurat painting, the the Netherlands, Bruce Hubbard from Denmark, François composition of AIIP’s success is made up of the many and Libmann from France, Chun Hongchan from Korea and varied individual contributions. Gary Price and Ruth Koolish from the USA. And we had Despite difficult economic times, AIIP is looking good! We four new members sign up—Susan Harris, Sue Hutton, are implementing plans to insure long-term solvency; Justus Krabshuis, and Claudio Pinto from the UK and USA. membership is growing; we continue to have excellent vendor In speaking to over 300 visitors and numerous vendors about partner/discount agreements; and preparations for joint AIIP/ the benefits of membership in AIIP, we found out that a SCOUG conference in Long Beach, California, are well under considerably large section of international information way. This conference will provide a unique opportunity to industry players knew nothing of AIIP (in spite of the fact learn and network with another information professional that we have members in over 20 countries!). We repeatedly group. Watch for the registration information in the mail and educated visitors to our stand about AIIP—that alone made tell all your friends… You don’t want to miss this one! the trip was worth the effort! If we are to grow our membership internationally and have a global presence, each

California Teaming: AIIP/SCOUG Joint Conference Long Beach, California ~ April 17 - 21, 2002 Check http://www.aiip.org and check for information and registration materials. Don’t miss this learning/networking opportunity!! Page 2 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Inside this Issue

AIIP would like to thank the PRESIDENT’S COLUMN ...... 1 FOOTNOTES ...... 3 Wise Words From The Past ...... 4 Science and Technology Watch Column ...... 5 Case Study: Establishing an Independent Information Business ...... 6 Most Amazing Project: You’ll Pay Me How Much For Two Pages?? ...... 7 THEME : “Means and Methods” Transforming a Bedroom into an Executive Office ...... 9 Shedding the Invisibility Cloak ...... 11 for its consistent support of AIIP Internet Security ...... 12 Marketing Info 2001...... 16 and for sponsoring the printing The Ultimate Safari ...... 17 and mailing of Connections. Right in Your Own Backyard...... 18 Commentary ...... 20 BOOK REVIEWS Competitive Intelligence Workbook...... 21 Review by Peggy Carr Review by Phyllis Smith AIIP Super Searchers Go To The Source ...... 22 Review by Karl Kasca CONNECTIONS Review by Cindy Shamel AIIP AIIP BUSINESS AND INFORMATION Association of Independent 7044 So. 13th Street Information Professionals Oak Creek, Wisconsin 53154 AIIP Conference:The Queen Mary ...... 23

Publisher ...... AIIP Service Corp. AIIP Conference Update ...... 23 President ...... Jane Malcolm AIIP Conference List of Sponsors/Exhibitors ...... 24 918-492-3983, jbmalcolm.net Editor-in-Chief ...... Crystal Sharp VENDOR PROGRAMS 519-495-2889, [email protected] Senior Editor ...... Jim Cowan Dialog’s Referral Program ...... 24 415-674-1321, [email protected] REGIONAL MEETINGS ...... 25 Associate Editor ...... Allan Rypka 301-475-3898, [email protected] MEMBER KUDOS ...... 26 Advertising Director ...... Eiko Shaul 416-544-0208, [email protected] SciTech Watch Column ...... Jane John 207-373-1755, [email protected] AIIP Connections (ISSN 1524-9468) is published quarterly and is copyrighted ©2001 by the Association of Independent Information Professionals, 7044 So. 13th Street, Oak Creek, Wisconsin 53154. “Breaking News, Current Events, Peer Consultation, Debates - Subscriptions: Free to AIIP members. Material contained in Connections is copyrighted. For permission to reprint, contact AIIP at 414-766-0421, You find it all on AIIP-L” or at [email protected] Not a subscriber yet? Submissions: Article submissions should be sent to Crystal Sharp and Go to http://www.aiip.org/cgi-bin/aiipopnpg.cgi?page=molist.html ad copy to Eiko Shaul (see contact information above). to find out how to participate. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 3

AIIP: How to Reach Us FOOTNOTES

President Jim Cowan, Senior Editor, Alturas Research and Information Lynn Ecklund, Seek Information Service Services. [email protected] 818-242-2793, [email protected] I first want to thank Connections Editor-in-Chief, Crystal Sharp, Vice-President/President Elect/Planning for giving me this opportunity to write my first Footnotes. In this Pamela A. Wegmann, INFORMATION MATTERS, LLC first issue of the new year, whose theme is “means and methods,” 504-738-0070, [email protected] we have once again tapped the knowledge and experience of our members. Suzanne Sabroski’s sneak preview of her forthcoming Immediate Past President/ByLaws/Elections book, Super Searchers Make It on Their Own, provides an snapshot Peggy Carr, Carr Research Group of the means and methods used by eleven independent information 410-710-8630, [email protected] professionals. Two of our articles focus on aspects of the environment in which we work, one physical, the other technical. Treasurer/Budget & Finance/Membership Others contributions address our perennial concern with Marianne Nasiatka, Sabat & Jablonska & Co. marketing, offering practical advice on how to get and keep clients, 734-454-0926, [email protected] and suggesting two places where we might find them. The issue also features several contributions on conducting primary research Secretary and competitive intelligence. Sheri Lanza, Global InfoResources, Inc. 703-242-7512, [email protected] “Something old, something new…” In this issue we begin a new practice of having two reviewers for each book reviewed. Jane Director/Awards/Mentoring John continues the “Science and Technology Watch” she Federico Turnbull, AEID, SC inaugurated in our last issue, while from the deep past (well, 1995!) 525-687-7355, [email protected] we reprint the wisdom of Chris Dobson on how to avoid the pitfalls electronic communication holds for human relationships. Director/Conference For nearly all of us, computer security, especially on the Internet, Debbie Bardon, Bardon on Call is a major concern. A virus or other destructive event can play 510-531-1050, [email protected] havoc with businesses like ours, for which reliable computers and Internet access are essential. Terry Brainerd Chadwick offers us Director/Electronic Communications an “all-you-need-to-know” article on computer security, based Debbie Hunt, Information Edge largely on the survey she conducted of AIIP members. It provides 510-521-3036, [email protected] not only the facts about viruses and other attacks on our systems, together with a discussion of necessary countermeasures, but also Director/Vendor Relations a comprehensive “buyers guide” to the best security products, Susan Weiler, Weiler Information Services based on both the experiences of AIIP members and the work of 508-668-0371, [email protected] independent experts. The “reference” section of her article offers Director/Public Relations a compendium of web links to software vendors and their products, Cindy Shamel, Shamel Information Services software reviews, and sources of news about security issues. 858-673-4673, [email protected] Working out of a home office is one of the common features of our profession, but how often do we get professional advice on Director/Connections Editor-in-Chief how to set up our offices, especially with an eye toward the day Crystal Sharp, InformAction, CD Sharp Information Systems, Ltd. when, for whatever reason, we have to sell our homes? Mary 519-495-2889, [email protected] Collette Wallace, an associate member of the AIA, tackles this problem. Not only does she consider how to keep your office from AIIP Administrator seeming a drawback to a potential buyer who may not need an Tracy Burr, TEI office, but also offers guidance on how to make the office an 414-766-0421, [email protected] optimal place to for your company’s CEO—you. If the “executive” office provides a positive image of your surroundings, AIIP past president Peggy Carr points out that your AIIP Home Page: http://www.aiip.org image means little if potential clients can’t see it, so she provides a list of ways you can doff the “invisibility cloak” that threatens (Continued on page 8) Page 4 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Reprinted from Connections, Fall 1995. “Section 0” is what the AIIP discussion list was called then. Wise Words from the Past Chris Dobson, F1 Services, Dallas Texas, [email protected] I am a lurker on Section 0. Sometimes, if someone asks a question get married and (b) we would make such a decision without to which I have a certain answer, I will respond. But I tend to keep considering the issues she had raised, as well as a lot of others? my opinions off-line. Part of the reason may be that I do not work Furthermore, how could she conclude that after three years of college alone. To me Section 0 is more a source of information than of I was so totally without marketable skills that I would have no job companionship. I can see, however, where it could be a vital link prospects at all? After much coaxing from the love of my life (who with civilization, understanding, and friends for the sole practitioner. did not get drafted), I called my mother and we were able to re- But some of my reluctance to enter into electronic philosophical establish our formerly excellent relationship. discussions comes from listening in on those of others. I have been If such a misunderstanding is possible between people who have both amazed and appalled. I have formed strong impressions about known each other for years, the possibility of a meeting of the minds the people behind the names without ever meeting them. Some of for those who don’t know each other at all seems remote at best. the impressions are not good. Add to the equation the fact that forum exchanges are not private The problem with electronic forums is that they rely on the written letters mailed to an individual but the equivalent of posting a notice word. Despite the addition of emotions, written communication on a public bulletin board. If your response is a little prickly because remains difficult. The loss of facial expression, gesture and, most you’re having a bad day, to the recipient and to lurkers like me, it importantly, tone of voice, make misunderstandings and can seem rude and insulting. Think back to your former corporate misinterpretations far too easy. I am reminded of an exchange of life. Criticism from a colleague was never welcome, but criticism letters with my mother while I was away at college. I casually in a meeting, in front of others, was asking for real trouble. Perhaps mentioned (at least I thought it was casual) in one of my letters that the main problem with forums and e-mail in general is the E. No, should the love of my life be drafted—an unfortunate possibility in not that it’s electronic, it’s too Easy. You read the message and all 1970—that one course of action we would consider would be getting you have to do is click on “reply.” The blank screen is in front of married before he went off to war. In record time I received a letter you, your fingers are on the keys. You don’t have to find a piece of from my mother detailing the horrible life I would have as the paper, a pen that writes, a stamp. You can just reply, right now, poverty-stricken wife of an army private with no option other than while everything is fresh in your mind. And, unfortunately, off your living off the charity of my in-laws. I was incensed. Enraged even. response goes. You don’t have the opportunity to take the letter out How could my mother assume that (a) we had already decided to of the mailbox in the morning before the postperson comes. I have to admit to being perversely amused by some of the heated exchanges I have read on Section 0 and other forums. But I am more often concerned about how the impressions we form of each other will affect the Association. It’s not just friendships that forum communication forges. Therefore, I will venture, with some trepidation, to offer some words of advice for the electronic writers. Before you click on Send: (1) Read out loud what you have written, if possible to another person. (2) Picture yourself in a group of ten people SAYING to them, in a voice that is a little too loud, what you have just written. (3) Ask yourself if 100 other people really need to read the message. Consider sending it as private mail rather than a posting. (4) Save the message and read it again in an hour - then send it if you still want to. (5) If lots of things seem to be irritating you today, wait until tomorrow before sending the message—read it again before you send it. (6) If you can’t understand how the person you’re responding to could be so ignorant, obtuse, stubborn, uncooperative, or just plain stupid—don’t send e-mail at all! Use the phone and facilitate a real-time exchange. Anyone who has ever been a parent, child, sibling, husband, or wife knows that relationships are fragile. Those forged in the electronic ether between strangers are especially vulnerable. As the sergeant used to say on Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there!” Chris Dobson is a partner in F1 Services in Dallas Texas, which offers online searching, newlstter writing, temporary staff for libraries and library consulting. Chris completed a term on the AIIP Board as treasurer and membership chair in April 2001. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 5

Science and Technology Watch Jane John, On Point Research [email protected]

State Science and Technology Institute Weekly Digest up to speed at project start-up or as background for purchasing The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) is a national non- decisions. There is usually one main article per topic, written in a profit organization which encourages technology-based state and local popular style. Not limited to mechanical “things,” howstuffworks economic development. SSTI’s Weekly Digest (http://www.ssti.org/ provides details on how all kinds of things work — from Venus Digest/digest.htm) provides a regular brisk walk through a broad Flytraps to Domain Name Servers. spectrum of science and technology (S&T) topics. Each issue includes There is good coverage of everyday items information brokers might federal S&T funding opportunities, foundation research opportunities, use in business such as DSL lines, cable modems, copyrights, and search and links to science statistics and reports. Few of the solicitations are engines. Sample searches on several engineering topics—fuel cells targeted to an information business, but the Digest might lead to and rapid prototyping—also provided a starting point for research. opportunities for partnering or subcontracting. Each issue also points Subject coverage is by no means comprehensive and the false hits are to statistics and reports which could be useful for putting your own intriguing, but false (a search on remote sensing, for example, returned state and its companies into a broader context—potential marketing articles on hurricanes and ear thermometers). Either it’s on material for talking to local businesses or research organizations. An howstuffworks or it’s not, but since this is not the kind of material you index of past state and local stories is available at http://www.ssti.org/ will find pulled together elsewhere, it may be worth a click to find out. Digest/Indices/indexstate.htm. Jane John is the owner of On Point Research, which provides online Global Warming and Climate Change research and information services for science, technology and Several excellent web guides to global warming have been covered business. in listservs recently. For a concise and well-organized approach see Science and Technology Sources on the Internet: Global Warming and Climate Change Science (http://www.library.ucsb.edu/istl/01- fall/internet.html) which was referenced in the SLA Engineering Division’s fall quarterly newsletter. The guide includes U.S. and international agencies, academic and independent research centers, Are you doing more and advocacy sites, skeptics’ publications, data files, and more. The second compilation is Web Sources for Climate Change and more business/competitive Emissions Trading by Anne Ku which appeared in the 1st November research and analysis? 2001 issue of Free Pint (http://www.freepint.com). For a good starting point on climate change, many listservs have mentioned Need some help? Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions by the Pew Foundation. http://www.pewclimate.org/book/index_chapter.cfm CI/BI research is much more than online INCHEM aggregates chemical data http://www.inchem.org/ searching and sources. Learn how to round out your skills with primary source research and For AIIP members working on topics in chemicals, environmental safety, pollution, cancer, pesticides, or food additives, INCHEM capitalize on our years of experience to learn consolidates chemical data produced by a variety of international the most practical and effective techniques. bodies. The goal is easy access to information on commonly used chemicals which may also occur as contaminants in the environment. Take advantage of our tenured instructors, Data include International Chemical Safety Cards published by the European Union, and Pesticide Data Sheets and Health and Safety low student to teacher ratio, and our Guides by the World Health Organization. commitment to your success. A CD is also available. I contacted the publisher, who explained that the CD search capability is more sophisticated, but that the Our special discount to AIIP members full-text data is the same as that on the web. Simple searches are makes our seminars affordable Ð just $450 easy to accomplish on the web version and the data sheets are well sourced and dated. This site is a recent effort by the International per session. Programme on Chemical Safety, a cooperative project of the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organisation and the For a complete schedule and course United Nations Environment Programme. information, visit our website at How Stuff Works explains those DSL lines www.washingtonresearchers.com or call us www.howstuffworks.com at 703-312-2863. If you occasionally need to whisper to a friend off-list “Clue me in, what’s a ______?” this site’s for you. It may be useful for getting Page 6 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Case Study: Establishing an Independent Information Business - The Learning Process Adapted from BF Bulletin, Business and Finance Division, Special Libraries Association, Fall 2001: “A Conversation With Cynthia L. Shamel” by Hal Kirkwood, Purdue University. [email protected] Cynthia L. Shamel, President of Shamel Information Services, has over an expert in researching the pharmaceutical industry. ten years of experience in the information industry. She has a Master of HK: What surprised you the most as you began to start your own Library Science degree from Indiana University, and has served as adjunct information brokering company? faculty at the college level since 1992. Shamel Information Services was founded in May 1998. Originally focused on meeting the information CS: I would have to say that my biggest surprise was the unbridled needs of the start-up biotechnology companies in Southern California, willingness of information brokers to share information with each other. Shamel Information Services has grown to offer business research to a There is a clear desire among information brokers to foster this as a viable variety of companies throughout the nation. The original three-year business alternative. The experienced people really seem to want the new business plan projected profitability during the third year. The company business owners to succeed. They are very forthcoming with the kind of actually became profitable after 19 months, and continues to grow. guidance that makes that possible. HK: What drew you to become an information broker? Coming from the academic library environment, the other big surprise was realizing that people are actually willing to PAY for information. CS: Frustration. The economy in California during the 90s was not good. The economy in Southern California was especially affected by the HK: There continues to be new business databases both fee and free. recession, closing military bases, and the flow of money into the dot com How do you keep up with this dynamic field of business information? companies of the Silicon Valley. The state had cut funding to most CS: I read everything I can get my hands on and attend all of the educational institutions, and at the time I had been hoping for a position conferences I can afford. I read Searcher, Competitive Intelligence as an academic librarian. Once I saw the handwriting on the wall, so to Magazine, and Information Outlook. I have found the Super Searcher speak, I began looking at alternatives. series from Information Today to be useful. Some of the especially helpful The first thing I did was to join SLA. I considered the possibility of setting titles include Super Searchers Do Business by Mary Ellen Bates and up my own research firm. I liked the idea of taking control. Plus, self- Super Searchers on Wall Street by (guess who?) Amelia Kassel. I read employment, along with a home office, offers all kinds of quality-of-life Gary Price’s e-mail newsletters for new Internet sites. I subscribe to several bonuses. As luck would have it, the first issue of Information Outlook electronic mailing lists, including the AIIP list and BUSLIB. I have found that I received had a notice about the 1998 meeting of the Association of the AIIP and SLA annual meetings to be definitely worthwhile, along Independent Information Professionals in St. Louis. I went, and the rest with the Southern California Online Users Group meeting. is history. HK: Is prior experience in some other area of librarianship HK: You attended Amelia Kassel’s Mentoring program for (corporate, academic, public) important to be a successful information brokers. How did that help you become a better information broker? information broker? CS: Prior experience in librarianship can be helpful, but I wouldn’t say CS: I have actually attended several of Amelia’s seminars, along with her it’s absolutely critical. In my experience there are three things that a information broker’s mentoring program. At the St. Louis AIIP meeting I successful information broker needs. I’m talking about someone who took two Information Professional’s Institute seminars taught by Amelia. focuses on research, as opposed to library management or other business One was called The Information Brokering Business, and the other, called possibilities. An independent researcher needs a measure of subject area Finding Clients, focused on marketing. These were extremely helpful as expertise, a knowledge of sources and how to use them, and some basic I planned and marketed my business. Unfortunately, these seminars are business skills such as how to make a sale and how to market the services. no longer being offered. A new information broker probably has one or two out of the three. For example, librarians often have to learn sales, marketing, and the details I actually waited almost a year before enrolling in Amelia’s individual of running a business. I’ve known of people who come from business or mentoring program. I wanted to wait until I had some experience and a industry with knowledge in a subject area who need to learn research frame of reference in which to work. From the mentoring program I learned skills. more about database searching. I learned how to negotiate a project with a client, and how to determine a fair price. Amelia has an incredible amount HK: Information brokering seems to be an exciting path to follow. of knowledge and experience in this business, and I found it extremely You are your own boss; you choose the interesting projects, etc. Is it helpful to have her review my proposals and reports. She provided for everyone? guidance on good business practices, quality control, and ethics in handling CS: I have found information brokering to be very exciting, but of course information. this is not for everyone. Being your own boss means being self motivated HK: Have you received any other valuable mentoring assistance? and disciplined. You should love learning. This helps you gain the skills you need to grow your business. It also helps you enjoy the more CS: Yes, I have. AIIP members will volunteer to mentor a new member, challenging projects. You need to be prepared for the possibility that and I took advantage of this program early on. My mentor was John Levis your business may not reach profitability for two or three years. I will of John E. Levis Associates. John was especially helpful to me in also say that some of the smartest, most interesting people I know are identifying sources of information and strategies for obtaining particular information brokers. types of information. I still call on him from time to time, because he is ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 7

My Most Amazing Project: You’ll Pay Me How Much For Two Pages?!? Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services, [email protected]

I began my online searching career back in the 1970s; those were I downloaded about 50 great articles, ranging from an Ann Landers the days when we got excited every time Dialog added another column on whether to use traditional film or digital cameras to database, because it meant one more file we could search and that market research reports on various ink-jet printers. And these, of many more citations we could send to a client. “Value-added post- course, had references to some of the major web sites for discussions processing” consisted of cutting and pasting the continuous-feed of the pros and cons of ink-jet printers. printout onto separate pages, and eliminating the search statements So, off I go to the web, to find discussion forums, bulletin boards, from the printout. Usenet newsgroups and e-mail lists on digital photography and Things have changed a bit in 20-plus years, and our clients are likely printing. My biggest discovery, of course, was that there are an awful to be able to do their own Web research, thank you very much. How lot of people with too much time on their hands, at least if you look do we as independent info pros differentiate ourselves and surface at how much time they seem to spend arguing about arcane printer our added value? A recent project of mine reminded me of the need features. Another discovery was that you can find a lot of “invisible to expand our own ideas of what it means to provide online research. web” material by looking in the Libraries of e-mail discussion lists Picture This hosted by Yahoo. Groups that choose to do so maintain a common file area in which reports, white papers and other documents are My client was looking at the impact that digital cameras have had kept, and which are usually accessible to any subscriber. There’s on the sale of color inkjet printers, and wanted to know why some real gold in them thar hills, despite the sometimes strident consumers bought color printers and what they expected from them. tone of the lists themselves. The other trick I honed during this Did they care about how long the prints last? Was fading an issue? research was using link analysis when I found one useful report, to Were consumers worried about the cost of the toner cartridges or identify other similar papers – sort of a “more like this” feature. were they more concerned about the speed of the printers? (Link analysis is the technique by which you find web sites that My client explained all this, told me that she was interested in have linked to a particular URL. The syntax on Google and Alta anything written in consumer-oriented magazines, anything on Vista to look for links to my web page, for example, is relevant Usenet discussion groups, and anything in web bulletin link:www.BatesInfo.com) boards. Oh, and she needed it in two weeks, and wanted no more Pulling It All Together than a two page summary, with statistics indicating the relative weight of each of the concerns listed. The biggest challenge, not surprisingly, was to absorb all of what I found, make sense out of it and then quantify the concerns for my Printer Lingo client. We won’t talk about the amount of time it took to read through As soon as I started, I realized that I needed to learn the terminology 200-plus pages of articles, 100-plus web pages and pages of notes of the printer industry, and to find out how printer manufacturers from the Usenet newsgroups and discussion forums. Just getting differentiate their various models. So I went over to the web sites of everything into a single format was enough of a challenge, at which Hewlett-Packard, Brother, Epson, Canon, and so on, and pulled up point I could begin to evaluate sources and concerns. product specs for all their consumer-end color ink-jet printers. All this to produce an executive summary of less than two pages! Permanence! Lightfastness! Consumables! DPIs! PPM! At least this The pay per deliverable page was hard to believe, particularly for gave me the acronyms I needed, as well as alternative ways of someone used to writing much longer reports and providing a lot expressing the concept of fading colors. more back-up material. Much of my time for this project was spent Next, I wandered over to a few of the popular web sites that function either going through material on the open web or sorting through as Consumer Reports for gear heads Ð c|net, PCWorld.com, the reams of retrieved material. The important lesson was that clients zdnet.com, computershopper.com and so on. I noted their comments really do pay for our time and expertise as much as for our access to on the various models, and also kept track of users’ reviews. And I specialized databases, and they pay more for less. It’s not our checked out the portal sites that I thought would be useful, such as deathless prose that’s worth so much per page but our time to sift About.com, for leads to other sites that would provide reviews or through the material, analyze and synthesize it, and tell our clients evaluations of color ink-jet printers. not only what we found but what that meant for them. That is what Value-Added Searching clients pay us for and that is what sets us apart as information professionals. At this point, I’d had enough of my preliminary review. I knew what the main issues were, and now I wanted to see what the publications had to say. Without going into excruciating detail, Mary Ellen Bates is the owner of Bates Information Services, suffice it to say that I made a healthy dent in the budget with my providing business research to business professionals and consulting research on the professional online services. As we know, it’s still services to the online industry. She is the author of five books on the more cost-effective to go there than to try to find the articles we information industry, including Super Searchers Cover the World: want through free web sites, and there are plenty of publications The Online Secrets of International Business Researchers that aren’t available anywhere on the free web. (Information Today, 2001) Page 8 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

FOOTNOTES (Continued from page 3) to hide independent practitioners. We’re always looking for new places to market our services, and this issue gives two examples. Barbara Fritchman Thompson reports on the information needs of mystery writers, and by extension of writers in general. Robin Neidorf gives us an account of opportunities she discovered at a recent meeting in Puerto Rico. Those of us who find primary research baffling can benefit from Peggy Carr’s “ultimate safari,” based on her contributions to two different meetings. She offers important tips on making primary research effective, including preparation, diplomacy, networking, sources, organization, and ethics. By happy coincidence, Risa Sacks’s book on primary research, Super Searchers Go to the Source, has just come out, and the reviews by Cindy Shamel and Karl Kasca provide perspectives on it from two different places in Southern California. Another AIIP member, Kim Burkhardt, has published a new workbook for competitive intelligence research, which offers tools and forms for easing the complicated task of gathering and analyzing CI information. It is reviewed in this issue by Phyllis Smith and the (apparently) indefatigable Peggy Carr. To prepare us further for the conference gala on April 20, Ruth Balkin has contributed another chapter to the story of the Queen Mary, this time on how this famous luxury liner became a troopship during World War II. As I write this in mid-January, there is little clear indication of where the economy will be when you read this issue of Connections, or how, if at all, our profession will be affected by it. The theme for the next issue—”Value Added”—would seem especially appropriate for such uncertain times. To be sure, our clients (most of them at any rate!) do pay us for what we do, but how does our work—or information service in general—add value to their organizations? In this issue, Mary Ellen Bates provides a preview with a great example—a project whose final deliverable was a two-page summary! I invite you to share your theories, ideas, and especially your experiences, with our readers. I’m sure we’ll all gain from knowing what our services are worth and how their value is seen by our clients—even in bad times.

Correction In the Fall 2001, issue of Connections, the note: This article is based on one that appeared in LegalBiz Online at: http:// www.martindale.com/legalbiz.online, should have appeared on page 24 with “Survivors: Law Library Service Providers,” by Suzannah Crego. The article entitled “Client Relationships. How to Say No Without Sounding Like a Two-Year Old Throwing a Tantrum,” by Marydee Ojala, was written for Connections, and did not first appear elsewhere as was implied by the note following the article. We regret the error. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 9

Transforming A Bedroom Into An Executive Office Mary Colette Wallace, President, The Wallace Research Group, [email protected]

The objective of this design project is to transform a restful bedroom front of you. If you are satisfied, proceed to measurement; if not, into an inspiring place to work, yet keep the design flexible enough repeat the process until you are satisfied. Measure the room and to convert back easily, making it an excellent investment now and determine what general sizes of desk will fit while allowing good in the future. access to all other furniture and machines. Measure and note the A survey of recent homebuyers in 2000 revealed that 66 percent length of each wall, and the size and placement of windows and had a home office and would be looking for a home office in their doors. Measure from two closest walls to the “exact spot” and use next housing purchase. For those who are working out of a bedroom these dimensions as your beginning point in some sketches for converted into an office, there is good news: a home office furniture placement. Sketch different configurations until you find conversion may raise the market value of your house—depending one that you want to try. Don’t be afraid to try odd arrangements on where it is located. such as placing your desk in the center of the room; it could work if you add a file cabinet or bookshelf between the end of your desk According to 1999Ð2000 statistics, a home office remodel in and the window wall. You’ll be amazed how much difference having Jacksonville, FL averaged $9,500 with only a 54 percent cost a view out a window can make in your attitude. recovery at time of resale. Seattle homeowners, spending an average of $11,800, recouped 73 percent of their costs, while San Franciscans To help identify your furniture needs, write down all those little regained 110 percent of their average $12,700 expenses. messages you say to yourself during work. “I wish I could lay this book down on my desk” or “I don’t have enough room for daily Should you be eyeing those figures and sizing up the prospects of files” translate into “I need a larger desk” or “I need more filing your bedroom office, note that you can easily avoid some pitfalls in cabinets.” Following up on these very important clues will help the design phase. Here are some tips: you be more productive. A good remodel, while changing your environment to fit your current Work-style plays a very important part in determining the right needs, will also be sensitive to the needs of any future prospective furniture for your office. If you have clients that come to your office, buyers. If your office used to be a bedroom, remember that a future or are someone who needs lots of room to be productive, then don’t buyer might need it as such. It’s much easier to plan for that scrimp on the size of your desk. If you want several adjustable, contingency in the design phase. Built-ins should be carefully personal, mobile smaller desks, take a look at the furniture at http:/ assessed to determine if they can be adapted to both circumstances. /www.anthro.com. When you walk through furniture stores or scan Upgrading to a high-speed connection for yourself can be exactly furniture catalogs, pay attention to what you naturally gravitate the deal-clincher for a family with a child in school, while a the towards and note the such characteristics as size, color, texture, built-in desk in the closet might be a drawback for a prospective reflective qualities, and material. buyer. A great chair is essential to keeping your mind free of work- What is essential to turn a bedroom into an office? First, replace the distracting thoughts about back pain or slumping. Choose a sturdy term “bedroom” with “office” in your thinking and speaking. adjustable chair, bearing in mind that 8 hours in one chair for five Envision doing successful work in your office. Why? Because, if days a week is a lot of wear and tear. There are several ergonomically you think of this design task in terms of a bedroom, your instincts well-designed and well-built office chairs and yes, they cost much will lead you to place your furniture against the walls, whereas if more than a usual one—but much less than back surgery! Add chairs you think of it as your new top-dollar “executive perk corner office” for clients if they will be visiting your office. you will approach the furniture placement in a completely different way. Not many CEOs have desks facing a wall—why would you? Storage is very important, and will continue to be so, since the “paperless office” won’t be happening soon in most offices. A general Second, you need to decide what furniture components you need rule is to allow for each person working in the office one four-drawer for your work, and then choose from the dizzying array in catalogs, file cabinet per year. Beyond that, you’ll need storage boxes for stores, auctions, and such. The minimum is your lap— for a laptop— those rarely needed long-term items. Bookshelves are terrific for ”you are the office”; and at the high end is something historic or reference books. A mix of tall and short bookcases works well in an awe-inspiring such as a Louis XIV or Teddy Roosevelt desk. The office. If you have a small office, shelve your most often used ease and portability of today’s computers, phones, PDA’s and and reference books in short bookcases close to your desk, and place similar devices allow you to work just about anywhere, so furniture any tall bookcases close to the entry door to lessen their height isn’t absolutely necessary. But if you do need it, you may, depending impact. upon your work-style and available space, require furniture suitable for a structured office-type environment, or furniture of a more Houses built since 1990 generally have been built with CAT 3 phone creative and flexible type. wiring. An installation of CAT 5 wiring that enables high-speed (100Mbs) home usage for phone, fax, modem, high-speed A crucial part of an effective design is determining where in the transmissions and networking will probably be a good investment, room you naturally like to spend time. Place your chair in that exact but be sure to compare it with ISDN, DSL, and cable modem. What spot, facing the direction you like best and imagine your desk in works for you and is also a good investment is the best choice (see Page 10 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

URLs listed below for more on CAT 5 wiring). Keep in mind those six-foot cords for computer, printer, fax, and tape backup, and if possible install outlets, plugs, and jacks where they will function well in your design. Don’t be like those people who place furniture in an office according to “what machine needs to be plugged in where.” Technology-driven design doesn’t produce very effective design for humans. A very good introduction to human-centered design in the built environment is Sarah Susanka’s book Creating the Not-So-Big House at http://www.notsobighouse.com Utilize the natural light and air available from windows as much as possible. One way to accomplish this is by placing your desk at a 90-degree angle to a window—with the light coming in over the side opposite to your usual writing hand (If you’re rright-handed, place the left end at a ninety degree angle to a window). Add indirect light for general room lighting; and at least one small flexible arm lamp for task lighting (for example, the e- lamp at http://www.oriacdesign.com). To avoid glare, you may need to adjust the angle of your monitor— possibly setting it a little to the side and angling it at about 45 degrees to the desk. This kind of configuration allows you to stop your work occasionally and focus on something in the distance outside the window to give your eyes a break from the close intensity of computer work. Finally, a warm, reflective, and slightly invigorating color of paint for the walls will transform the restful environment of a bedroom into a working “executive ‘office.” ”We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” —T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding” For more on CAT 5 wiring see: Example of house plans utilizing CAT 5 wiring: http://www.openhousesystem.com/wiring.htm Explanation of how to do it yourself: http://www.stg.brown.edu/~sjd/wiring/CAT5-wiring.html What is it and how does it work? http://www.psigroup.com http://www.cablemaster.com http://www.crestron.com Mary Colette Wallace, Associate Member of The American Institute of Architects, and Regular Member of AIIP, is President of The Wallace Research Group - an information research company specializing in all facets of architecture, design, and the built environment. You are invited to visit http:// www.wallaceresearch.net Past articles include:”Complexity of New Office Designs: Thinking Through Your Future Workplace” Searcher: The Magazine for Database Professionals, Vol. 8, Number 10, Nov/Dec 2000 http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/nov00/wallace.htm ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 11

Shedding the Invisibility Cloak: How to Obtain New Clients Peggy Carr, Principal Consultant, Carr Research Group. [email protected]

One of the biggest surprises I encountered on becoming independent tradeshow regulations allow it. This marketing effort can bring you in 1990 was that all-of-a-sudden I became nobody. When I was a instant credibility, since it (1) shows you have products and services manager with a large Fortune 500 firm, many offers came my way to display and (2) impresses attendees that you can afford to be out and recognition was instant. When I became independent, I drew of the office and afford the exhibitor fee. And if the show draws lots of blank stares—“Who are you?” and, “Again, what is it that thousands of attendees, your exposure is magnified. you do?” It was if I were Harry Potter walking around in his father’s Write for publication. You wouldn’t be in business if you weren’t invisibility cloak. Estranged, demoralized, and lacking identity, I an expert in something. Choose a topic you’ve already tackled or knew immediately that that cloak had to go in order for me to regain want to research anyway. Consider writing a regular column for a credibility and grow an independent business. bimonthly or quarterly publication. So how do you attract new clients when no one knows who you are Offer and accept speaking engagements. There isn’t a better way to or what you do? Step out, become visible, spread the word about share your knowledge and enthusiasm for what you do than actually your business, educate others on what you do, and make your name speaking in front of an audience. Choose to talk about subjects of a household word. In other words, evangelize! interest to your intended audience, and don’t make it a sales pitch. Upon wonderful advice from many AIIP speakers and authors, I Your expertise and command of the subject matter will become started exploring several avenues. They have all paid off. The apparent as you speak. Feel butterflies and knock-kneed when you following are recommended as an optimal to-do list; just picking stand up in front of people? Sign up for Toastmasters International and choosing one or two may not do it. Strive to be omnipresent. or speak to several small groups of friends before taking on the Don’t ever burn your bridges. People from your past may be in larger audiences. your future. The first few clients I had were people I had either Teach continuing education courses. Approach colleges, universities, worked with or who had known me from local professional groups. and extension services about course selections in the upcoming My very first client was someone who had been my supervisor for semester or year. See what gaps they have, and offer suggestions on five years. He had left our company to take a larger VP responsibility how you can expand their curriculum in subject “x”. You will need with another firm. No longer having access to either a business to spend at least two hours of preparation for each hour of class you research library or a research analyst, he knew instantly he would teach. And again, you need to teach something you know and are need to contract for that help, and he had the budget to do so. Another enthusiastic about. The marketing you get from the school catalog, of my first clients was someone I had known from a local “brown having your name on the faculty listing, placing the experience on bag” professional group. Her company did not have access to some your resume, and the exposure to the students all add up and can of the online research services that I did. Later, I received a contract bring you a great return on your investment. to perform online research on two of these. Create dynamite brochures and flyers. Many of us are incapable of Get involved in local associations. One of the best promoters of writing our own marketing materials. It takes someone outside our your business is you. Who else knows you or your business as field to make the contents readable, jargon-free, understandable and intimately as you do? Choose associations where you will grow eye-catching to the intended audience. Within your budget, hire a professionally or where your potential clients meet. I chose to do marketing and graphics expert you are comfortable with, and let both. And once you get involved, you will find that your newfound the ideas flow. Your choices of paper, colors, and logo are equally colleagues become megaphones for your business as well. Not only important. Do not skip this step. that, the morale boost is exhilarating! Branding. Consistent and perpetual reference to your products, Ask for referrals. This can be tough to do, but the more you do it, services, colors, and logo are paramount. Our marketing group turned the easier it will become. Each time you complete a successful every service into a product and every item adopted our CRG project, ask your client if they know of someone else seeking similar moniker and purple logo. services. Keep in touch. There is no better way to attract and retain clients Network with colleagues. Simply getting out and congregating with than being there when they need you. Devise a method to send a others with similar interests will bring you business. Folks who have periodic reminder to current and potential clients that you are there seen you in non-threatening and non-business relationships tend to to help them. Newsletters, tip sheets, postcards, or even forwarding feel more comfortable with you and your expertise, philosophies, an article that may interest them are all ways to keep your name out and work ethics. And even if the immediate network may not bring front. you business, these colleagues each operate in larger networks where Cosmetic touches. Although it may be tempting to stay in your your name will be given out when the opportunity presents itself. bunny slippers all day, it doesn’t bode well for you at the local Office Exhibit at tradeshows. Yes, this is an expense, and you will need to Depot or even the bank. Make sure you are always in professional choose wisely. Many associations and local groups will offer tabletop attire, even if this equates to khakis and a sweater. You never know options, which are easier on you budget. Consider sharing a booth with a complementary business if booths are the only option and (Continued on page 16) Page 12 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Internet Security: Protecting Your Computer Terry Brainerd Chadwick, InfoQuest! Information Service, [email protected] Is your computer secure from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, Internet While writing this article, I was notified that three more security flaws sniffers, and other intruders? Are you sure? The issue of computer and had been found in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer products. The Internet security comes up again and again among AIIP members. Every vulnerabilities give attackers the ability to execute arbitrary code and couple of months we encounter warnings about viruses, and questions read files stored on target machines. All three of the flaws affect Internet about which anti-virus and firewalls programs to use and how to use Explorer 6.0, and two of them also affect IE 5.5. Most of the attachment- them. type viruses exploit weaknesses in Microsoft’s Outlook and Outlook Why is this such a hot topic? Express e-mail browsers. Because of the virtual monopoly that In 1988 there were only six Internet security incidents reported to the Microsoft has on operating systems, Internet browsers, and the major U.S. Department of Defense-sponsored CERT Coordination Center at office applications, millions of unprepared people are easy prey for Carnegie Mellon University. In 1994, the first full year of the crackers. “commercial” Internet, CERT reported 2,340 security incidents. By This is why AIIP members and others often suggest that you can 1999, the number of Internet security incidents reported had risen to decrease the likelihood of getting stung by viruses by using non- 9,859. A year later, the number of reported incidents had more than Microsoft products where possible. Use the Macintosh operating doubled, to 21,756, and by the end of the third quarter of 2001, 34,754 system, Opera or Netscape web browsers, Eudora or Pegasus e-mail Internet security incidents had already been reported. browsers, etc. If you don’t find that a chilling figure, look at the number of viruses in To minimize exposure to what it calls “Malicious Code Events,” CERT existence that need to be watched for and disinfected. On December recommends taking the following steps: 14, 2001, my antivirus program, F-Prot, reported that it covered 60,098 Keep antivirus software up-to-date different viruses and Trojan horses: 39,763 DOS/Windows viruses, 96 Several of the AIIP members who responded to my informal, Unix/Linux, 7,407 Office Macro, 135 Java, 4 Palm OS, 1,600 script unscientific survey about antivirus program usage (seventeen wonderful (Visual Basic, JavaScript), 981 Batch/other, and 10,023 destructive colleagues) said that they were amazed at the number of people who programs. In case Macintosh users feel left out, there are about 100 didn’t regularly update their antivirus software. I’ve got to admit that viruses for them to worry about. until recently, I was one of those people. I was paranoid about letting Why is the number of security incidents and viruses rising so much? anyone have automatic access to my computer, and forgot to update CERT says that it is because use of the Internet is increasing my antivirus software on a regular basis. I figured that as long as I was exponentially at the same time as reliance on the Internet is increasing. careful about attachments and downloads, I wasn’t in much danger. In 1985, there were five regional network service providers. Only However, when I caught the NIMBA worm by attending an industry selected organizations could be ISPs and high speed access was web conference, I figured it was time to change my ways. I raised the expensive and limited. Today, there are tens of thousands of ISPs. High question of automatic updates with my AIIP colleagues and found out speed access is inexpensive and becoming available to residential users that there were a number of options available to me, depending on the via cable and telephone lines. Anyone who has Internet access can software I chose. No one reported having any problems with totally become an ISP, including the teenager next door. automatic updates. And most software has an option of scheduled CERT also points out that today’s computer crackers are prepared and updates, where the user is alerted and given the option of getting the organized. Internet attacks are easy, low-risk, hard to trace, and even update or not. I ended up choosing an automatic update that I could harder to prosecute across international boundaries. The tools that interrupt if it occured at an inconvenient time. I also have my virus crackers use are getting both more sophisticated and easier to use, softwareÐFÐProt, which I have been using since 1991-run a complete meaning that you no longer need to be a computer geek to wreak havoc scan of my hard disk on a daily basis, another suggestion by AIIP on one or many systems. colleagues. The complexity of the Internet as a network is increasing as the These days, I’m finding some sort of virus (disabled by my firewall complexity of protocols and applications run on clients and servers and disinfected or deleted by FÐProt) every other day or so. The attached to the Internet also rises. Although the number of experts and increasing frequency of these security problems landing on my teams assigned to monitor Internet and system security is also growing, computerÐalmost all through e-mailÐis sufficient evidence to me of the ratio of incident response personnel to Internet users is decreasing. the need for continual vigilance and automatically updated antivirus Network administrators in ISPs and corporations are having a difficult software. time keeping up with all of the new programs and intrusion Filter attachments, especially executable attachments opportunities. The most common form of destructive virus these days comes into What should you do to stay safe? systems as e-mail attachments. The obvious solution to this is not to According to CERT, more than 99 percent of “intrusions” can be open any attachment unless you know the person sending it, were prevented: the vast majority of them result from exploitation of known expecting it, and have run it through an antivirus program. vulnerabilities or configuration errors where countermeasures were Because most virus-laden e-mail attachments have a suspect extension available. One of the major Internet security problems facing users (filename.doc.vbs instead of just filename.doc), another way to check now and in the next few years is that software vendors continue to an attachment before opening it is to look at the extension. Since the produce software with vulnerabilities, including types of vulnerabilities Microsoft Windows default is to view files without the extension where prevention is well understood. showing, it is strongly recommended that you change this default. (Go ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 13 to: Settings > Folder Options > View, and uncheck the default “Hide products from McAfee. I use Frisk’s F-Prot; other programs used by file extensions for known file types.”) This isn’t a foolproof solution, AIIP members include Trend Micro’s PC-Cillin, F-Secure (formerly however, since some file extension stay hidden even with the default DataFellows), Vet AntiVirus (Australian), and Intego Virus Barrier (for unchecked. Macintosh). To get a more rigorous and objective view of antivirus Most antivirus and firewall programs have a feature that isolates e- products, I checked the software review in the Antivirus section of mail-based executable attachments so that they cannot be accidentally About.com. About.com hired the top-ranked virus testing organization, executed. If your antivirus or firewall program doesn’t have this feature, AV-Test, to conduct an independent, objective test of twenty top consider getting a program like MailDefenseTM, which is described antivirus programs on Microsoft Windows operating systems and below. products. The top five products all scored 100% on the general anti- Backup computers and files virus tests and 97% or greater on detecting and disinfecting the more Next to failing to update antivirus software regularly, this may be one uncommon security problems. The “winners” were: of the biggest areas of failure for most users. I know it is for me. 1. Command AntiVirus Depending on the size of your system, and the type of backups you Command AntiVirus rated 5 stars and scored 100% on the general have available, backing up your data or hard drive can be relatively virus and 99.31% on the uncommon virus testing. It is a great easy, or a royal pain in the a**. Backing up a several-gigabyte hard product for home or corporate use and provides a comprehensive drive takes time, but it can save your business if your hard drive fails set of features bundled in an easy-to-use, single interface. or is compromised by a worm or virus. About.com calls it “out-of-the-box protection at its best.” The How to backup your files and programs is another topic discussed review notes that “Command AntiVirus uses the F-Prot scan often by AIIP members. Some use tape backups; others use Zip drives. engine, wrapping it in an intuitive, useful interface that virtually CD-ReadWrite drives have become a recommended backup system, guarantees user-friendliness. In turn, this translates into a product particularly since they now are a typical feature of many computer that is easy to use properly with little or no configuration required.” systems. As with antivirus programs, backups are only effective if done 2. F-Prot Antivirus for Windows on a regularly scheduled basis. (Continued on page 14) If you aren’t very good at doing backups, or want additional protection for the programs and settings on your computer, consider using Subscribe to The Wall Street Transcript GoBack¨ (described below), which can restore your computer to its If you found this issue of The Wall Street Transcript useful, then take a earlier settings, even if the system is unbootable. This is going to be subscription and receive the Transcript every week. my next software purchase. Every week, subscribers enjoy the following information unique to Turn off macros in applications and scripting in browsers The Wall Street Transcript:

While the first three measures are common sense (even though many 1. Our famous in-depth sector roundtables. A group of the leading analysts sell-side and people don’t follow them), this measure is harder to follow and still be buy-side discuss at length the issues and factors driving a major sector, and the investment potential of the companies in the sector. The interactive flow of opinions makes our able to function well in today’s business environment. Turning off roundtables invaluable. macros in applications means losing most of the formatting that 2. An accompaniment to the roundtable discussion is a confidential report on the performance provides structure for word processing and spreadsheet documents. of CEOs in that sector - a large group of analysts and industry professionals provide off-the- record comments and together paint a complete picture about management. As for disabling JavaScript, it is extremely difficult to surf the Web 3. Individual analysts are questioned about their sectors of expertise, in ways that these days with JavaScript or Microsoft’s Active X controls turned off may not be covered in published research. They highlight their current recommendations. and still be able to see the content or fill out forms. 4. Money managers discuss their investment strategies and talk about the sectors and stocks they Being extremely careful about what attachments you open is one like - and dislike! A unique perspective supplied only in The Wall Street Transcript. solution to the Macros problem. Another solution is to open any 5. Interviews with CEOs - where they discuss the industry, their company’s challenges and opportunities, competition, growth prospects, management and the outlook for investors. attachment in a pure plain-text editor where you can preview the file Ideal complements to broker research - and vital for smaller companies that are less well to see whether it is what you expected without triggering any macros covered, where CEO credibility is widely considered paramount. Subscribers receive an additional CEO Interview supplement every month. or other executable functions. As for scripts, Internet ExplorerÐthe most vulnerable browser for this PLUS: We deliver it to you in whatever way suits you best: type of problemÐgives you the option (under Tools> Internet Options> ■ Paper ■ First Call Research Direct Security>Custom) to disable or require a prompt for Active X and ■ Multex other scripts that come with web pages. Another word of caution for ■ Via our Web site - http://www.twst.com those using Microsoft Outlook for e-mail: HTML-based e-mail can ■ Call (212) 952-7400 for more information, or for a sample issue. also transmit these viruses. To avoid problems, turn off the “Preview” Cut and Mail to: The Wall Street Transcript, 67 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 and “View e-mail as HTML” options. (You can always turn on the ❒ 12 months (52 issues) for $1890.00 ❒ 3 months (13 issues) for $630.00 View as HTML if it is needed to read a safe e-mail correctly.) Name: Title: Which antivirus program is best? Company: Address:

The answer is, “it all depends.” Three of the respondents to my informal City: State: Zip: survey don’t use an antivirus program at all. One was a Macintosh Tel: Fax: user, but the other two were Windows users who say they follow all of ❒ Please bill me later. the standard precautions, and haven’t had any problems with viruses. ❒ Payment enclosed for $ ______❒ Charge to my credit card. ___ Visa ___ MC ___ AMEX For those who do use antivirus programs, the Norton suite of antivirus Credit card # ______Exp. Date ______products was the most popular, followed by the anti-virus protection Signature: Date: Page 14 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

(Continued from page 13) A firewall is a “must have” layer of protection for those with high F-Prot Antivirus for Windows has “stellar detection rates” but got speed always-on connections to the Internet. (The two survey only four stars because it has a high learning curve. About.com respondents who use Windows and don’t use antivirus programs both says that for “experienced users, its detection and removal have firewalls protecting their high speed connections to the Internet, capabilities are unsurpassed.” F-Prot is one of the few antivirus as did the other respondents with high speed connections.) While programs that can be run from floppy disks, and, since it requires ZoneAlarm has been the top-rated firewall for the past two years (PC only 4Mb of drive space, can be used by just about any system Magazine Editor’s choice, 2000, 2001 — 5 of 5 stars; PC World award, This product also received Virus Bulletin’s 100% award which 2000, 2001), other firewalls also do a good job of protection. . recognizes those products best able to detect viruses known to be Other firewalls used by AIIP members include BlackIce Defender (4 “in the wild.” of 5 stars from PC Magazine), McAfee Firewall (3 of 5 stars; McAfee’s 3. Panda Antivirus Platinum Internet Guard Dog got 5 stars); Norton Personal Firewall (3 of 5 stars), Also rated by About.com with four stars, Panda has “the industry’s and Tiny Personal Firewall (winner of the FOSE 2001 Award for Best most intuitive interface.” Although its detection is a bit below New Technology). Both ZoneAlarm and Tiny Firewall have free that of the top-ranked products, Panda is a good choice for both versions for home use. the novice and experienced user. Also a winner of Virus Bulletin’s How do I keep current on important security issues? 100% award. If you want to keep up with what is happening in the world of computer 4. Norton AntiVirus 2002 and Internet security, there are a lot of resources for you to consider While Norton also rated four stars by About.com, it ranked only (See the References section for URLs). To understand the history and fourth on the AV-test because of its size. About.com says that trends regarding Internet Security, CERT’s publication, CERT/CC “Norton is far too big for many systems to handle.” Where RAM, Overview Incident and Vulnerability Trends, is a must read. ROM, and speed aren’t issues, Norton “provides supreme Since Microsoft software contains many security holes and is the target protection with a host of desirable features.” Another winner of of so many attacks, I recommend subscribing to its Security Bulletin, Virus Bulletin’s 100% award. with the caveat that it is written for network administrators. 5. Norman Virus Control Because Norman’s modular interface lacks some features it only My favorite monthly security newsletter is security expert Bruce gets three starts from About.com, but still ranks in the top five out Schneier’s Crypto-Gram, which contains provocative commentaries of 20 in the test. A Virus Bulletin 100% award winner. on security policy issues and security news summaries and analyses, all fully referenced. Although they didn’t make the top five, McAfee, PC-cillin, and F- Secure (which also uses the F-Prot scan engine) all ranked highly in CERT has an Advisory Mailing List that describes the most current the test, the full results of which are available on AV-Test’s website: problems and where to get patches for them. http://www.av-test.org/sites/test_all.php3?test=2001-11&lang=en> Information Security Magazine is an security industry publication with Computer Associates’s Vet Anti-Virus also was a Virus Bulletin 100% (Continued on page 15) winner. What else do you need to stay safe? AWARDS The About.com review also discussed what they call the top three The following awards will be presented at the Annual essential add-onsÐthose extra layers of protection to give you greater Conference in April. Nominations will be accepted until piece of mind: March 18, 2002. Contact Awards Chair: Federico 1. GoBack 3 Deluxe¨ Turnbull for more information, [email protected] GoBack¨ is a highly rated program that monitors and saves key Myra T. Grenier Award: Up to $500 stipend to enable new information on your computer, allowing you to revert back to an or aspiring independent information professionals to attend earlier state when problems arise. Different than a traditional the AIIP Annual Conference. Sponsored jointly by AIIP and backup, which usually involves just data, GoBack can take a drive SCOUG. All new members are encouraged to apply. back to its “pre-ops” state, even if your system is unbootable. Its Sue Rugge Memorial Award: Complimentary AIIP one drawback is that it requires about ten percent of the hard drive Conference Registration and $300 cash stipend and be allocated for GoBack’s use. recognition plaque. Awarded to a Regular member of AIIP 2. MailDefenseTM who has significantly helped another member through formal MailDefenseTM acts as an additional layer of defense against e- or informal mentoring. Please take the time to nominate mail-borne threats. It keeps viruses from getting into your inbox someone who, you feel, deserves this recognition. and from leaving your system. MailDefense uses advanced Gale Group Writers Award: $350 travel award (sponsored filtering technology to quarantine potentially harmful attachments, by the Gale Group) will be given to the writer of the best removing scripts, ActiveX controls, and macros out of Microsoft original article published in Connections in the previous Office files, leaving e-mail safe. year. In this case it applies to articles published in Volume 3. ZoneAlarmTM 15, numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. The recipient will be notified TM before the Conference and must be at the conference to ZoneAlarm is one of the highest rated firewalls on the market. receive the award. A judging committee will nominate and It monitors both inbound and outbound connection attempts, and pick the winning article. provides superb protection against remote access Trojan horses and hackers. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 15

(Continued from page 14) References 2. Antivirus Software Reviews a corporate security focus. It has a free twice- 1. Antivirus Software About.com Antivirus Software weekly Security Wire Digest e-newsletter that BlackIce Defender http://antivirus.about.com/ contains security, privacy, and intellectual- Software, software reviews, hoaxes, viruses by property-related news briefs. Internet Security Systems (bought Network Ice) http://www.networkice.com/, $39.95 shareware type: Macintosh, Linux, PC, Macro The Extreme Tech Security e-newsletter from Command Antivirus (Command Software Systems) AV-Test, http://www.av-test.org/ Ziff-Davis has security and privacy-related http://www.commandcom.com/ Tests antivirus software alerts, commentary, and solutions. As low as $24.95/yr. Uses F-PROT scan engine About.com test: http://www.av-test.org/sites test_all.php3?test=2001-11&lang=en Some of the Antivirus Software companies, F-Prot Antivirus such as Trend Micro, have e-newsletters that Frisk Software International 3. Antivirus News you can subscribe to without being a software http://www.frisk.is/f-prot/ CERT¨ Advisory Mailing List subscriber. Personal use $25/yr. Manufacturer of, and uses, http://www.cert.org/contact_cert/certmaillist.html Conclusion the F-Prot scan engine. The CERT¨ Coordination Center (CERT/CC) is a F-Secure Antivirus center of Internet security expertise, at the Here is some of the good advice from the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded seventeen AIIP members who responded to my F-Secure (formerly DataFellows) http://www.f-secure.com/ research and development center operated by informal survey: $55 personal edition. Uses F-PROT Professional Carnegie Mellon University. 1) Check hoaxes websites before spreading as its scan engine. CERT/CC Overview Incident and Vulnerability Trends, CERT Coordination Center, Software panic about viruses that may not exist. Go-Back¨ 3 Deluxe (Roxio, Inc.) 2) Use common sense. Don’t open Engineering Institute (funded by the US http://www.roxio.com/en/products/goback/ Department of Defense), Carnegie Mellon unexpected e-mail attachments. (And index.jhtml $39.95 downloaded; $49.95 packaged University, August 17, 2001, 252p. don’t download shareware or exchange Intego Virus Barrier (Intego) In HTML: http://www.cert.org/present/cert- disks with anyone.) http://www.intego.com/home.asp overview-trends/; or in PDF: cert-history-trends- 3) If you don’t download the virus and Macintosh single user: $49.95. Also has Net 2000-08-17.pdf security updates you will get bit Barrier firewall for both Macintosh and Windows: Crypto-Gram eventually. Set up your antivirus program $59.95 single user. http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram.html Bruce Schneier’s free monthly e-mail newsletter for automatic updating and occasionally TM MailDefense (InDefense, Inc.) on computer security and cryptography with over check to see that it is working properly. http://www.indefense.com/, $29.95 60,000 subscribers Update it manually, particularly if a new McAfee (Network Associates) DOE-Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) widespread virus is publicized. http://www.mcafee.com/, $39.95 http://www.ciac.org/ciac/ 4) No single product or action is going to Norman Virus Control (Norman ASA) Security Advisories render you immune. A very good anti- http://www.norman.com/, Single Use, $59.50/yr CIAC HoaxBusters http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org/ virus program is a big must. But it can Norton Antivirus 2002 (Symantec) What’s real; what’s not. still fail. It requires layers of security to http://www.symantec.com/, $39.95/yr feel truly protected. Extreme Tech Security Panda AntiVirus Platinum (Panda Software) http://www.extremetech.com/ 5) A good reason, besides functionality, to http://www.pandasoftware.com/ $59 (CD-ROM) Ziff-Davis newsletter. Timely alerts, commentary, use products like WordPerfect, Eudora, PC-cillin (Trend Micro) and solutions affecting the security of your systems and Pegasus is the fact that their files http://www.antivirus.com/, $29.95 and your privacy. don’t get targeted with the same diligence Information Security Magazine that Microsoft ones do. Trend Micro Weekly Virus Report http://www.antivirus.com/trendsetter/virus_report/ http://www.infosecuritymag.com/ 6) Get a Mac. They are immune to most default.htm TruSecure Corporation Windows diseases. (On second thought, Corporate focus. Has twice weekly Security Wire Tiny Firewall (Tiny Software) Digest e-newsletter, free if Mac usage grows they would become http://www.tinysoftware.com/ a worthwhile target for the bad guys.) Free for home use; $29.99 business Microsoft Security Advisor 7) Do what you do best and hire the rest. If http://www.microsoft.com/security/ Vet Antivirus (Computer Associates) you can’t stay on top of all the computer Microsoft Technet Security Site http://www.vet.com.au/ http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/ security issues, hire someone who knows Australian product: Vet Online: AUS$84.70; default.asp?url=/technet/security/default.asp the issues well. In the end it’s more Premium: AUS$138.50 Microsoft Security Bulletins economical. ZoneAlarm (ZoneLabs) http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/ 8) Encourage all discussion lists to reject http://www.zonelabs.com/ default.asp?url=/technet/security/current.asp non-ASCII postings, as this is one way Free version for personal/home use; ZoneAlarm Virus Bulletin, http://www.virusbtn.com/ that viruses can sneak through some Pro: $39.95 single use The international publication on computer virus prevention, people’s vigilance. recognition and removal. (Doesn’t have a free e-zine.)

Terry Brainerd Chadwick has been doing business research for over 25 years and has been helping businesses market their products & services on the Internet for 10 years. She is the President of InfoQuest! Information Services, which provides Internet performance audits & optimization services, as well as market research and competitive intelligence. Page 16 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Shedding the Invisibility Cloak: Marketing Info 2001:

(Continued from page 11) Harnessing the

where the next client is coming from, or whom you are going to run Winds of Change into. Looking your best in and out of the office is important. When Robin Neidorf, President, Electric Muse, [email protected] I attend professional conferences, particularly where I will be At the annual conference of Puerto Rico’s AIM Group/The exhibiting, I even try to wear my company colors. Although this Marketing Association on November 13 and 14 in Dorado del Mar, may seem like overkill, it is a valid and proven marketing technique, Puerto Rico, more than 250 participants, primarily from Puerto Rican and if nothing else, reminds you why you are there. Some local companies, gathered to explore techniques, trends and topics in business owners here have even ordered “vanity” license plates with marketing communications. their business name on it. I was the e-retail/e-commerce speaker (I also collaborated on a For further reading: market intelligence workshop), and found the conference to be a Bates, Mary Ellen. Getting Your First Five Clients. Oak Creek, WI: major learning experience. The other speakers on the roster all AIIP Service Corporation, 1998. brought with them 15 to 20 years of expertise in such areas as direct Deveney, John. Building Your Brand Image. Oak Creek, WI: AIIP marketing, branding, customer analysis, market research and Service Corporation, 2001. Audiocassette T01-13. segmentation. Mason, Florence M. and Chris Dobson. Information Brokering: A How-To-Do-It Manual. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1998. Of particular interest were the presentations given by Vic Hunter, Sabroski, Suzanne. Super Searchers Make It On Their Own. Edited president of Hunter Business Group in Milwaukee. Vic’s company by Reva Basch. Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2002 (April). specializes in a research process that allows its clients to target Warner, Alice Sizer. Fee-based Information Services seminar class profitable segments of their customer populations and prospects to notes. SLA Mid-winter Conference, Washington, DC, 1990/1991. maximize marketing efforts. The tools he uses are both qualitative and quantitative. For further information, visit http:// Margaret Metcalf Carr is Principal Consultant of Carr Research www.hunterbusiness.com. Group, a research and analysis firm founded in 1990. Peggy and her associates concentrate on business and niche market intelligence Exposure to the Puerto Rican business community was highly primarily in aerospace/defense, engineering, health sciences, educational. Most of the business people I spoke with are only now management and telecommunications. taking baby steps into the world of research and learning to gather information prior to making decisions, especially about market segments and product or service development. They were eager to learn what we offered. At the same time, it was clear that Puerto Rican business culture presents a challenge for U.S. businesses and professionals. The people I met spoke English imperfectly (though much better than I speak Spanish!), but language is only the beginning of the differences. At the start of a business relationship, it is common practice in Puerto Rico for a vendor to do work on spec. The demeanor and overall business atmosphere is much more formal than I generally find in my home market. And most businesses there (with the exception of international companies that have added offices on the island) are only just beginning to stretch beyond the island to try to reach U.S. and global markets. Information professionals, particularly those with a command of Spanish and an interest in Caribbean cultures, can find a lot of opportunity in Puerto Rico. Businesses seem poised to jump on tools that will help them grow beyond their current borders, and targeted business intelligence services ought to head the list. For further information about AIM Group/The Marketing Association and Marketing Info 2001, visit www.tmass.net. Robin Neidorf’s company, Electric Muse, offers strategic communications consulting grounded in research. She can be reached at [email protected] ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 17

Excerpted from Business Intelligence Toolkit for Scientific and Technical Librarians, a continuing education course sponsored by the Engineering Division, Special Libraries Association, June, 2001; and “Primary Research for Competitive Intelligence: Techniques for Improving Data Collection from Primary Sources and for Maximizing Actionability within Your Organization”, Business Information Alert, (vol 13, number 6, June 2001, pages 8-10) The Ultimate Safari: Tips and Techniques to Maximize Data Collection from Primary Sources Peggy Carr, Principal Consultant, Carr Research Group. [email protected]

When scouting out sources for conducting primary research, we may the show. Other indicators of how companies are faring may be in the overlook many at-hand sources simply because they are just beneath our size of their display, the number of speakers present from the nose. Traditional secondary research items such as reference books, organization, and/or sponsorships. Attend hospitality events and magazine articles and Wall Street analyst reports are treasure troves just presentations to pick up chatter and insights on companies and industries waiting for the mining to begin. The patience and focus that is required for of interest. Listen more than you talk (and drink). Prepare before you extracting from text the names of associations, consultants, industry experts attend the trade show to scope out your schedule. and marketing analysts, often stop people dead in their tracks. This is one Internal Subject-Matter Experts. Eighty percent of the primary resource area where independent information professionals can excel. Customers collection you need is in people’s heads. To get at that information, talk simply don’t want to spend the time and energy required to read, write and to customers and to personnel in various departments. Search your make phone calls, but realize it is a necessary evil in the intelligence game client’s human resources department directory for internal experts: the and are willing to outsource (and pay) for the work. Following are just a business development department, for industry trends; the marketing few avenues you can explore to retrieve significant results. department, for company brand image; and the salesmen, for customer Do Your Homework. Before picking up the telephone, do your homework. intelligence. Read up on the topic you are researching. While you read, have a Maximize Networks. Ask yourself who possesses information and highlighter and “post-it” notes ready to pull out names of experts, influence. Much like the 80/20 rule, a very small number of people are associations, magazine editors, government offices, suppliers, customers, linked to everyone else. As you phone the experts, ask who else they CEOs, think tanks and legal filings. Use common reference books such would suggest contacting regarding “x.” Vendors are often a good source, as the Encyclopedia of Associations and Business Reference Sources to as they like to talk. get a feel for regulatory watchdogs, public interest groups, publishers and associations involved in the industry of interest. Don’t forget to Leverage the Web. Chat rooms, resumes and help-wanted sites provide read the footnotes. Many additional sources of information, or more primary information in a non-threatening way. The Internet provides current information, will come from simply noting the reference and speed, anonymity, coverage, and diversity. Two recommended mailing placing a telephone call. lists are www.liszt.com and www.lsoft.com/lists. Resume sites such as www.monster.com, www.headhunter.net, and www.sixfigure.com will Follow the Money. Some of my best finds have come from listening to reveal job postings and where a company is headed. E-mail may be CEO interviews on venture funding websites, going through PowerPoint effective when telephone and in-person contacts are not. If you’re not presentations on company websites and reading Wall Street analyst reports. receiving callbacks or reaching the right people, try a quick “can you And yes, many of these can be found for free on the web, or on a pay-as- help” and “this is why I’m asking you” e-mail instead. Also, think about you go basis on commercial databases, if you know where to look. Again, outside interests, not just subject expertise. “Patience is key, creativity this is where your note-taking will steer you in the right direction. is critical” in this process. As in telephone interviews, ask new friends Be Prepared. The motto for the Boy Scouts of America, it also holds about their old ones, and remain skeptical about the information you true in conducting primary research telephone interviews. Knowing receive. The web offers a plethora of routes to go. Remember, however, something beforehand and asking an expert to “fill in the blank,” or that tools come and go, so remain flexible with your strategy. “I’m finding this, what is your opinion?” is a great door opener. By Explore Legal Documents. Patents, trademarks, securities registration knowing some facts, you often elicit others. Practice your questions and articles of incorporation are all public documents. Think not only before phoning for answers. Expect “why are you calling” questions federal, but also state, county and local sources. There are many more and be prepared to explain that you are phoning regarding the industry public records to explore than we can cover here. Consult resources or topic you are studying. Be factual and honest, and if the person appears such as BRB Publications’ Sourcebook To Public Record Information tense or hurried, ask for a more convenient time to return the call. or better yet, think of outsourcing this task. Quid pro quo. Share with interviewees knowledge you have acquired Budget. Time, not money, will be your enemy. Expect to spend one-third, in your research process that they may not know, and see what they will if not one-half of your time synthesizing and boiling down all the provide in return. information you have acquired to make it intelligence. Accept pain and Trade shows. Attend trade shows not only to collect company and product stress as part of the data collection and learning process. Intelligence literature surreptitiously, but also to pick up on trends and organizational provides opportunities to develop deeper insights and is very rewarding. health by what is displayed and how and what is said in the booth. The Organize your data. Use or prepare templates to track and record your dictum “come early, stay late” works for picking up tidbits while booths information as you acquire it. It is useless to gather information if you are being put up, taken down, or while the staff chats before and after cannot communicate the results or use it as a tool to retrieve additional Page 18 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

data. If your client does not furnish an in-house template, refer to Right in Your Own competitive intelligence texts such as New Competitor Intelligence by Fuld or the Competitive Intelligence Workbook by Kim Burkhardt for Backyard: Finding and models to adapt. Using Your Own Ethical Considerations. When collecting information, be mindful of trade secrets, confidentiality, misappropriation of data, dumpster divers, and Community’s Resources: licensing agreements. Never, ever misrepresent yourself. Make sure your A Panel Discussion Presented company protects itself through policies and agreements with employees and contractors concerning such matters as e-mail, client confidentiality at the Cape Fear Crime and non-disclosure. Legal documents, such as the Economic Espionage Festival, Wilmington, NC Act (EEA) really do not provide a guide in ethical and moral issues. Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Research Solutions, All information gathering and dissemination has implications, minefields, [email protected] and quirks. There are three risks to consider: business (is this something Because of my interest in mysteries, both personal and professional, you feel comfortable doing?), public and trade relations (who would get I volunteered to be a on a panel at the inaugural Cape Fear Crime mad at you, or what relations would you sour or lose?) and legal (what Festival. My husband and I decided to attend as part of an effort to local, state, and country laws apply?). It is generally considered ethical promote my services and do research for a project we are working for third parties to request information without declaring how it will be on together. The three other panel members were published novelists used or who will use it. And, if a competitor or industry analyst makes or short story writers from various parts of the United States. incorrect assumptions about the questions, the third party has no Conference attendees included published authors, writers, and obligation to warn them of their mistake. As Jiminy Cricket would say, mystery fans. “let your conscience be your guide.” In most instances, your moral and When one thinks of community resources, the first things that come ethical base is more restrictive than the law. With so much information to mind are local libraries (academic, public, and medical) together available publicly, cloak-and-dagger tactics are not necessary. with special collections often housed in museums. For mystery For Further Reading: writers, however, community resources often go beyond these: to Bates, Mary Ellen. Super Searchers Do Business: The Online Secrets of be successful, they must research a wide variety of plot devices, Top Business Researchers. Edited by Reva Basch. Medford, New Jersey: from unique ways to have their victims murdered to detection CyberAge Books, 1999. techniques appropriate to the time period of the crime. Carr, Margaret Metcalf. Primary Research for Competitive Intelligence: Mari Ulmer, one of the authors on the panel, discussed how she Techniques for Improving Data Collection from Primary Sources and uses the local geography and culture of her native New Mexico to for Maximizing Actionability within Your Organization. Summary of bring the reader into the story. Her descriptions of the flora and proceedings presented by the Institute for International Research, New fauna paint the background for her settings, while her plot and York, March 29-30, 2001. Business Information Alert, v. 13, no. 6, (June characters are developed from her local knowledge of the Catholic 2001), pp. 8-10. community in which she lives and works. Along with other panel members, I suggested interviewing local retired police detectives Sacks, Risa. Super Searchers Go to the Source:The Interviewing and to gain clues on unsolved or unique cases. Local newspaper libraries Hands-on Information Strategies of Top Primary Researchers-Online, and archives may reveal local crimes that an author may be able to on the Phone, and in Person. Ed. Reva Basch. Medford, New Jersey: use to build a story. A search of the local courthouse records and Information Today, Inc., 2001. property deeds can provide wonderful insights on old houses, the Weiss, Arthur. “How Far Can Primary Research Go?” Competitive records of former criminals, and other unique information specific Intelligence Magazine, v.4, no. 6 (November-December 2001), pp. 18-21. to the writer’s community. Margaret Metcalf Carr is Principal Consultant of Carr Research Group, Of course I could not present my suggestions without including a a research and analysis firm founded in 1990. Peggy and her associates plug for hiring an independent researcher in the community to assist concentrate on business and niche market intelligence primarily in in an author’s research efforts. If this market looks interesting to aerospace/defense, engineering, health sciences, management and you, you may want to leave your business card with local public or telecommunications. academic libraries, or the historical society, so that writers who may need research services can find you. You should also search writers’ conference web sites for events in your area, and register to attend. “WANTED” Barbara is a native of Winston-Salem, NC, where she worked twenty years for Forsyth County Public Library System. In 1999 she started working from home as an Independent Professional. AUTHORS Her company, Research Solutions, provides a wide range of for the next “Connections” services including Internet and traditional library research. http:www.researchsolutions.net See the Footnotes column for details. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 19

. . . to support your clients in the information marathon. As part of our long- standing relationship with AIIP, Lexis¨-Nexis¨ offers special programs and pricing to both associate and regular members. We’re proud to be named AIIP’s first vendor partner, and we’re committed to providing the information brawn it takes to beat the competition.

Call LEXIS-NEXIS at 1-800-544-7390 x5890 or go to LEXIS-NEXIS InfoPartner at http://ip.lexis-nexis.com Page 20 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Commentary Suzanne Sabroski, Sabroski & Associates, [email protected] As we consider the means and methods of today’s independent information NEED professional (IIP) in this issue of Connections, I’m very excited to share a few observations from my research for Super Searchers Make It On Their INFORMATION Own. As the tenth title in the Super Searcher series, it includes interviews with eleven AIIP members about how they run their businesses, how they FROM FRANCE do their research, and how they keep it all together. OR EUROPE ? Very early on it became clear to me that while some general observations can be made, we are a diverse bunch of professionals and do not fit neatly into categories. Our clients, our work, and even our use of technology varies widely; what works for one individual may not work for another. Launching a business: While one of the interviewees spent years planning Thanks to a broad range of local European and preparing for the big day, others fell into it almost overnight. But their success today definitely depends on good business sense, effective time electronic sources and our keen expertise in management, and the use of professional service providers like graphic database & deep Web searching, as well as designers, accountants, and attorneys. Internet investigating, Office location: In my statistically insignificant sample of eleven individuals, eight maintain home-based offices and love the arrangement, and three we can provide you with : have offices outside their homes. All noted that whatever works at one point in their business growth or family situation may change over time. • Company profiles Keeping it all together: This was the fun part, as I heard everything from • Press articles (general, regional, specialized…) color-coded sticky notes to the most complete high-tech wired gadgetry available. Some are constantly in touch with clients via palm pilots and • Market research reports cellular headsets (for use while driving), and others just use the free pocket • Proceedings calendars that come in the mail during December. and more… Research: Again, an exercise in contrasts—while some IPs are strictly online researchers and rely heavily on the traditional big three of Dialog, Lexis- on every subject : Nexis and Factiva, others are not. Some rely heavily on library or archival • Marketing, Business, research while others haven’t touched a book (for research) in years! And some prefer to do their own primary research in the course of a project, Industry while others generally outsource the telephone part. The Internet is being • Science & Technology used more heavily by all researchers as search engines improve and useful • Humanities information from the “invisible web” becomes increasingly available. ... Clients: Here we discussed everything from finding them and servicing their needs to maintaining relationships. Some find that an occasional phone call, email, or cool article with a note works well, and others take a more focused approach of newsletters or postcards. But then others say “Hey, Contact our research team I’m pretty busy so if you need me you know where to find me.” to get a free estimate Deliverables: Most projects go out as e-mailed electronic documents, and some searchers create their own pdf files. But hardcopy reports are still [email protected] important as potential marketing pieces, as they are what often gets passed around and into the hands of potential clients. PowerPoint presentations FLA Consultants are common, as is use of sophisticated software compatible with the clients’ internal systems. 27 rue de la Vistule 75013 Paris, France Marketing: This begins as a matter of establishing your own credibility through speaking and writing opportunities, a good-looking website, and Tel : +33 1 45 82 75 75 the usual business cards and networking. Some struggle with marketing Fax : +33 1 45 82 46 04 and others love to get out and talk to everyone and their neighbor. More time is spent marketing in the early years, but it’s something that has to be visit our website constantly kept in mind during the life cycle of business. www.fla-consultants.com Many of these points have been raised before, but the examples really come (in French but we are used to to life when they are part individual stories. The Super Searchers also offer working in English) hard-won advice from inside the trenches and thoughts on the future. Super Searchers Make It On Their Own is forthcoming in April 2002 from Information Today, Inc. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 21

Consulting located in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada. She provides Book Review: research services to clients in government and business and writes about Competitive Intelligence Workbook: Know Your effective research on the Internet. Competitors, Track Their Activities, Plan Your Strategy, * * * * * * * * by Kim Burkhardt Reviewer: Peggy Carr,Principal Consultant, Carr Research Group Reviewer: Phyllis Smith, In The Know Research and Consulting [email protected] Services. [email protected] At last, a practical workbook providing no-nonsense spreadsheets and Competitive intelligence (CI) involves an organized process of matrices for the competitive intelligence (CI) practitioner. Dividing and monitoring and analyzing publicly available competitor data to enable conquering—the systematic approach to CI gathering can be daunting a business to determine its own market strategy. While competitor and overwhelming. This workbook assists with the most important aspects analysis is not a new concept, businesses, large and small, are becoming of CI, from background and key sources, to organizing and tracking increasingly aware of its power. The effective and meaningful current information, to insights for analysis and documenting sources, to presentation of information and analysis is one challenge of CI, which final presentation ideas. As Burkhardt states, this workbook is designed the Competitive Intelligence Workbook attempts to address. primarily as a tool for monitoring the competitive environment, not as a The Workbook is not intended to be the be-all-end-all “how-to” manual rehash of CI textbooks. The real treasure-trove of this workbook is the to teach CI theory and practice. Instead it fills a gap between the companion CD that comes with it. All the forms contained in the book numerous quality textbooks and high-end software programs used to can be downloaded to your own computer for easy fill-in as you gather manage CI data, by providing ready-made, yet customizable and and organize your information to perform an analysis. And a variety of printable forms that help with data organization, analysis and effective common formats are available for your choosing. All bases are covered. presentation. There are also plans to update information on the There are several forms to choose from that can be used to track www.burkhardtresearch.com website, as it becomes available. competitor data. There are also collections of forms for use in As a practitioner who lives in text, I was particularly taken with the environmental monitoring and for news tracking. Each form contains useful financial ratio worksheets. Presented in a step-to-step format brief descriptions of the purpose of its various sections and offers with descriptive headers, they take the mystery out of this aspect of suggestions on where to locate the relevant data as well. However, none data gathering. Gathering such key indicators as sales analysis by region, of the explanations provide enough detail to help the novice understand market, and product, or a breakdown of plant characteristics to track, is the type of data to include, or its level of detail. all laid out in a ready-made form that is easy to read and understand. Some of the forms depend on other forms. For example, “A Current I am looking forward to future editions of the Workbook with a spiral Industry Snapshot” uses information already collected in the “Industry or coil binding for easier viewing. Also, the forms are currently named Profile of Current Competitors.” It is not hard to see how working on the CD with page numbers, but it would be more useful to have the through the series of forms can lead to a thorough report where data file names reflect their intended use, e.g. “Current Industry Snapshot” might be collected once and then presented in multiple formats rather than “page 62.” depending on the requirement. The Workbook is immensely useful for both novice and experienced CI The Workbook is accompanied by a CD-ROM that contains all the forms professionals. It can be used for everything, from a tutorial to a gentle in the book in multiple formats: HTML, Microsoft Word, Microsoft reminder when data gathering to templates for systematic organization. Excel, and RTF (Rich Text Format). The HTML format allows users to At the price of $25.50 (US) and $39.50 (Canada), it is a cost-effective browse the book online. The electronic forms do not have the notes and staple for every CI essential reference collection. explanations found on the print format and are ready to fill out or adapt. As Kim states at both the beginning and end of the book (and in bold!): Who needs this book? “An organized and consistent information system must be developed Use of the Workbook alone cannot make the CI neophyte look like an to make your intelligence efforts effective.” This Workbook will certainly expert, since it does not provide enough detail regarding sources for help you achieve this goal. Bravo! the data required or of specific methods for collecting data, nor does it Margaret Metcalf Carr is Principal Consultant of Carr Research Group, teach how to analyze the information on the form once it is completed. a research and analysis firm founded in 1990. Peggy and her associates Relatively inexperienced in CI work myself, I found that each form concentrate on business and niche market intelligence primarily in raised a new series of questions in my mind. How do I get that aerospace/defense, engineering, health sciences, management and information? Why is it important to know that? How do I answer the telecommunications. question the form is asking? Obviously, more than the Workbook is * * * * * * * * required to develop any competency in CI research. Competitive Intelligence Workbook is published by Burkhardt Research The Workbook would, however, be an excellent reference guide for Services, 6200 McKay Avenue, Suite 141-244 Burnaby, BC V5H 4M9 those with some prior experience and knowledge of CI. Even CI experts CANADA. US. Phone: 1.888.432.9119 (toll free); Fax: 1.604.432.9115; could find it useful—particularly as the forms can be customized to E-mail: [email protected], meet individual needs. Effective CI will never be so simple as slotting figures into a form, but a set of detailed, customizable forms can enhance The author: Kim Burkhardt (Burkhardt Research Services) is an MBA an existing CI program, focus the collection of data, help train new CI who offers consulting to industry clients on competitive research and researchers, improve the presentation of a CI report, and communicate analysis. Burkhardt Research Services has locations in Vancouver, the knowledge that is being gathered to those who need to know. Canada and Washington State, and serves clients in manufacturing, telecommunications, real estate, technology, chemicals, academia, and Phyllis Smith is Principal of In the Know Information and Research the government sector. Page 22 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Book Review: as a virtual primer on interpersonal communications, it illustrates methods and nuances useful for competitive intelligence. The book Super Searchers Go to the Source, by Risa Sacks itself is structured in an interview format and shows how to adapt Reviewer: Cynthia L Shamel, President of Shamel Information prepared questions “on-the-fly.” Each chapter/interview ends with Services, [email protected]. a list of “Super Searcher Tips” highlighting the major points covered. Going to the source means primary research, and primary research Ethical concerns are also discussed. includes telephone and in-person interviewing, direct observation, The author, Risa Sacks, has uncovered many nuggets of primary and the use of public records and source documents. To a researcher research wisdom from the various disciplines and experiences of accustomed to relying on secondary or online searches, this is each of the Super Searchers she interviewed. Not only were business uncharted territory. How do primary searchers find source research professionals interviewed, but a futurist, a private documents? What do they look for on site visits? Whom do they investigator, an interview specialist, and journalists as well. For AIIP call for expert answers and information and how do they get these members, the book is also an opportunity to learn more about the people to answer their questions? And for me, the $64,000 question: specialties of some of their colleagues: Marjorie Desgrosseilliers How do you get past that nagging hesitation to pick up the phone? (phone research), Lynn Peterson (public records), and Alex Kramer All the answers are in Risa Sacks’s new book, Super Searchers Go (private investigation and public records). Society of Competitive to the Source: The Interviewing and Hands-On Information Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) members will not be disappointed Strategies of Top Primary Researchers—Online, on the Phone, and either, since many of those interviewed also practice competitive in Person, edited by Reva Basch (Medford, NJ: Information Today, intelligence (CI). 2001, 420 pp., $24.95 U.S.). Risa has found 12 researchers to explain A few chapters are like brief seminars in the areas being explored, the process, and thanks to Risa’s own interviewing skills, we have boosting the value of the book immensely. One example is the almost 400 pages of examples, case studies, strategies, and stories. chapter on elicitation techniques used in gathering competitive While the published interviews are shortened from a lengthy intelligence. This interview of John Nolan is especially interesting, transcript, Risa occasionally gives readers a look at the unedited given recent events surrounding his company, Phoenix Consulting interview process, so that we can see how it really works. (http://www.scip.org/news/cimagazine_article.asp?id=350). Equally In Super Searchers Go To The Source readers will have the interesting, in view of the anthrax incidents in late 2001, is another opportunity to learn from journalists, reporters, writers, private interviewee, John Swartz, due to his foresight in having authored investigators, educators, an independent research company, a large the book Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive research firm, a competitive intelligence specialist, and a librarian the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe (September 2001). at a large corporation. AIIP members will recognize colleagues, as All researchers can benefit from reading this book—not just primary Marjorie Desgrosseilliers, Lynn Peterson, and Alex Kramer are researchers wishing to craft or hone their interviewing skills, locate among those interviewed. experts, or learn more techniques for deftly handling gatekeepers. The reader may find places here and there where the interviewee For secondary researchers, the author makes a very compelling case has offered too much information, but the nature and layout of the for using primary research— currently enjoying a resurgence after book make it easy to pick out the gems and move on if necessary. having once been the only research available, then being upstaged Each interview ends with a list of Super Searcher Tips, and the by online databases and the web, and now being used in combination appendix includes helpful references to 167 websites, databases, with secondary research—as a means of substantiating, updating, books, and articles (I counted!). or adding to information found on the web or online. This is the seventh title in the Super Searcher series, and it has All researchers should find the discussion of interviewing skills something to offer to the most skilled as well as to the most useful in enhancing communications with their clients during inexperienced primary researcher. And yes, those interviewed also preliminary discussions about the scope, nature, timing, and budget talk about how to deal with the reluctance to pick up the phone. It for their projects. Secondary researchers will also get a feel for what seems to be a common problem, and it appears that the consensus is other information might be available, such as public records, and to “just do it.” why examining source documents can be fruitful. The book also addresses the “fears” of those who want to venture into primary Cynthia L. Shamel, President of Shamel Information Services research, and gives many concrete examples of how to approach conducts secondary business research. She serves on the Board of interviews, including effective dialogues and phrases for an Directors of AIIP and can be reached by telephone at 858-673- interviewer to use. 4673 and e-mail at [email protected]. The book ends with an appendix of “Referenced Sites and Sources,” * * * * * * * * with links to many “favorite” websites useful to both primary and secondary researchers, particularly when doing “homework” before Reviewer: Karl Kasca, Kasca & Associates, [email protected] conducting an interview or business research. This recent entry in the Super Searchers series is a treatise on primary Karl Kasca owns Kasca & Associates and provides business research research. While including numerous techniques and strategies for to businesses and attorneys. He can be reached at conducting successful interviews (telephone and in-person), there [email protected] or www.Kasca.com. are also chapters featuring manual and public records research. Also, ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 23

AIIP Conference AIIP Conference Update The Queen Mary: from Luxury Liner to Troop Ship “California Teaming”: Long Beach, California April 18-21, 2002 Susan Rubenstein and Ruth Balkin, Balkin Library and Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Conference Committee Information Services, [email protected] headed by Chair, Debbie Bardon, conference preparations are well This second article in our series on the Queen Mary highlights its under way. The Committee has been working furiously— booking, contribution to the war effort during World War II. We hope to see scheduling, coordinating and planning program sessions, training many AIIP members at the conference gala to be held aboard the opportunities, special events, exhibits and sponsors, and attending ship on April 20. to hundreds of other details that promise to make this a fine learning and networking opportunity. Plan to attend! The Registration The Queen Mary was known for its luxurious surroundings, top-notch brochure should be up on the website by mid-January and in your service, and size. However, speed was also an asset for this famous mailboxes by the end of January. Cunard liner. It won the Blue Riband for the fastest North Atlantic voyage in 1938 (an honor it held until 1952). But the Queen Mary For the first time ever, the AIIP Conference will be presented in was also known for its service during World War II. conjunction with the Southern California Online Users Group (SCOUG) Spring Meeting. Our conference speakers include: Anthea On August 30, 1939, the ship left its berth in Southampton, England Stratigos, President of Outsell, Inc.; Clifford Lynch, Director of the for what was to become its last peacetime voyage. One of its more Coalition for Networked Information; James Chan, author of The famous passengers was Bob Hope. Also on board was over 40 million nd Spare Room Tycoon; Corilee Christou, VP, Online & New Media dollars worth of gold bullion. On September 2 , the portholes were Licensing & Development, Cahners Business Information; Amelia blacked out and the next day England and France declared war on Kassel, Expert Online Researcher and President of MarketingBase; Germany. Risa Sacks, Author of Super Searchers Go to the Source, and Roger The ship arrived in New York on September 4th and remained there Summit, Founder of Dialog. The Conference Gala tour and dinner until March. It then left for Sydney, Australia to be fitted as a troopship. will be on the historic Queen Mary—read the second of Ruth Balkin’s With its luxurious fittings removed and placed in storage for the articles (in this issue) to know more about the ship. duration, the ship’s accommodations more than doubled, from 2,140 Factiva, Dialog, LexisNexis, and the National Library of Medicine to 5,500. This process took only a month-and-a-half, and on May 5, will be providing FREE vendor training to conference attendees. 1940 it sailed in a convoy back to Scotland. Troop capacity was again Some of you may also wish to register for Amelia Kassel’s pre- increased in 1942 while the ship was docked in Boston. After this conference seminar, Establishing and Building a Successful work, the ship carried American troops for the first time on its famous Information Business: From A-Z, or for Dialog’s pre-conference “40 days and 40 nights” voyage from Boston back to Sydney. seminar— both of which will be held Wednesday, April 17, 2002. During the war, the Queen Mary provided many firsts in shipping For cost and registration information check with Dialog for the history. In May 1942 it became the first ship to carry more than Dialog seminar, and for Amelia’s program, check http:// 10,000 people. Yet, later that year, the ship transported over 15,000 www.marketingbase.com, or call Amelia at 1-800-544-5924. troops and 863 crew. On December 23, 1942, it began a voyage that Plan to take some extra days off and have a vacation while you’re was to cover almost 38,000 miles, from Gourock, Scotland to the in beautiful Southern California. An optional tour of the Getty Suez, to Sydney and then back to Gourock. After this trip, the ship Museum is planned for Sunday afternoon, April 21, 2002 from 1pm- transferred to the Atlantic Ocean. 6pm, after the close of the Conference. This will be available on a Winston Churchill was a passenger on two of these war runs. He first-come-first-served basis. The tour will include bus transportation also shared the ship with 5,000 German POWs. The ship continued to and from the Getty Museum, a boxed lunch to be eaten on the its service for the duration, carrying troops even after the end of bus, and private tours provided by Getty staff members that will hostilities. One of its more delightful duties was to participate in include the Getty Research Institute and Library. The tour can many war bride voyages. These sailings, in 1946 and 1947, brought accommodate a maximum of 55 people. The cost will be over many European brides and children and reunited them with their approximately $35 per person. Send in your check or credit card American spouses and fathers in the United States. In July 1947, the information with your registration materials. Queen Mary returned to passenger service. Discount tickets for Universal Studios will be available for all As you stroll its decks and corridors, try to erase the luxury from conference attendees and their guests. Peggy Carr is working on your mind and imagine this floating palace as it must have looked additional optional tours. If you are interested in a trip to Disneyland, and felt to those young soldiers. These kids, who were probably Catalina Island, Knotts Berry Farm, etc., contact Peggy at leaving the U.S. for the first time, depended on the speed and agility [email protected]. of this great ship and the skill of its crew to get them safely to their To contact Debbie Bardon, Bardon On Call, AIIP 2002 Conference Chair: destination. Many of them, as you know, never came back. 510 531-1050 (voice) 510 531-1250 (fax), [email protected] Facts courtesy of www.queenmary.com This article was written by Susan Rubinstein and researched and edited by Ruth Balkin. Ruth is a member of AIIP. Ruth and Susan are sisters and partners in Balkin Library and Information Services. Their father served on the Queen Mary and other Cunard liners after World War II. Page 24 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

Vendor Programs AIIP Conference: Another Benefit of Membership: Dialog in Joint California Teaming Services Referral Program with AIIP Long Beach, April 18 - Susan Weiler, Chairperson, Vendor Relations Committee, 22, 2002 [email protected]. In November 2001, the Dialog Corporation announced the creation We thank our 2002 Sponsors & Exhibitors of the Dialog & AIIP Search Service Referral Program. Under the program, Dialog customers will be able to request that specific online Gold Sponsors: searches be conducted for them on a pay-for-service basis by a ❍ Dialog searcher possessing a high level of expertise with Dialog’s online ❍ Factiva information service. AIIP members who wish to participate in the ❍ LexisNexis joint referral program must meet the following criteria for acceptance in the Dialog & AIIP Search Services Referral Program. The AIIP member: Bronze Sponsors: ¥ must participate in the current AIIP Referral Program; ❍ Derwent ❍ ¥ must have at least 3 years of Dialog search expertise The Charleston Advisor demonstrating proficiency in command language Dialog in his/ her area of expertise; Specialty Sponsors: ¥ must return the customer’s initial contact within 24 hours of ❍ Burwell Enterprises receipt of referral; ❍ Derwent ¥ must negotiate his/her own contract for consulting and ❍ Dialog searching, including a requirements analysis; neither Dialog ❍ I-95ers (Mid-Atlantic Independent Information nor AIIP will be involved; Professionals) ¥ agrees to use the customer’s Dialog ID only to fulfill the contract ❍ Instant Information Systems for said customer; ❍ Institute for Scientific Information ¥ understands Dialog will follow up with the customer ❍ Information Today periodically to monitor customer satisfaction with the program; ❍ Center for Research Information ¥ understands Dialog reserves the right of final acceptance of an ❍ LexisNexis AIIP member into the program. ❍ Amelia Kassel (MarketingBase) If you meet the above criteria and wish to participate in the Dialog ❍ OCLC & AIIP Search Service Referral Program, please complete the ❍ TFPL biographic, capabilities, and contact information form online at: ❍ http://www.dialog.com/info/contacts/forms/aiip. Should you have Questel Orbit any questions, please contact Betty Jo Hibberd at: [email protected] or Susan Weiler at: Exhibitors: [email protected]. ❍ The Reference Shelf, a subsidiary of Basch Subscriptions ❍ Bibliodata WANTED NEW ❍ Chemical Abstract Service ❍ Copyright Clearance Center ADVERTISERS ❍ Dialog ❍ AIIP Service Corp is on the lookout for new Factiva ❍ Information Today advertisers. If you know a company that would like ❍ Information Sources Inc’s GUIDE IT L. L. C. to reach our membership, send the contact information ❍ LexisNexis to Eiko Shaul ([email protected]). If you would ❍ Library Associates be willing to contact potential advertisers on behalf ❍ National Technical Information Service of AIIP, let Eiko know, and she will provide you with ❍ Washington Researchers the information you will need. ❍ H. W. Wilson Company ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 25

Minnesota Info Pros First Fall Meeting of Frost Gathering Southern Searchers by Suzanne Sabroski, [email protected] Barbara F. Thompson, [email protected] Thanks to the initiative of AIIP member Ann Potter, an interesting and The fall meeting of Southern Searchers was held at the Pullen Library diverse group of “independent information types” assembled for hors conference room, October 19, 2001, at Georgia State University in d’oeuvres and fireside chat at the W. A. Frost & Company restaurant Atlanta, GA. in St. Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday, October 16th. Dubbing it “the Roger Magnus organized the local arrangements, planned the program, First Frost Gathering,” Ann called that one right, as the temperature and did the presentation. Roger works at Georgia State as the Business dipped to 28 degrees Fahrenheit later that evening. Weather aside, Liaison/Reference Librarian for the Information Services department. there was much to discuss about our businesses, the economy, the mood The conference room was equipped with PCs and projection capabilities of the nation, and the perils and joys of working solo. A nice mix of for the presentation. seasoned business owners, niche specialists, and newcomers shared After introductions, Roger spent the morning describing the business their stories during introductions, followed by unstructured chat time resources available in print that he uses in the Information Services featuring polymers, web site design, working for stock with start-up Department. In addition to passing the actual books around the room, firms, and finding our common ground with various people and places. Roger made copies of several pages from each source so that In attendance were: participants could discuss the particular merits of each volume. Sources Bob Buntrock - Buntrock Associates, Inc. included industry codes and analysis sources, company handbooks, Andrea Halverson - exploring the field and data sources on potential customers. Katherine Hayes - Eyeonit, Ltd.; MN SCIP President After a lunch break at nearby Mick’s, located in Underground Atlanta, Kathleen Kelly - Law librarian and business owner we returned for the afternoon session on business resources available Robin Neidorf - Electric Muse, Inc. electronically. Web sites that Roger demonstrated included EDGAR, stock Dan Pederson - Pederson Research Services, Inc. prices, e-commerce sites, and databases accessible at Georgia State.. Ann Potter - Ann Potter & Associates You can visit Roger at http://wwwlib.gsu.edu/liaisons/rmagnus/ for Suzanne Sabroski - Sabroski & Associates more information on his presentation or for a bibliography of the LuAnn Sidney - LNS Consulting Services materials presented. Margaret Telfer - Key Indicators & Competitive Research Marta Carvajal shared a handout listing the various search engines Ann Miller - Cargill, Inc. and specific topic sites she found useful in her searching. Contact Marta at [email protected] for more information on her handout/ * * * * * * * * presentation. Marta will be hosting our next meeting of Southern Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Searchers, to be held in Charlotte, NC. Information Professionals In attendance were: Meeting Marta Carvajal - Well Informed Roger A. Magnus - Georgia State University by Phyllis Smith, [email protected] Jim Musselwhite - Managing Alliances for Results GTA IP’s met on the 17th of October for an informal networking Marcia Abrams - Cadence Group session. Christine McCutcheon kindly provided a meeting room and Paula Vaccariello - Egon Zehnder International the theme was Bring Your Own Lunch. Ellen Cooper - Solvay Pharmaceuticals Lauren Benevich - Solvay Pharmaceuticals In attendance were: Allison Evatt - MLIS Consultant, Dialog Derek Pugsley (Inquix Consulting Ltd., Caledon East ON), Rohn Huber Bev Watters (TCE Research Solutions, Toronto ON), Margo Bohnert Christine McCutcheon (Information Works Inc., Dundas ON), Donna Gardner (Accessible Information Retrieval, Mississauga ON), * * * * * * * * Phyllis Smith (In the Know Information Research and Consulting, Georgetown ON). Regional Gathering — Maine The session was informal with no specific agenda. A roundtable let Submitted by Jane John, [email protected] everyone share their current projects of interest, issues they have been Three AIIP members (Jane John, JoAn Street, and Darrell Cooper) facing, and anything else they felt like discussing. Some topics that met with other Maine independent information folks for lunch in arose were: October. We convened at the Falmouth Sea Grill, overlooking a sunny coastal inlet, and got to know more about each other’s interests and * the impact of the US attacks on business expertise. We included information-minded members of the * domain names and ISPs Professional Consultants of Maine, a State group where several of us * publications in progress have made presentations and found contacts for business. * changing gears and developing a new business focus In attendance were: This was an excellent chance to meet some other IPs face to face. We Jane John, On Point Research were able to share a lot of information in a short time, which is difficult JoAn Street, Pearl Information Services in email and listservs. The next reasonable time for a meeting seems to Darrell Cooper, The Information Alliance be after Christmas—in January 2002. Page 26 AIIP CONNECTIONS - Volume 15, Number 4

MEMBER KUDOS applauded enthusiastically at the conclusion of three hours. They recognized that Kassel offered timely, effective, comprehensive Presentations/Discussion Panels information on how and where to get the best stuff from commercial Robin Neidorf, Electric Muse, was a speaker at The Marketing databases and web resources. Kassel is a recognized skilled Association’s annual Marketing Conference in Dorado, Puerto Rico researcher, a thorough deep-data analyst, and a respected industry in November. Robin did two presentations about e-retail and e- journalist; she is also an exemplary instructor. Such a combination commerce, based on her book, e-Merchant: Retail Strategies for e- is relatively unique in our business; rarely can info pros handle both Commerce, and collaborated on a third presentation on market research and instruction equally well. Kassel can and does. Her intelligence techniques. The 250+ conference participants gave the online presentation and 28-page handout are models of information event high marks for content and speakers. The speakers (all from thoughtfully filtered, tightly organized, and insightfully presented. temperate climes) gave the conference high marks for warm weather This session could have easily been expanded into an entire day.” and beautiful beaches. Pamela Wegmann, INFORMATION MATTERS LLC, was named Peggy Carr, Carr Research Group, and Renee Daulong, Dell as a 2001 Ð 2002 Woman of the Year by New Orleans City Business Computer Corporation, taught a half-day seminar for the Special newspaper. Pam was honored at a luncheon on Thursday, November Libraries Association Engineering Division at the 2001 Annual 29, at the Fairmont Hotel. New Orleans City Business Women of Conference. The course, “Business Intelligence Toolkit for Scientific the Year are selected from nominations submitted from the five- and Technical Librarians,” has been accepted as a full-day continuing parish metropolitan New Orleans area. Those named as Women of education offering in conjunction with the Special Libraries the Year are selected based on their professional and business Association 2002 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, Saturday, June accomplishments, civic involvement, and contributions to the 8, 2002 community. Pam founded INFORMATION MATTERS, LLC in 1994 in New Orleans. The firm conducts market research, feasibility Barbara Fritchman-Thompson, Research Solutions, recently studies for business start-ups and expansions, industry studies, served on a panel discussion at the Cape Fear Crime Festival held competitor intelligence, foreign business development, and other in Wilmington, NC October 26-28. The topic was “Community customized research projects. Contact Pamela Wegmann at Resources in Your Backyard.” She presented information on doing [email protected] if you want to know more. research for writing a mystery using local resources such as libraries, police and detective agencies, special collections like newspapers, etc. Attendees for the three-day workshop included authors, publishers, and mystery fans. CONNECTIONS Publications Advertising Rates Mary Ellen Bates’ fifth book, Super Searchers Cover The World: The Online Secrets Of International Business Researchers, came AIIP Connections is a quarterly publication with an average print out in November. Edited by Reva Basch and published by run of 1,500, including prospective member packets and conference Information Today, Inc., this book includes interviews with 20 distribution. It is also available electronically via the AIIP website. international super searchers, including AIIP members Sheri Lanza, Basic rates for single color ads: Valerie Materese, Arnoldo Sterinzon, and Federico Turnbull. It also Size 1x 4x per year has an annotated bibliography, including descriptions, URLs and 1/4 page $80 $250 prices for resources mentioned by the interviewees. Available for 1/2 page $130 $430 $19.95 from the publisher, at http://store.yahoo.com/infotoday// 1 page $220 $700 supsearcovwo.html For two color ads: Susan Detwiler, The Detwiler Group, had a letter critical of currency 1/4 page $130 $520 of information on medical sites on the Internet published in the peer- 1/2 page $180 $720 reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 1 page $270 $1080 November 7th issue. An interview with Susan was published in the Members in good standing receive a 50% discount on single color Drug Marketing newsletter in October, in which she took DTC rates, but no discount on two color advertisements. Ads must be (direct to consumer) drug advertisers to task for not supporting third- submitted in electronic copy. In addition, a copy of the ad must be party drug databases, so they can keep drug information up to date. faxed to Advertising Director, Eiko Shaul, at 416-544-0253. Any advertisement not submitted in electronic copy will be charged a Honors one-time conversion fee of $40 per new ad. Ads must be received by the following deadlines: January 31 (for Vol. 16, No. 1), and Barbara Semonche, Library Director for the University of North April 31 (for Vol. 16, No. 2), July 31 (for Vol. 16, No. 3), October Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Journalism and Mass 31 (for Vol. 16, No. 4). Communications, wrote the following glowing review of Amelia Make checks payable to AIIP Service Corporation. Kassel’s (MarketingBase) Pre-conference Seminar entitled: “Cost Mail checks to: Eiko Shaul, Shaul InfoResearch Effective Online Research” in Pasadena, CA, Nov. 4, 2001. See 209 Cranbrooke Ave., Toronto, ON, Canada M5M 1M8 http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb011112-1.htm for the Tel: 416-544-0208 ¥ Fax: 416-544-0253 entire review. E-mail: [email protected] “This session was so outstanding that the audience, small but savvy, ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS Page 27

Page 28 AIIPIIP CCONNECTIONS -- VolumeVolume 15,15, NumberNumber 44

CONNECTIONS PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE AIIP Administrative Office P ¥ A ¥ I ¥ D 7044 So. 13th Street Leonardtown, MD Oak Creek, Wisconsin 53154 Permit No. 20