| WELCOME to the March 2010 edition of The Information Advisor's BestBizWeb Enewsletter! |
SITE: ipl2
URL: www.ipl.org
CATEGORY: Reference Site/Link Site
PURPOSE: ipl2 is a human-filtered collection of hundreds of librarian-recommended sites, covering major topics in arts and humanities, sci/tech; health/medical, and more, along with business sites ranging from accounting and advertising to real estate and taxes.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: ipl2, launched this past January, is the result of a merger of the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians' Internet Index. It is a creation of the iSchool at Drexel College of Information Science and Technology in Philadelphia.
OUR VIEW: We have been a big fan of the Librarians Internet Index (www.lii.org) for many years, as we always liked the idea that we could go to a site and get recommended sites filtered by a human expert. That site has got new life here on this site. Some of it is pretty basic, familiar, and consumer-oriented, and we wish there were more sophisticated search options available, but you'll likely find some useful sites that you have not come across that have been vetted by librarians and information experts. Consider this site if you want to find sites and useful annotations that have been recommended by librarians and information professionals.SITE: How to Research an Unknown Online Retailer
URL: http://consumerist.com/2008/04/how-to-research-an-unknown-online-retailer.html
CATEGORY: Company Research
PURPOSE: This site includes tips, sources, sites, and strategies for finding information about an unknown company.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: The consumerist is part of Consumer Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org.
OUR VIEW: We really like this site. While the tips and sites are geared toward digging up and checking into shopping-related sites on the web, many of the sources and methods can be used to help verify the reliability and reputation of other types of businesses. Be sure to pay attention to all the useful "comments" as well, as there are additional interesting ideas passed along by the readers. Consider this site if you need to learn about an unknown firm, especially those you find on the internet.| ADVERTISEMENT This month's featured book from the publisher of The Information Advisor |
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SITE: C-SPAN Video Library
URL: www.c-spanvideo.org
CATEGORY: Government Information
PURPOSE: This past month, C-SPAN has uploaded free online streaming access to more than 160,000 hours of its footage. That covers every C-SPAN program aired since 1987 and represents the vast majority of its programming.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: C-SPAN is the nonprofit television network founded by Brian Lamb.
OUR VIEW: This is a goldmine of all kinds of public policy-related interviews, book talks, speeches, congressional hearings, and so much more. Not only can you browse, search, and watch past programs and clips, the site also surfaces the "most shared" and "most" watched videos as well and offers special features such as "memorable moments." Consider this site if you are doing public policy or political-oriented research.| CLICK HERE to view the BestBizWeb archive! |
SITE: oneforty
URL: http://oneforty.com
CATEGORY: Social Media/Link Site
PURPOSE: oneforty is a directory of applications and add-ons for Twitter. The site describes itself as "2586 Twitter tools that make Twitter more useful for your business, career or life."
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: oneforty was created by Laura Fitton, who co-wrote Twitter for Dummies and founded Pistachio Consulting, a Boston-based firm that helps businesses learn how to most effectively use Twitter and other social media tools.
OUR VIEW: While this site is "only" a directory, we really like it very much—it is extremely well-organized, timely, and well put together. It includes useful sections such as "essential" Twitter tools and is keyword-searchable. There is a specific section for business Twitter tools too. Consider this site if you want to get the most out of Twitter, especially in research, business, marketing, and other substantive usage.
SITE: Academia.edu
URL: http://academia.edu
CATEGORY: Academic Research/Social Media
PURPOSE: This is a social network that allows academics, researchers, and others with scholarly interests to connect with others and to find/upload relevant works.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: Academia.eduOUR VIEW: This is a kind of Facebook for researchers and professors, and as such it has the potential to be an alternative and timely source for newly published works, and even simple musings by experts in the fields you are researching. Although we liked the feel, design, and concept, we should point out that in order to reach a critical mass, we think it still needs more members (there are about 100,000 now) and more activity. But it's worth watching and potentially joining, and we think if it takes off it could be a very valuable information source. Consider this site if you are researching academic and scholarly-type business information and want to keep up with the work of experts in those fields.
We are particularly interested in hearing about any sites you'd like to nominate. If we use your submission, your name will be entered in our monthly drawing for a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate. Please send comments to editor Robert Berkman (rberkman@infotoday.com).
 Breaking News & Thoughtful Discussion About Business ResearchRobert Berkman's blog, Intelligent Agent, is available at www.ia-blog.com. Add the feed to your blog roll! |
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