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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.1, S.90-91 (N. Rhodes): "The recent near-exponential increase in XML-based technologies has exposed a gap between these technologies and those that are concerned with more fundamental data management issues. This very comprehensive and well-organized book has quite neatly filled the gap, thus achieving most of its stated intentions. The target audiences are database and XML professionals wishing to combine XML with modern database technologies and such is the breadth of scope of this book (hat few would not find it useful in some way. The editors have assembled a collection of chapters from a wide selection of industry heavyweights and as with most books of this type, it exhibits many disparate styles but thanks to careful editing it reads well as a cohesive whole. Certain sections have already appeared in print elsewhere and there is a deal of corporate flag-waving but nowhere does it become over-intrusive. The preface provides only the very brietest of introductions to XML but instead sets the tone for the remainder of the book. The twin terms of data- and document-centric XML (Bourret, 2003) that have achieved so much recent currency are re-iterated before XML data management issues are considered. lt is here that the book's aims are stated, mostly concerned with the approaches and features of the various available XML data management solutions. Not surprisingly, in a specialized book such as this one an introduction to XML consists of a single chapter. For issues such as syntax, DTDs and XML Schemas the reader is referred elsewhere, here, Chris Brandin provides a practical guide to achieving good grammar and style and argues convincingly for the use of XML as an information-modeling tool. Using a well-chosen and simple example, a practical guide to modeling information is developed, replete with examples of the pitfalls. This brief but illuminating chapter (incidentally available as a "taster" from the publisher's web site) notes that one of the most promising aspects of XML is that applications can be built to use a single mutable information model, obviating the need to change the application code but that good XML design is the basis of such mutability.
There is some debate over what exactly constitutes a native XML database. Bourret (2003) favors the wider definition; other authors such as the Butler Group (2002) restrict the use of the term to databases systems designed and built solely for storage and manipulation of XML. Two examples of the lauer (Tamino and eXist) are covered in detailed chapters here but also included in this section is the embedded XML database system, Berkeley DB XML, considered by makers Sleepycat Software to be "native" in that it is capable of storing XML natively but built an top of the Berkeley DB engine. To the uninitiated, the revelation that schemas and DTDs are not required by either Tamino or eXist might seem a little strange. Tamino implements "loose coupling" where the validation behavior can be set to "strict," "lax" (i.e., apply only to parts of a document) or "skip" (no checking), in eXist, schemas are simply optional. Many DTDs and schemas evolve as the XML documents are acquired and so these may adhere to slightly different schemas, thus the database should support queries an similar documents that do not share the same structune. In fact, because of the difficulties in mappings between XML and database (especially relational) schemas native XML databases are very useful for storage of semi-structured data, a point not made in either chapter. The chapter an embedded databases represents a "third way," being neither native nor of the XML-enabled relational type. These databases run inside purpose-written applications and are accessed via an API or similar, meaning that the application developer does not need to access database files at the operating system level but can rely an supplied routines to, for example, fetch and update database records. Thus, end-users do not use the databases directly; the applications do not usually include ad hoc end-user query tools. This property renders embedded databases unsuitable for a large number of situations and they have become very much a niche market but this market is growing rapidly. Embedded databases share an address space with the application so the overhead of calls to the server is reduced, they also confer advantages in that they are easier to deploy, manage and administer compared to a conventional client-server solution. This chapter is a very good introduction to the subject, primers an generic embedded databases and embedded XML databases are helpfully provided before the author moves to an overview of the Open Source Berkeley system. Building an embedded database application makes far greater demands an the software developer and the remainder of the chapter is devoted to consideration of these programming issues.
Relational database Management systems have been one of the great success stories of recent times and sensitive to the market, Most major vendors have responded by extending their products to handle XML data while still exploiting the range of facilities that a modern RDBMS affords. No book of this type would be complete without consideration of the "big these" (Oracle 9i, DB2, and SQL Server 2000 which each get a dedicated chapter) and though occasionally overtly piece-meal and descriptive the authors all note the shortcomings as well as the strengths of the respective systems. This part of the book is somewhat dichotomous, these chapters being followed by two that propose detailed solutions to somewhat theoretical problems, a generic architecture for storing XML in a RDBMS and using an object-relational approach to building an XML repository. The biography of the author of the latter (Paul Brown) contains the curious but strangely reassuring admission that "he remains puzzled by XML." The first five components are in-depth case studies of XMLdatabase applications. Necessarily diverse, few will be interested in all the topics presented but I was particularly interested in the first case study an bioinformatics. One of the twentieth century's greatest scientific undertakings was the Human Genome Project, the quest to list the information encoded by the sequence of DNA that makes up our genes and which has been referred to as "a paradigm for information Management in the life sciences" (Pearson & Soll, 1991). After a brief introduction to molecular biology to give the background to the information management problems, the authors turn to the use of XML in bioinformatics. Some of the data are hierarchical (e.g., the Linnaean classification of a human as a primate, primates as mammals, mammals are all vertebrates, etc.) but others are far more difficult to model. The Human Genome Project is virtually complete as far as the data acquisition phase is concerned and the immense volume of genome sequence data is no longer a very significant information Management issue per se. However bioinformaticians now need to interpret this information. Some data are relatively straightforward, e.g., the positioning of genes and sequence elements (e.g., promoters) within the sequences, but there is often little or no knowledge available an the direct and indirect interactions between them. There are vast numbers of such interrelationships; many complex data types and novel ones are constantly emerging, necessitating an extensible approach and the ability to manage semi-structured data. In the past, object databases such as AceDB (Durbin & Mieg, 1991) have gone some way to Meeting these aims but it is the combination of XML and databases that more completely addresses knowledge Management requirements of bioinformatics. XML is being enthusiastically adopted with a plethora of XML markup standards being developed, as authors Direen and Jones note "The unprecedented degree and flexibility of XML in terms of its ability to capture information is what makes it ideal for knowledge Management and for use in bioinformatics."
After several detailed examples of XML, Direen and Jones discuss sequence comparisons. The ability to create scored comparisons by such techniques as sequence alignment is fundamental to bioinformatics. For example, the function of a gene product may be inferred from similarity with a gene of known function but originating from a different organism and any information modeling method must facilitate such comparisons. One such comparison tool, BLAST utilizes a heuristic method has become the tool of choice for many years and is integrated into the NeoCore XMS (XML Management System) described herein. Any set of sequences that can be identified using an XPath query may thus become the targets of an embedded search. Again examples are given, though a BLASTp (protein) search is labeled as being BLASTn (nucleotide sequence) in one of them. Some variants of BLAST are computationally intensive, e.g., tBLASTx where a nucleotide sequence is dynamically translated in all six reading frames and compared against similarly translated database sequences. Though these variants are implemented in NeoCore XMS, it would be interesting to see runtimes for such comparisons. Obviously the utility of this and the other four quite specific examples will depend an your interest in the application area but two that are more research-oriented and general follow them. These chapters (on using XML with inductive databases and an XML warehouses) are both readable critical reviews of their respective subject areas. For those involved in the implementation of performance-critical applications an examination of benchmark results is mandatory, however very few would examine the benchmark tests themselves. The picture that emerges from this section is that no single set is comprehensive and that some functionalities are not addressed by any available benchmark. As always, there is no Substitute for an intimate knowledge of your data and how it is used. In a direct comparison of an XML-enabled and a native XML database system (unfortunately neither is named), the authors conclude that though the native system has the edge in handling large documents this comes at the expense of increasing index and data file size. The need to use legacy data and software will certainly favor the all-pervasive XML-enabled RDBMS such as Oracle 9i and IBM's DB2. Of more general utility is the chapter by Schmauch and Fellhauer comparing the approaches used by database systems for the storing of XML documents. Many of the limitations of current XML-handling systems may be traced to problems caused by the semi-structured nature of the documents and while the authors have no panacea, the chapter forms a useful discussion of the issues and even raises the ugly prospect that a return to the drawing board may be unavoidable. The book concludes with an appraisal of the current status of XML by the editors that perhaps focuses a little too little an the database side but overall I believe this book to be very useful indeed. Some of the indexing is a little idiosyncratic, for example some tags used in the examples are indexed (perhaps a separate examples index would be better) and Ron Bourret's excellent web site might be better placed under "Bourret" rather than under "Ron" but this doesn't really detract from the book's qualities. The broad spectrum and careful balance of theory and practice is a combination that both database and XML professionals will find valuable."

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 57(2006) no.5, S.724-725 (P.K. Nayar): "The network society (Castells, 1996) calls for radically new definitions of the public sphere. and this is what Shaping the Network Society's essays set out to do. The first section lays out the essential issues at stake here: human rights, the sociology of cyberspace. and globalization. Oliver BoydBarrett characterizes cyberspace as exclusive. Pointing to the almost total corporate control of the technologies of cyberspace. Boyd-Barrett argues that any attempt of huge corporate bodies to get into grassroots democracy should be viewed with suspicion. The institution of a public sphere. argues Boyd-Barrett, must begin with an assessment of how far the Internet at fords a space of contestation of elitist governing frameworks. Gary Chapman looks at Italy's slow food movement as a counter to the technoglobalist trends, and suggests that the globaltechnological imperative must not be allowed to occlude human values. Rather we need a social imperative here. one which thinks about technology as "malleable, as capable of serving human-determined ends" (p. 64). Cees Hamelink discusses how four rights-right to speech. democratic order, equal participation in social life. and cultural identity are threatened by what he terms the billboardization of society in the networked age. In the second section a range of case studies are presented. Kate Williams and Abdul Alkalimat survey every public computing facility in Toledo (Ohio) to map the parameters of public access to information and decision-making. They conclude that government public computing sites arc situated randomly, community sites are in economically rich or poor (but not middle-stratum) localities, and that commercial and university sites are influenced by market forces. They suggest that future research must necessarily focus on what forms of cyberpower emerge through such use of public computing.
Geert Lovnik and Patrice Riemens explore the digital culture of Amsterdam to show how. despite the techno-social idealism of the early years of the public sphere Digital City project. the culture ran into problems. Susan Finquelievich studies the practices of civic networks in Buenos Aires and Montevideo to demonstrate how local sociohistorical conditions have shaped the technology's development. Veran Matic focuses on the role of media in defending human rights in a hostile environment (former Yugoslavia). Media, she notes, need not necessarily he (or become) a tool of fascist forces, but can he used to generate resistance and to forge a democratic public sphere. Scott Robinson looks at Mexico's telecenter movement to argue that these cybercafes are likely to become an institution for the new Second World of immigrants and refugees. through socially relevant functions. Fiorella de Cindio looks at one of the worlds most significant community networks that of Milan. She demonstrates how local citizens have used information and communication technologies to build a viable. and potentially empowering, participatory public sphere in academia, computer-supported cooperative work, participatory design, and civil engagement (what she calls genes). The third section, -'Building a New Public Sphere in Cyberspace," pros- ides a series of suggestions and frameworks for the spacing of public space through information and communications technologies. Craig Calhoun argues that a global public sphere is indispensable to the formation of a global democracy. Public discourse can still fight commercialism and violence to form a more democratic civil society. Howard Rheingold the great enthusiast of virtual worlds-performs an intricate mix of autobiographical reflection and speculation when he writes of the role of the new technologies. Rheingold, despite his fetishistic enthusiasm for technology and online community, is cautious when it comes to crucial issues such as the creation of democratic public spheres, arguing that we require a great deal more serious thinking on matters of ownership and control (over the technology). He argues that if citizens lose our freedom to communicate, then even the powerful potential of the Net to create electronic democracy will be fatal illusion (p. 275). Nancy Kranich turns to public libraries as the site of potential democratic society, arguing that as sites of informationdissemination. public libraries can become a commons for the exchange of ideas and social interaction. David Silver compares the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) to the Seattle Community Network the former funded by corporations and the state, the latter built essentially out of and through volunteer efforts. Silver, in characteristic style. looks at the historical archaeologies of the networks to show how sociohistorical contexts shape certain kinds of public spheres (and public discourse). going on to ask how, these networks can overcome these contexts to achieve their original goals. He warns that we need to uncover the histories of such networks because they inform the kinds of interactions of communities that exist within them. Douglas Morris analyzes the Independent Media Centre (IMO) Movement of antiglobalization activists to argue that alternative viewpoints and ideological differences can he aired, debated, and appropriated through the new technologies in order to fight corporate and commercial forces.
Peter Day and Douglas Schuler wind up the book by taking a close look at the sociotechnical context in the 1990s. They argue that utopian schemes for the development of civil society and/or the public sphere may entail a degree of risk. However. Day and Schuler argue that community networks should be ''networks of awareness. advocacy and action" with a high degree of grassroots involvement. This can be done through more responsive policies. Local citizens-the first beneficiaries or victims of policy-should he brought into the decision-making process via civic dialogue. Public funding must be provided for projects that enable dissemination of information about a variety of cultures and belief systems. Shaping the Network Society is understandably more cautious than earlier accounts of cyberculture in its reception of new information and communications technology. Haunted by post 9/11 security measures. increasing surveillance, the faster erosion of liberal humanist ideals, and the internationalization/ commercialization of the media, the essays prefer to be wary about the potential of cyberpower. However, the optimist tone of every essay is unmistakable. While admitting that much more needs to be done to overcome the digital divide and the (mis)appropriation of cyberpower. the essays and ease studies draw attention to the potential for public debate and alternative ideologies. The case studies demonstrate success stories, but invariably conclude with a moral: about the need for vigilance against appropriation and fascist control! What emerges clearly is that the new media have achieved considerable progress in opening up the space for greater citizen involvement, more locally-responsive policy decisions. and socially relevant information-dissemination. Shaping the Network Society, with a strangely messianic slant, is a useful step in the mapping of the present and future cyberspace as the space of new democracies to come of a justice to he worked and prepared for."

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Abstract

Information is a key factor in business today, and data warehousing has become a major activity in the development and management of information systems to support the proper flow of information. Unfortunately, the majority of information systems are based an structured information stored in organizational databases, which means that the company is isolated from the business environment by concentrating an their internal data sources only. It is therefore vital that organizations take advantage of external business information, which can be retrieved from Internet services and mechanically organized within the existing information structures. Such a continuously extending integrated collection of documents and data could facilitate decision-making processes in the organization.

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 57(2006) no.12, S.1709-1710 (Y. Awazu): "This hook presents a collection of research studies on the creation, use, and deployment of digital information. According to the editors, the goal of the book is "to present results of scientific research on (I) how digital information has to be designed, (2) how artifacts or systems containing digital content should maximize usability, and (3) how context can influence the nature and efficiency of digital communication" (p. 2). Contributors to this volume have a wide assortment of backgrounds in information science, classical studies, cognitive science, information systems, and organizational sciences. The editors did an excellent job in designing the book. Each chapter is unique in its theory and method. The editors successfully put these unique chapters into the life-cycle view of information: creation, use, and deployment. . . . I would highly recommend this book as a supplementary text for graduate classes in information science, especially those dealing with the design of information systems. It was a pleasure to read this book, and I believe that readers will certainly gain from the wealth of knowledge and insights contained in the volume."

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Abstract

Blogging and other types of social media such as wikis and social networking sites have transformed the way we use the internet in recent years. It is a transformation that business is eager to exploit. In order to do so, a clear commercial strategy needs to be established; does your organization wish to use the media actively as a business tool, or do you need to respond to the use of social media by others? "Blogging and Other Social Media" will address this question with practical guidance on using social media as well as the risks associated with it. A collaboration by leading thinkers and business users of social media, the book contains detailed and practical advice on the various forms of social media - their applications, advantages and disadvantages, how these technologies are evolving, and whether or not their use will benefit your business. The section covering social media and the law explains the risks and remedies related to abuse of copyright, defamation, privacy, data protection and user contracts as well as the opportunities and threats for online reputation.If you are looking to encourage your employees but want to protect your business from the threats this emerging media presents, get a copy of this practical guide and study it before you start including social media as part of your corporate marketing or communications strategy.

Content

Introduction to blogs - Creating a blog - Writing a blog - Enhancing the experience - Is blogging worthwhile for a business? - Introduction to social media - Professional networks for businesses - Industry specific professional networks - Wikis - Online office applications - Podcasting - Social bookmarking and online content democracy - Forerunners to social media - Social media aggregators - Social tools inside the enterprise - Elements of enterprise - Examples and conclusion - The law of social media - Online reputation

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 56(2005) no.11, S.1238-1239 (D.A. Stirling): "Virtual reference services are becoming an important tool as librarians strive to stay current with patron's information demands. In 2001, the Washington State Library initiated the Statewide Virtual Reference Project (SVRP) to support electronic reference services throughout the state. An element of that project, termed "Anytime, Anywhere Answers," was designed to train librarians in the effective use of virtual reference services. The results of that project, including precautions and pitfalls, as well as the curriculum used in the project, are recounted in this book. The book begins with a short review of the Washington State experience with virtual reference training (VRT) and the means by which the guide can be used. The very first page begins with an example of a virtual reference session gone wrong and the authors set the tone for the remainder of the book, which decries the "Shazam! You're a virtual librarian" phenomenon. The second chapter provides a thorough overview of the Washington State SVRP, including planning elements, budgeting, convening of focus groups, and training development. Perhaps the most important information in this chapter is the identification of eight key skills, aptitudes, and knowledge critical in online environments: chat skills, online reference interview, internet searching, database searching, collaborative browsing, customizing scripts, methods for evaluating success, and coping with technical glitches. Building an the aforementioned eight key skills, Chapter Three of the book examines the "core competencies" needed for virtual reference. These 14 competencies are wide ranging and clearly demanding of the librarian training in VRT. In addition, the authors expound upon the eight key skills, aptitudes, and knowledge identified in Chapter Two. Constructivist learning, which has garnered controversy in recent years, was identified as the learning platform for Washington State's SVRP and is the subject of the book's fourth chapter. The authors explain why this learning Format was chosen-primarily because VRT developers felt that participants would learn better by reaching their own conclusions. In this case, constructivist learning involved virtual field trips, secret patron activities, and weekly chat meetings. The challenge of developing the SVRP is described in Chapter Five, with a focus an descriptions of in-person training, online training, and individual and collaborative learning. While earlier chapters discuss theory, practical issues involved in developing and maintaining a VRT program are the subject of Chapters Six through Nine. Important issues, such as curriculum development, training activities, online behavior, and post-program assessment, are examined in detail. Many of the issues examined in these chapters are those that information professionals are faced with an a regular basis. In discussing curriculum development, the authors describe the important questions that need to be asked, as well as important issues such as identifying and qualifying trainers and staff, course timing, determining curriculum efficacy, methods of training delivery, and methods of evaluation.
The real core of the SRVP, that is, the VRT training activities actually utilized by Washington State, are presented in Chapter Seven in roughly the same order as they took place in the course (train the trainer, orientation, chat practice, multitasking skills, virtual field trips, secret patron, transcript review, checking out the competition, policy and procedure review, sharing via a discussion list, and online meetings). Most interestingly, Chapter Eight deals with behavior, an issue rarely discussed in the context of librarianship, let alone providing reference services. As stated by the authors, "the most difficult aspect of digital reference service involves incorporating model reference interview techniques into an online transaction" (p. 74). The SVRP utilized an "online secret patron scenario" as a training tool that helped the student get the question straight, kept the customer informed, and provided the information required by the patron. The final chapter of the book reviews the important tasks of evaluation, modification, and follow-up. To that end, evaluative material is described and linked to Appendix A (assessment tools). In addition, evaluative tasks such as trainer debriefings and consultation with others participating in the SVRP are described. Finally, the chapter includes examples of unexpected consequences experienced in evaluating VRT services (from total inability to handle online transactions to poor marketing or branding of online services). Many useful appendices are included in this book. Appendix A provides examples of several assessment tools used during the "Anytime, Anywhere Answers" program. Appendix B consists of actual transcripts (edited) designed to illustrate good and bad virtual reference transactions. The transcripts illustrate transactions involving helping with homework, source citing, providing an opinion, suggesting print materials, and clarifying a question. This appendix should be required reading as it provides real-world examples of VRT in action. Appendix C is a copy of a VRT field trip questionnaire. The next appendix, like Appendix B, should be required reading as it includes an actual transcript from seven secret patron scenarios. A policies and procedures checklist is provided in Appendix E. Yet another critical source of information is presented in Appendix F, online meeting transcript. This transcript is the result of an online meeting conducted during a VRSP training class held in 2003. According to the authors, it is an example of the positive working relationship developed during a five-week learning course. The remaining appendices (G through 1) present information about support materials used in the VSRP, the VSRP budget, and trainer notes and tips. Clearly, VRT is a skill and resource that information professionals need to embrace, and this book does a fine job of outlining the essentials. It is apparent that the Washington State experience with VRT was a pioneering venture and is a model that other information professionals may seek to embrace, if not emulate, in developing their own VRT programs. However, this book is not a "complete guide" to VRT. There is too rapid development in virtual environments for any one to claim such an achievement. However, it is likely the most "complete" guide to the Washington State experience that will be published; therefore, this book should serve as a thorough and revelatory guide to VRT for several years to come."

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.4, S.366-368 (L. Mon): "The early years of the 21st century have been marked in the library community by a sharp increase in "chat reference" Services offered through library Web sites. Variously called "live reference," "virtual reference," or "chat reference," these Services utilize chat, MOO, instant messaging, and other online technologies to extend the live, synchronous interaction of the library reference desk to the Internet. In 2001, Stephen Francoeur found 272 libraries with chat reference Services worldwide, and in June 2003 Bernie Sloan's online listing of chat consortia included 47 consortia, which together represented more than 550 U.S. libraries. (Francoeur, 2001; Sloan, 2003) Jana Ronan's book is the latest entrant among recent works intended to guide librarians in the growing trend of setting up synchronous online "chat reference" services, and provides information about selecting software, setting service policies, conducting training, and managing staffing for a variety of different service configurations. Ronan, who serves as Interactive Reference Coordinator for the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida, Gainesville, covers the practical aspects of launching and managing chat reference services in 10 chapters, followed by five chapters of individual case studies contributed by other authors who describe chat reference implementations at SUNY Morrisville, Austin Peay State University, Paradise Valley Community College, University of South Florida, and the University of Florida.
Other recent works in this field include Marc Meola and Sam Stormont's 2002 "how to do it manual" for starting and operating live reference services, and Anne Grodzins Lipow's 2003 "handbook" for virtual reference librarians (Meola & Stormont, 2002; Lipow, 2003). As with Ronan's book, each of these is targeted toward librarians who are considering offering live interactive online reference services as part of a digital library presence. While Meola and Stormont provide extensive guidance an adapting chat services to specific staffing configurations and Lipow focuses more deeply an developing staff skills for the chat reference interaction, Ronan's book offers the most comprehensive overview for analyzing and selecting among chat reference software choices. Ronan's first two Chapters are focused an software choices. Chapter 1 describes "basic" software such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), MOO, instant messaging, and Web-based chat, while Chapter 2 covers "advanced" options such as online distance education courseware and Web-based call center software. In Chapter 3, Ronan discusses the audience for chat reference services. Chapter 4 concerns the criteria for selecting "real time software" appropriate for the library and its users. Chapter 5 explores staffing models of all types, from recruitment of regular staff to work extra hours to outsourcing of chat reference work among vendors, consortia, and independent contractors.
Training techniques are the focus in Chapter 6, including ways to relax trainees and reduce cognitive load as well as to maximize training utility when the software limits the number of logins available. Ronan covers everyday administration and policy issues in Chapters 7 and 8. These include a list of daily routines such as checking that the software is functioning, plus monthly routines of updating statistics, policies, and procedures. Chapter 9 offers guidance an the chat reference interview, which Ronan likens to "information therapy" within an online environment of diminished contextual cues. Marketing and publicity are discussed in Chapter 10, with advice an advertising and publicity campaigns as well as a checklist of 20 promotional strategies for attracting users to a new chat service (p. 165). In the final section of the book, Chapters 11-15 provide individual case studies written by six contributors describing how live different academic libraries have been able to launch and operate chat reference services using a variety of different types of software including instant messaging, MOO, Internet Relay Chat, and call center software. Each case study begins with a statement of the software used, launch date, staffing, and hours of the service, and most include statistical information an chat reference traffic. These final live chapters provide "voices from the front lines" giving details of individual librarians' experiences in launching chat services.
Overall, Ronan's book serves as an excellent guide for librarians interested in launching chat reference services and provides a particularly comprehensive overview of software and considerations for selection and expansion. However, the strong focus an basic hands-on setup, administration, and management may limit the appeal of the book for other readers interested in exploring issues of chat reference service in a larger context-such as whether library schools are adequately preparing the next generation of librarians to function in this new virtual environment, or whether the volume of chat reference traffic sufficiently justifies a refocusing of resources and staffing from e-mail, telephone, and face-to-face service points, especially in a 24/7 context. As chat reference moves beyond text into voice and video, and as the current chat start-ups either disappear or become strongly integrated within digital libraries, there will be a continuing need for writers such as Ronan to move beyond the basics and guide us in considering the next steps and the transformations that online reference services are both creating and reflecting within our libraries and the larger society."

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.6, S.561-562 (J.P. Renaud): "While definitions of democracy are topics of debate, political activists and potentates, respectively, hope or fear that a relationship exists between expanded access to information and expanded public interest in shaping policy. The current U.S. presidential election cycle has brought dramatic attention to this, with primary candidates using the Internet both to reach out to disaffected potential voters and to quite effectively raise funds for their campaigns. In short, this "new media" is no longer a novelty in the political arena, but a force that commands respect. In Democracy and New Media, the editors have assembled contributions from the social sciences, humanities, information science, and communication studies that attempt to address the relationship between democracy and evolving technology, using empirical and theoretical analysis. In addition, policy makers and shapers are represented in this volume, sharing interpretations of the impact of Internet technology upon democratic processes and structures. In keeping with the deliberative stance of the work, Clinton advisor Ira Magaziner's essay appears next to that of The Heritage Foundation's David Winton. The book's strength is that it is balanced in a way that reflects intellectual conceptions of both the Internet and democracy, and thus avoids the tendency of some other collections of essays to become either stridently one-sided or, worse, a point/ counterpoint collection along the lines of the basic Taking Sides series. This volume is the second in the Media in Transition Series, standing between New Media, 1740-1915, edited by Lisa Gitelman and Geoffrey Pingree, and Rethinking Media Change: The Aesthetics of Transition, edited by Jenkins and Thorburn. Democracy and the Internet: Some Considerations might have been a more accurate title for the volume under consideration here, because this tome poses questions and attempts to frame discussion, rather than provide concrete answers or definitive arguments. Andrew Feenberg's work, Questioning Technology (1999) and the essay collection Society an the Line: Information Politics in the Digital Age (1999), edited by William H. Dutton, will definitely be worthwhile reading for scholars interested in these topics. Other books that pursue similar lines of dialogue and are worth examining are the essay collection Virtual Politics: Identity and Community in Cyberspace (1997), edited by David Holmes, and Decomcracy.com? (1999), edited by Elaine Cuilla Kamarck and Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Articles that will complement these essays are Antje Gimmler's work, "Deliberative Democracy, the Public Sphere and the Internet," that appeared in Philosophy and Social Criticism 2 (2001), and a study by Thomas Johnson and Barbara Kaye, "A Boost or Bust for Democracy: How the Web Influenced Political Attitudes and Behaviors in the 1996 and 2000 Presidential Elections," that appeared in Press/Politics 8 (2003). Democracy and New Media is arranged around three themes. The first section, How Democratic Is Cyberspace? contains 11 essays. This is the most far-reaching and theoretical section of the book. The second section, a four-essay piece called Global Developments, raises some interesting questions that serve as micro examples of issues pursued at a more theoretical level in previous and subsequent chapters. The comparative nature of the volume is seen here, with chapters addressing the impact of technology an a nation interspersed with chapters that ultimately describe countries or regions where technology is absent in all but the most rudimentary forms. These contrasts, and the insights of the writers, allow seemingly disparate topics to become an intriguing dialogue. The third chapter, News and Information in the Digital Age, examines the changes created by faster and more accessible media.
... Any work addressing specific technology will soon be dated, but with their broad-based theoretical stance, the writers present frameworks that will be useful for graduate classes in information science, ethics, and, political science, well into the future. Aside from the content, the medium here does convey a message. A rudimentary citation analysis shows that 15.8% of the materials referenced in Democracy and the New Media are freely available an the Internet, allowing even readers who cannot easily access a research library to an increased level of interaction with the text. This suggests that in one way at least, Web technology is enhancing democracy. The impetus toward speed is also evident, with no fewer than five typos appearing in this edition, indicating the downside of attempting to deliberate and publish in this digitally paced world."

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Footnote

Rez. in: KO 50(2003) no.1, S.45-46 (L.M. Given): "In her own preface to this work, the author notes her lifelong fascination with classification and order, as well as her more recent captivation with the Internet - a place of "chaos in need of organization" (xi). Sorting out the Web examines current efforts to organize the Web and is well-informed by the author's academic and professional expertise in information organization, information retrieval, and Web development. Although the book's level and tone are particularly relevant to a student audience (or others interested in Web-based subject access at an introductory level), it will also appeal to information professionals developing subject access systems across a range of information contexts. There are six chapters in the book, each describing and analyzing one core concept related to the organization of Web content. All topics are presented in a manner ideal for newcomers to the area, with clear definitions, examples, and visuals that illustrate the principles under discussion. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to developments in information technology, including an historical overview of information services, users' needs, and libraries' responses to the Internet. Chapter two introduces metadata, including core concepts and metadata formats. Throughout this chapter the author presents a number of figures that aptly illustrate the application of metadata in HTML, SGML, and MARC record environments, and the use of metadata tools (e.g., XML, RDF). Chapter three begins with an overview of classification theory and specific schemes, but the author devotes most of the discussion to the application of classification systems in the Web environment (e.g., Dewey, LCC, UDC). Web screen captures illustrate the use of these schemes for information sources posted to sites around the world. The chapter closes with a discussion of the future of classification; this is a particularly useful section as the author presents a listing of core journal and conference venues where new approaches to Web classification are explored. In chapter four, the author extends the discussion of classification to the use of controlled vocabularies. As in the first few chapters, the author first presents core background material, including reasons to use controlled vocabularies and the differences between preand post-coordinate indexing, and then discusses the application of specific vocabularies in the Web environment (e.g., Infomine's use of LCSH). The final section of the chapter explores failure in subject searching and the limitations of controlled vocabularies for the Web. Chapter five discusses one of the most common and fast-growing topics related to subject access an the Web: search engines. The author presents a clear definition of the term that encompasses classified search lists (e.g., Yahoo) and query-based engines (e.g., Alta Vista). In addition to historical background an the development of search engines, Schwartz also examines search service types, features, results, and system performance.
The chapter concludes with an appendix of search tips that even seasoned searchers will appreciate; these tips cover the complete search process, from preparation to the examination of results. Chapter six is appropriately entitled "Around the Corner," as it provides the reader with a glimpse of the future of subject access for the Web. Text mining, visualization, machine-aided indexing, and other topics are raised here to whet the reader's appetite for what is yet to come. As the author herself notes in these final pages, librarians will likely increase the depth of their collaboration with software engineers, knowledge managers and others outside of the traditional library community, and thereby push the boundaries of subject access for the digital world. This final chapter leaves this reviewer wanting a second volume of the book, one that might explore these additional topics, as they evolve over the coming years. One characteristic of any book that addresses trends related to the Internet is how quickly the text becomes dated. However, as the author herself asserts, there are core principles related to subject analysis that stand the test of time, leaving the reader with a text that may be generalized well beyond the publication date. In this, Schwartz's text is similar to other recent publications (e.g., Jakob Nielsen's Web Usability, also published in 2001) that acknowledge the mutability of the Web, and therefore discuss core principles and issues that may be applied as the medium itself evolves. This approach to the writing makes this a useful book for those teaching in the areas of subject analysis, information retrieval and Web development for possible consideration as a course text. Although the websites used here may need to be supplemented with more current examples in the classroom, the core content of the book will be relevant for many years to come. Although one might expect that any book taking subject access as its focus world, itself, be easy to navigate, this is not always the case. In this text, however, readers will be pleased to find that no small detail in content access has been spared. The subject Index is thorough and well-crafted, and the inclusion of an exhaustive author index is particularly useful for quick reference. In addition, the table of contents includes sub-themes for each chapter, and a complete table of figures is provided. While the use of colour figures world greatly enhance the text, all black-andwhite images are clear and sharp, a notable fact given that most of the figures are screen captures of websites or database entries. In addition, the inclusion of comprehensive reference lists at the close of each chapter makes this a highly readable text for students and instructors alike; each section of the book can stand as its own "expert review" of the topic at hand. In both content and structure this text is highly recommended. It certainly meets its intended goal of providing a timely introduction to the methods and problems of subject access in the Web environment, and does so in a way that is readable, interesting and engaging."

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 57(2006) no.7, S.989-990 (K.R. Fleischmann): "In The digitaI sublime. Vincent Mosco deconstructs the myths surrounding cyberspace. He argues that instead of merely debunking these myths, as will invariably happen over time, a more productive activity is to look deeper into the roots of these myths and their ability to reproduce themselves across eras. Mosco argues that the mythical powers now ascribed to the Internet have preciously been identified with the telegraph, electrification, the telephone, radio, and television. In this book, Mosco extends and applies the theoretically sophisticated and compelling argument of the historian of technology David Nye to the information age. Nye's book, American Technological Sublime (1994), traces the mystical powers of technology throughout American history, as the natural sublime explained by myth and legend is replaced by a technological sublime founded in science. Mosco argues that the hype surrounding cyberspace is an extension of the technological sublime to the domain of the digital, and explores in detail the myths of cyberspace in comparison with those of earlier technologies. ... In summation, I would highly recommend this book to scholars interested in both the political economy and the cultural critique of information technology. This book would also make a useful and powerful reading and source of discussion for a graduate seminar, although it may be a bit too advanced and dry for undergraduate students. Perhaps the biggest question implicitIy raised by this book is - as pervasive computing draws the personal computer into the woodwork, as it were, what will be the next mythical technology" While the book does not answer this question, it does provide analytical ammunition for deconstructing and contextualizing these myths once they are inevitably brought into being."

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Abstract

Does contemporary Internet technology strengthen civic engagement and democratic practice? The recent surge in online community participation has become a cultural phenomenon enmeshed in ongoing debates about the health of American civil society. But observations about online communities often concentrate on ascertaining the true nature of community and democracy, typically rehearsing familiar communitarian and liberal perspectives. This book seeks to understand the technology on its own terms, focusing on how the technological and organizational configurations of online communities frame our contemporary beliefs and assumptions about community and the individual. It analyzes key structural features of thirty award-winning online community websites to show that while the values of individual autonomy, egalitarianism, and freedom of speech dominate the discursive content of these communities, the practical realities of online life are clearly marked by exclusivity and the demands of commercialization and corporate surveillance. Promises of social empowerment are framed within consumer and therapeutic frameworks that undermine their democratic efficacy. As a result, online communities fail to revolutionize the civic landscape because they create cultures of membership that epitomize the commodification of community and public life altogether.

Content

Inhalt: The virtual community -- A high-stakes battle : the context of virtual communities -- A cultural topography of virtual communities : the rough terrain of autonomy and control -- An alternative framework for understanding virtual communities -- The institutional landscape : the market of virtual communities -- The evolving landscape of virtual communities -- Technology, the self, and the market : eyeing the horizons of a brave new democracy -- Epilogue

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Abstract

In this collection of nearly 50 articles written by librarians, computer specialists, and other information professionals, the reader finds 10 chapters, each devoted to a problem or a side effect that has emerged since the introduction of the Internet: control over selection, survival of the book, training users, adapting to users' expectations, access issues, cost of technology, continuous retraining, legal issues, disappearing data, and how to avoid becoming blind sided. After stating a problem, each chapter offers solutions that are subsequently supported by articles. The editor's comments, which appear throughout the text, are an added bonus, as are the sections concluding the book, among them a listing of useful URLs, a works-cited section, and a comprehensive index. This book has much to recommend it, especially the articles, which are not only informative, thought-provoking, and interesting but highly readable and accessible as well. An indispensable tool for all librarians.

Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.11, S.1025-1026 (D.E. Agosto): ""Did you ever feel as though the Internet has caused you to lose control of your library?" So begins the introduction to this volume of over 50 articles, essays, library policies, and other documents from a variety of sources, most of which are library journals aimed at practitioners. Volume editor Block has a long history of library service as well as an active career as an online journalist. From 1977 to 1999 she was the Associate Director of Public Services at the St. Ambrose University library in Davenport, Iowa. She was also a Fox News Online weekly columnist from 1998 to 2000. She currently writes for and publishes the weekly ezine Exlibris, which focuses an the use of computers, the Internet, and digital databases to improve library services. Despite the promising premise of this book, the final product is largely a disappointment because of the superficial coverage of its issues. A listing of the most frequently represented sources serves to express the general level and style of the entries: nine articles are reprinted from Computers in Libraries, five from Library Journal, four from Library Journal NetConnect, four from ExLibris, four from American Libraries, three from College & Research Libraries News, two from Online, and two from The Chronicle of Higher Education. Most of the authors included contributed only one item, although Roy Tennant (manager of the California Digital Library) authored three of the pieces, and Janet L. Balas (library information systems specialist at the Monroeville Public Library in Pennsylvania) and Karen G. Schneider (coordinator of lii.org, the Librarians' Index to the Internet) each wrote two. Volume editor Block herself wrote six of the entries, most of which have been reprinted from ExLibris. Reading the volume is muck like reading an issue of one of these journals-a pleasant experience that discusses issues in the field without presenting much research. Net Effects doesn't offer much in the way of theory or research, but then again it doesn't claim to. Instead, it claims to be an "idea book" (p. 5) with practical solutions to Internet-generated library problems. While the idea is a good one, little of the material is revolutionary or surprising (or even very creative), and most of the solutions offered will already be familiar to most of the book's intended audience.
Unlike muck of the professional library literature, Net Effects is not an open-aimed embrace of technology. Block even suggests that it is helpful to have a Luddite or two an each library staff to identify the setbacks associated with technological advances in the library. Each of the book's 10 chapters deals with one Internet-related problem, such as "Chapter 4-The Shifted Librarian: Adapting to the Changing Expectations of Our Wired (and Wireless) Users," or "Chapter 8-Up to Our Ears in Lawyers: Legal Issues Posed by the Net." For each of these 10 problems, multiple solutions are offered. For example, for "Chapter 9-Disappearing Data," four solutions are offered. These include "Link-checking," "Have a technological disaster plan," "Advise legislators an the impact proposed laws will have," and "Standards for preservation of digital information." One article is given to explicate each of these four solutions. A short bibliography of recommended further reading is also included for each chapter. Block provides a short introduction to each chapter, and she comments an many of the entries. Some of these comments seem to be intended to provide a research basis for the proposed solutions, but they tend to be vague generalizations without citations, such as, "We know from research that students would rather ask each other for help than go to adults. We can use that (p. 91 )." The original publication dates of the entries range from 1997 to 2002, with the bulk falling into the 2000-2002 range. At up to 6 years old, some of the articles seem outdated, such as a 2000 news brief announcing the creation of the first "customizable" public library Web site (www.brarydog.net). These critiques are not intended to dismiss the volume entirely. Some of the entries are likely to find receptive audiences, such as a nuts-and-bolts instructive article for making Web sites accessible to people with disabilities. "Providing Equitable Access," by Cheryl H. Kirkpatrick and Catherine Buck Morgan, offers very specific instructions, such as how to renovate OPAL workstations to suit users with "a wide range of functional impairments." It also includes a useful list of 15 things to do to make a Web site readable to most people with disabilities, such as, "You can use empty (alt) tags (alt="') for images that serve a purely decorative function. Screen readers will skip empty (alt) tags" (p. 157). Information at this level of specificity can be helpful to those who are faced with creating a technological solution for which they lack sufficient technical knowledge or training.
Some of the pieces are more captivating than others and less "how-to" in nature, providing contextual discussions as well as pragmatic advice. For example, Darlene Fichter's "Blogging Your Life Away" is an interesting discussion about creating and maintaining blogs. (For those unfamiliar with the term, blogs are frequently updated Web pages that ]ist thematically tied annotated links or lists, such as a blog of "Great Websites of the Week" or of "Fun Things to Do This Month in Patterson, New Jersey.") Fichter's article includes descriptions of sample blogs and a comparison of commercially available blog creation software. Another article of note is Kelly Broughton's detailed account of her library's experiences in initiating Web-based reference in an academic library. "Our Experiment in Online Real-Time Reference" details the decisions and issues that the Jerome Library staff at Bowling Green State University faced in setting up a chat reference service. It might be useful to those finding themselves in the same situation. This volume is at its best when it eschews pragmatic information and delves into the deeper, less ephemeral libraryrelated issues created by the rise of the Internet and of the Web. One of the most thought-provoking topics covered is the issue of "the serials pricing crisis," or the increase in subscription prices to journals that publish scholarly work. The pros and cons of moving toward a more free-access Web-based system for the dissemination of peer-reviewed material and of using university Web sites to house scholars' other works are discussed. However, deeper discussions such as these are few, leaving the volume subject to rapid aging, and leaving it with an audience limited to librarians looking for fast technological fixes."

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.3, S.275-276 (C. Chen): "This is a book about finding significant statistical patterns on the Web - in particular, patterns that are associated with hypertext documents, topics, hyperlinks, and queries. The term pattern in this book refers to dependencies among such items. On the one hand, the Web contains useful information an just about every topic under the sun. On the other hand, just like searching for a needle in a haystack, one would need powerful tools to locate useful information an the vast land of the Web. Soumen Chakrabarti's book focuses an a wide range of techniques for machine learning and data mining an the Web. The goal of the book is to provide both the technical Background and tools and tricks of the trade of Web content mining. Much of the technical content reflects the state of the art between 1995 and 2002. The targeted audience is researchers and innovative developers in this area, as well as newcomers who intend to enter this area. The book begins with an introduction chapter. The introduction chapter explains fundamental concepts such as crawling and indexing as well as clustering and classification. The remaining eight chapters are organized into three parts: i) infrastructure, ii) learning and iii) applications.
Part I, Infrastructure, has two chapters: Chapter 2 on crawling the Web and Chapter 3 an Web search and information retrieval. The second part of the book, containing chapters 4, 5, and 6, is the centerpiece. This part specifically focuses an machine learning in the context of hypertext. Part III is a collection of applications that utilize the techniques described in earlier chapters. Chapter 7 is an social network analysis. Chapter 8 is an resource discovery. Chapter 9 is an the future of Web mining. Overall, this is a valuable reference book for researchers and developers in the field of Web mining. It should be particularly useful for those who would like to design and probably code their own Computer programs out of the equations and pseudocodes an most of the pages. For a student, the most valuable feature of the book is perhaps the formal and consistent treatments of concepts across the board. For what is behind and beyond the technical details, one has to either dig deeper into the bibliographic notes at the end of each chapter, or resort to more in-depth analysis of relevant subjects in the literature. lf you are looking for successful stories about Web mining or hard-way-learned lessons of failures, this is not the book."

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Abstract

Will the emerging global information infrastructure (GII) create a revolution in communication equivalent to that wrought by Gutenberg, or will the result be simply the evolutionary adaptation of existing behavior and institutions to new media? Will the GII improve access to information for all? Will it replace libraries and publishers? How can computers and information systems be made easier to use? What are the trade-offs between tailoring information systems to user communities and standardizing them to interconnect with systems designed for other communities, cultures, and languages? This book takes a close look at these and other questions of technology, behavior, and policy surrounding the GII. Topics covered include the design and use of digital libraries; behavioral and institutional aspects of electronic publishing; the evolving role of libraries; the life cycle of creating, using, and seeking information; and the adoption and adaptation of information technologies. The book takes a human-centered perspective, focusing on how well the GII fits into the daily lives of the people it is supposed to benefit. Taking a unique holistic approach to information access, the book draws on research and practice in computer science, communications, library and information science, information policy, business, economics, law, political science, sociology, history, education, and archival and museum studies. It explores both domestic and international issues. The author's own empirical research is complemented by extensive literature reviews and analyses

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 58(2007) no.7, S.1066-1067 (X. Zhu u. J. Liao): "The user, without whom any product or service would be nothing, plays a very important role during the whole life cycle of products or services. The user's involvement should be from the very beginning, not just after products or services are ready to work. According to ISO 9241-11: 1998, Part 11, Usability refers to "the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of user." As an academic topic of human-computer interaction, Web usability has been studied widely for a long time. This classroom-oriented book, bridging academia and the educational community, talks about Web usability in a student-friendly fashion. It outlines not only the methodology of user-centered Web site design but also details the methods to implement at every stage of the methodology. That is, the book presents the user-centered Web-design approach from both macrocosm and microcosm points of view, which makes it both recapitulative and practical. The most important key word in Web Usability is "user-centered," which means Web developers should not substitute their own personal preferences for the users' needs. The book classifies Web sites into five types: E-commerce, informational, entertainment, community, and intranet. Since the methods used during Web development differ somewhat depending on the type of Web site, it is necessary to have a classification in advance. With Figure 1.3 on p. 17, the book explains the whole user-centered Webdevelopment life cycle (called "methodology" in this book review), which provides a clear path for Web development that is easy to understand, remember, and perform. Since all the following chapters are based on the methodology, a clear presentation of it is paramount. The table on p. 93 summarizes concisely all types of methods for requirements gathering and their advantages and disadvantages. According to this table, appropriate methods can be easily chosen for different Web site development projects. As the author remarked, "requirements gathering is central to the concept of user-centered design," (p. 98) and "one of the hallmarks of user-centered design is usability testing" (p. 205). Stage 2 (collect user requirements) and Stage 5 (perform usability testing) of the user-centered Web-development life cycle are the two stages with the most user involvement: however, this does not mean that all other stages are user unrelated. For example, in Stage 4 (create and modify physical design), frame is not suggested to be used just because most users are unfamiliar with the concept of frame (p. 201). Note that frequently there are several rounds of usability testing to be performed in the four case studies, and some of them are performed before the physical-design stage or even the conceptual-design stage, which embodies the idea of an iterative design process.
The many hands-on examples throughout the book and the four case studies at the end of the book are obvious strong points linking theory with practice. The four case studies are very useful, and it is hard to find such cases in the literature since few companies want to publicize such information. The four case studies are not just simple repeats; they are very different from each other and provide readers specific examples to analyze and follow. Web Usability is an excellent textbook, with a wrap-up (including discussion questions, design exercises, and suggested reading) at the end of each chapter. Each wrap-up first outlines where the focus should be placed, corresponding to what was presented at the very beginning of each chapter. Discussion questions help recall in an active way the main points in each chapter. The design exercises make readers apply to a design project what they have just obtained from the chapter, leading to a deeper understanding of knowledge. Suggested reading provides additional information sources for people who want to further study the research topic, which bridges the educational community back to academia. The book is enhanced by two universal resource locators (URLs) linking to the Addison-Wesley instructor resource center (http://www. aw.com/irc) and the Web-Star survey and project deliverables (http:// www. aw.com/cssupport), respectively. There are valuable resources in these two URLs, which can be used together with Web Usability. Like the Web, books are required to possess good information architecture to facilitate understanding. Fortunately, Web Usability has very clear information architecture. Chap. 1 introduces the user-centered Web-development life cycle, which is composed of seven stages. Chap. 2 discusses Stage l, chaps. 3 and 4 detail Stage 2, chaps. 5 through 7 outline Stage 3, and chaps. 8 through I1 present Stages 4 through 7, respectively. In chaps. 2 through 11, details (called "methods" in this review) are given for every stage of the methodology. The main clue of the book is how to design a new Web site; however, this does not mean that Web redesign is trivial and ignored. The author mentions Web redesign issues from time to time, and a dedicated section is presented to discuss redesign in chaps. 2, 3, 10, and 11.
Besides the major well-known software applications such as FrontPage and Dreamweaver (pp. 191-194), many useful software tools can be adopted to assist and accelerate the Web-development process, resulting in improvement of the productivity of the Web industry. Web Usability mentions such tools as the "code validator" (p. 189) to identify problematic areas of the handwritten code against spelling and usage, the tool available at a given URL address to convert portable document format (PDF) files into hypertext markup language (HTML) files (p. 201), WEBXACT, WebSAT, A-Prompt, Dottie, InFocus, and RAMP (pp. 226-227) to automate usability testing, and ClickTracks, NetTracker, WebTrends, and Spotfire (p. 263) to summarize Web-usage data and analyze the trends. Thus, Web developers are able to find these tools and benefit from them. Other strengths of the book include the layout of each page, which has a wide margin in which readers may easily place notes, and the fact that the book is easy to read and understand. Although there are many strengths in this book, a few weaknesses are evident. All chapter wrap-ups should have an identical layout. Without numbering for sections and subsections, it is very likely that readers will lose sense of where they are in the overall information architecture of the book. At present, the only solution is to frequently refer to the table of contents to confirm the location. The hands-on example on p. 39 would be better placed in chap. 4 because it focuses on a requirements gathering method, the interview. There are two similar phrases, namely "user population" and "user group," that are used widely in this book. User population is composed of user groups; however, they are not strictly used in this book. The section title "Using a Search Engine" (p. 244) should be on the same level as that of the section "Linking to a URL," and not as that of the section entitled "Marketing: Bringing Users to Your Web Site," according to what the author argued at the top of p. 236.
Web Usability is undoubtedly a success. After reading this book, Web designers will pay attention to both the content and the usability; otherwise, the majority might overlook the usability. Although this book mainly focuses on students and instructors, it also is appropriate for those who want to develop a user-centered Web site but do not know how. We would suggest that an initial reading is necessary to know what is included under each section title; from then on, when the methodology and methods are applied to guide a real-world project, only the table of contents and the chapter wrap-ups need to be reread, and other parts only when important details are forgotten. With the help of so many examples and strongly viable methods, Web Usability explains almost everything necessary during user-centered Web development and provides tips to help avoid some common mistakes. All of these characteristics facilitate effective and efficient Web-development processes. Similarly, the book reaches its content goal and usability goal as well. In short, Web Usability is an excellent case for book usability: a user-centered edit approach!"

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Abstract

Rogers presents a profoundly different way of thinking about information in cyberspace, one that supports the political efforts of democratic activists and NGOs and takes seriously the epistemological issues at the heart of networked communications.

Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 58(2007) no.4, S.608-609 (K.D. Desouza): "Richard Rogers explores the distinctiveness of the World Wide Web as a politically contested space where information searchers may encounter multiple explanations of reality. Sources of information on the Web are in constant competition with each other for attention. The attention a source receives will determine its prominence, the ability to be a provider of leading information, and its inclusion in authoritative spaces. Rogers explores the politics behind evaluating sources that are collected and housed on authoritative spaces. Information politics on the Web can be looked at in terms of frontend or back-end politics. Front-end politics is concerned with whether sources on the Web pay attention to principles of inclusivity, fairness, and scope of representation in how information is presented, while back-end politics examines the logic behind how search engines or portals select and index information. Concerning front-end politics, Rogers questions the various versions of reality one can derive from examining information on the Web, especially when issues of information inclusivity and scope of representation are toiled with. In addition, Rogers is concerned with how back-end politics are being controlled by dominant forces of the market (i.e., the more an organization is willing to pay, the greater will be the site's visibility and prominence in authoritative spaces), regardless of whether the information presented on the site justifies such a placement. In the book, Rogers illustrates the issues involved in back-end and front-end politics (though heavily slanted on front-end politics) using vivid cases, all of which are derived from his own research. The main thrust is the exploration of how various "information instruments," defined as "a digital and analytical means of recording (capturing) and subsequently reading indications of states of defined information streams (p. 19)," help capture the politics of the Web. Rogers employs four specific instruments (Lay Decision Support System, Issue Barometer, Web Issue Index of Civil Society, and Election Issue Tracker), which are covered in detail in core chapters of the book (Chapter 2-Chapter 5). The book is comprised of six chapters, with Chapter 1 being the traditional introduction and Chapter 6 being a summary of the major concepts discussed.
Chapter 2 examines the politics of information retrieval in the context of collaborative filtering techniques. Rogers begins by discussing the underpinnings of modern search engine design by examining medieval practices of knowledge seeking, following up with a critique of the collaborative filtering techniques. Rogers's major contention is that collaborative filtering rids us of user idiosyncrasies as search query strings, preferences, and recommendations are shared among users and without much care for the differences among them, both in terms of their innate characteristics and also their search goals. To illustrate Rogers' critiques of collaborative filtering, he describes an information searching experiment that he conducted with students at University of Vienna and University of Amsterdam. Students were asked to search for information on Viagra. As one can imagine, depending on a number of issues, not the least of which is what sources did one extract information from, a student would find different accounts of reality about Viagra, everything from a medical drug to a black-market drug ideal for underground trade. Rogers described how information on the Web differed from official accounts for certain events. The information on the Web served as an alternative reality. Chapter 3 describes the Web as a dynamic debate-mapping tool, a political instrument. Rogers introduces the "Issue Barometer," an information instrument that measures the social pressure on a topic being debated by analyzing data available from the Web. Measures used by the Issue Barometer include temperature of the issue (cold to hot), activity level of the debate (mild to intense), and territorialization (one country to many countries). The Issues Barometer is applied to an illustrative case of the public debate surrounding food safety in the Netherlands in 2001. Chapter 4 introduces "The Web Issue Index," which provides an indication of leading societal issues discussed on the Web. The empirical research on the Web Issues Index was conducted on the Genoa G8 Summit in 1999 and the anti-globalization movement. Rogers focus here was to examine the changing nature of prominent issues over time, i.e., how issues gained and lost attention and traction over time.
In Chapter 5, the "Election Issue Tracker" is introduced. The Election Issue Tracker calculates currency that is defined as "frequency of mentions of the issue terms per newspaper and across newspapers" in the three major national newspapers. The Election Issue Tracker is used to study which issues resonate with the press and which do not. As one would expect, Rogers found that not all issues that are considered important or central to a political party resonate with the press. This book contains a wealth of information that can be accessed by both researcher and practitioner. Even more interesting is the fact that researchers from a wide assortment of disciplines, from political science to information science and even communication studies, will appreciate the research and insights put forth by Rogers. Concepts presented in each chapter are thoroughly described using a wide variety of cases. Albeit all the cases are of a European flavor, mainly Dutch, they are interesting and thought-provoking. I found the descriptions of Rogers various information instruments to be very interesting. Researchers can gain from an examination of these instruments as it points to an interesting method for studying activities and behaviors on the Internet. In addition, each chapter has adequate illustrations and the bibliography is comprehensive. This book will make for an ideal supplementary text for graduate courses in information science, communication and media studies, and even political science. Like all books, however, this book had its share of shortcomings. While I was able to appreciate the content of the book, and certainly commend Rogers for studying an issue of immense significance, I found the book to be very difficult to read and parse through. The book is laden with jargon, political statements, and even has several instances of deficient writing. The book also lacked a sense of structure, and this affected the presentation of Rogers' material. I would have also hoped to see some recommendations by Rogers in terms of how should researchers further the ideas he has put forth. Areas of future research, methods for studying future problems, and even insights on what the future might hold for information politics were not given enough attention in the book; in my opinion, this was a major shortcoming. Overall, I commend Rogers for putting forth a very informative book on the issues of information politics on the Web. Information politics, especially when delivered on the communication technologies such as the Web, is going to play a vital role in our societies for a long time to come. Debates will range from the politics of how information is searched for and displayed on the Web to how the Web is used to manipulate or politicize information to meet the agendas of various entities. Richard Rogers' book will be of the seminal and foundational readings on the topic for any curious minds that want to explore these issues."

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Abstract

A fascinating, research-based look at the impact of social media on businesses and consumers around the world, and what's in store for the future Social Media. You've heard the term, even if you don't use the tools. But just how big has social media become? Social media has officially surpassed pornography as the top activity on the Internet. People would rather give up their e-mail than their social network. It is so powerful that it is causing a macro shift in the way we live and conduct business. Brands can now be strengthened or destroyed by the use of social media. Online networking sites are being used as giant, free focus groups. Advertising is less effective at influencing consumers than the opinions of their peers. If you aren't using social media in your business strategy, you are already behind your competition. * Explores how the concept of "Socialnomics" is changing the way businesses produce, market, and sell, eliminating inefficient marketing and middlemen, and making products easier and cheaper for consumers to obtain * Learn how successful businesses are connecting with consumers like never before via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites * A must-read for anyone wanting to learn about, and harness the power of social media, rather than be squashed by it * Author Erik Qualman is a former online marketer for several Top 100 brands and the current Global Vice President of Online Marketing for the world's largest private education firm Socialnomics is essential book for anyone who wants to understand the implications of social media, and how businesses can tap the power of social media to increase their sales, cut their marketing costs, and reach consumers directly.

Content

Introduction: It's a people-driven economy, stupid -- Word of mouth goes world of mouth -- Social media = preventative behavior -- Social media = braggadocian behavior -- Obama's success driven by social media -- I care more about what my neighbor thinks than what Google thinks -- Death of social schizophrenia -- Winners and losers in a 140-character world -- Next step for companies and the "glass house generation" -- Socialnomics summary.