Protected: Tips for Debugging SharePoint
June 8, 2011
New Evidence Libraries Are Important
May 22, 2011
When you say “search” to me, I think going to a real, living library. There are people who can assist me. There are online services which I may not have hooked into my home computer. There are honest-to-good reference books and shelves begging me to browse.
So I was disappointed to read the Physorg.com article “Link Found between Spending on Libraries and Student Learning.” Apparently, this is news to some. Why was a study or even the subsequent publication of what is to me a self-evident fact? The new Dark Ages of Online, perhaps?
See, it’s widely believed that spending more won’t improve learning in the schools. While that may be true in some areas, libraries are worth the investment. That’s the conclusion of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association’s paper, “School Library Research Summarized.” This document pulls together research from across the United States and a bit from Canada:
“[Mansfield University professor, Debra E.] Kachel and a class of graduate students examined school library impact studies, most done in the last decade, by 22 states and one Canadian province (Ontario). Most examined student standardized test scores. A few used qualitative approaches. All found positive links between library support and learning.”
This is important stuff: how can you search if you are poorly educated? How can a person “research” or “reason” that a particular article or author is wrong, wacky, or practicing Facebook-type disinformation. Technology can only make up for so much. Please, read the article for details from the study. And if we want better futures for our children, let’s funnel funds to the school libraries. A little learning is a dangerous thing. But no learning? deadly.
Cynthia Murrell, May 22, 2011
A Password Library
May 20, 2011
Some search systems require log ins. We wanted to pass along what we call a “password library.” Jimmy Ruska gives us a password library update in “Most Common Passwords List from 3 Databases.” We submit this link for your reference.
Writes Ruska,
There has been three instances that I know of where a significant number of hacked account passwords have been publicly released. I have obtained the lists and made a thorough analysis of each of them, including the most common passwords and character frequencies.
Scanning the lists, it’s amazing how many easily hackable choices people use. For example, 123456, password, and letmein feature prominently. Why bother having a password if you don’t take it seriously?
Try a word or phrase that you can remember but that can’t be easily linked to you. Then throw in some numbers and special characters. One technique to help you remember is to replace letters with similar l00king choic3s. This does slow down hacking software considerably. So does using the maximum number of characters.
Remember—the lazy ones are the first victims.
Cynthia Murrell, May 20, 2011
Freebie
An Essential Guide for Information Professionals
May 20, 2011
Infonista has posted a review a wonderful book entitled The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Career Handbook. Full disclosure: Ulla de Stricker is a friend of ours, and we just love her and her co-author, Jill Hurst-Wahl.
Though we admit to a little bias, we’re sure we’d be recommending this book in any case. The Infonista review summarizes what you have to look forward to:
“In fifteen chapters, the authors provide detailed, practical career advice that comes across as a cross between coaching, mentoring, and okay, (in the nicest possible way), a bit of nagging. But it’s clear that their goal is to help readers avoid career potholes if possible. . . .
“Reading The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Handbook is like hanging out with two really smart, experienced, and wise mentors who aren’t going to sugarcoat any of their advice – because they know you really need the real deal. The information they provide is practical, actionable, and from this professional’s experience, spot on.”
This praise is no surprise to us, of course. We knew these ladies are at the top of their field.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy right away.
Cynthia Murrell May 20, 2011
Keep on Top of Microsoft Knowledge Base Updates
May 11, 2011
We are always on the look out for useful SharePoint resources. At a small gathering of corporate clients I attended last month, more than 80 percent were heading for SharePoint 2010 at various speeds. Not a scientific study, but it concurs with anecdotal evidence we have seen recently. At that meeting a colleague at Search Technologies mentioned a new service that provides hourly updates to Microsoft FAQs (frequently asked questions). I took a look at Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles, a site not affiliated with Microsoft.
A cursory review of the site suggests that it would have considerable value if the service kept pace with Microsoft’s own knowledge base publication flow. Microsoft FAQs are called knowledge base articles, and these appear at irregular intervals. There may be few KBs provided and then a number of them become available.
According to the independent site:
The purpose of this site is to inform you about the latest information of the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles. Every day Microsoft releases new KB articles. This site checks Microsoft’s information 24 times a day. This means that the Microsoft Knowledge Base information provided here is up to date.”
One quick example: the story “Description of the SharePoint Foundation 2010 Cumulative Update Package” from April 28, 2011, described the hot fixes available in that update and tips for implementing them. On May 5, 2011, I found “TFS Test Manager – Run Test Error: 403: Forbidden,” which explains the reasons for, and resolution of, that particular error.
Many, many more examples are available for your perusal. Check it out— keeping up with this site could save a lot of frustration.
At www.searchtechnologies.com, we focus on search-related implementation services, especially for SharePoint. We have delivered more than 25,000 consultant days of Fast Search-related services in the last four years along. We are currently helping more than a dozen organizations take a search-led approach to upgrading to SharePoint 2010.
Iain Fletcher, May 11, 2011
Jewish News Archive: Another Hot Curated Vertical Content Source
May 9, 2011
Anne Mintz, the star of the Forbes’ organization’s information center, shifted direction a while back. She dropped into stealth mode, alerting me to her activities via brief emails. I am delighted to be able to announce her Jewish News Archive project.
The remarkable collection of JTA news reports from 1923 to the present is now available for free at archive.jta.org . Formerly the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, now JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People, the organization is a not-for-profit media company similar to the Associated Press. Ms. Mintz, one of the world’s leading experts in business information, told me:
Writing the first draft of Jewish history. The archive of original reporting from around the world documents the Jewish experience of the 20th century, much of it not written about in the mainstream media.
I was delighted with the depth of this new service. She said:
There are more than 7,000 contemporaneous articles reported from Europe between 1937-1945 that document the Holocaust on a daily basis, at least that many documenting the experience of Russian Jews throughout entire reign of Communism, coverage of life in then-Palestine before the new state was inaugurated in 1948, and much more.
You can explore this exceptional resource at http://goo.gl/kPk6d.
If you are one of the video addicts who read Beyond Search, you can get additional information from a nifty YouTube video.
Ms. Mintz–who vies with Marydee Ojala, Barbara Quint, and Ulla de Stricker for the title of best business information expert in the world—told me after I asked about her involvement:
Yes, I worked on the project for four months helping prepare the site for launch on May 9, 2011. The content speaks for itself. One interesting aspect of my role was to help surface the articles on news events that didn’t mention the overall subject, such as the Holocaust and the Six Day War, which of course weren’t referred to as such in the original coverage. Another is making sure that people who search for Sabbath also get stories about Shabbat and Shabbas.
The shift from running a commercial organization’s information operation to developing curated vertical information services is one that is interesting to me. Most of the curated sites are little more than plays for revenue from online advertising services. Ms. Mintz’s work delivers quality without the search engine optimization baloney. This is a victory for curated content. Ms. Mintz receives a virtual laurel wreath from the team in Harrod’s Creek.
Three quacks for this service. What’s next?
Stephen E Arnold, May 9, 2011
Freebie
Libraries Like the Snow Leopard May Be Endangered
April 29, 2011
We should have known this day would come. At silicon.com, Peter Cochrane blogs the question: is it “Time Libraries Were Shelved?” He asserts:
“Does it matter anyway? The debate goes on but I must admit that I cannot remember the last time I visited a physical library. I give away far more books than I read.”
Humph.
His questions were prompted by cuts to public libraries in the U.K. That story is already in progress here in the U.S. Are we about to become an illiterate society?
Budget woes pushed the trend, of course, but perhaps it was inevitable. Many feel that books are simply an outdated technology. I see their point but, at the risk of sounding outdated myself, there’s just no substitute for a real book in my real hands.
Sure, I can curl up in my comfy chair with an eReader, but it’s just not the same. I enjoy the different weights of different books, the feel of turning a real page, even the smell of ink and paper. And those sensations are part of what enticed me to become a reader in the first place! I can’t be the only one.
Besides, without libraries, how will folks get free access to knowledge? Ben Franklin would be very disappointed. Online is useful, but it does not answer * every * question a research may have.
Cynthia Murrell April 29, 2011
Freebie
Protected: More SharePoint Education
March 29, 2011
Protected: Microsoft Posts Fresh SharePoint Information
March 18, 2011
Protected: Some Delicious SharePoint Links
March 7, 2011
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