Newsletter Archive

Newsletter No. 35


« Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter »
                             Free Pint
         "Helping 20,000 people use the Web for their work"
                    http://www.freepint.co.uk/
ISSN 1460-7239                                     1st April 1999 #35
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                            IN THIS ISSUE

                              EDITORIAL

                         TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
                "UK Immigration Sources on the Web"
                             By Anne Ku

                          FEATURE ARTICLE
            "The Internet for Competitive Intelligence"
                          By Amelia Kassel

                        FREE PINT FEEDBACK
                "Pharmaceutical/health information"
                      "Access Control Issues"
                        "Analysing Web hits"
                    "Free Pint value for money"
                      "Becoming a researcher"

                        CONTACT INFORMATION

              ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
            http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/010499.htm

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

** REGISTER FOR SILICON.COM AND GET A FREE REPORT WORTH 295 POUNDS **

Register FREE for Silicon.com (http://www.silicon.com) the leading
online IT TV news service this week and you'll receive a free
video CD report worth 295 pounds.
Also check out the latest contractor and permanent IT jobs at Silicon
 - register free today at http://www.silicon.com

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [nm351]

                             EDITORIAL

With the birds singing and sun shining on this lovely spring morning
in West London it gives me great pleasure to bring you the thirty
fifth edition of Free Pint.

We begin with a personal look at how to find information on the
tricky subject of immigration - who to ask and who to trust. This
is followed by an in-depth and enlightening examination of the wide
variety of competitive intelligence information available on the Web.

There are a few exciting things in the pipeline at Free Pint.  We
will shortly be introducing book reviews to the newsletter as there
are some great books around of relevance to Web searchers and users.
We are also enhancing the Web site with easier links to past issues,
including a handy index to all past subjects and feedback. Therefore,
keep an eye on the site at http://www.freepint.co.uk/.

I hope you continue to enjoy Free Pint, and please do keep spreading
the word to your colleagues ... why not send them this copy?

Kind regards,
William

William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Managing Editor
e: william@freepint.co.uk
w: http://www.freepint.co.uk/
t: +44 (0)1784 455435
f: +44 (0)1784 455436
                                                 (c) Willco Ltd. 1999
                                             http://www.willco.co.uk/
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

              *** ONLINE SHOPPING MADE EASY! ***
ShopGuide is the only name you need to remember when you want to
indulge in online shopping. ShopGuide is The UK Online Shopping
Directory where you will find hundreds of secure UK based online
shops reviewed and rated. Buy music, books, videos, software,
clothes, computers, flowers, electrical goods, gifts, flights,
concert tickets, sporting goods, beauty products and much more.
Visit http://www.shopguide.co.uk/index.html?pid=freepint3

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fd352]

   >>> Would you like past issues of Free Pint emailed to you? <<<

      1. Visit the Issues Page on the Web site
      2. Tick the issues you want and enter your email address
      3. They will automatically be sent immediately

            http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/issues.htm

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                  QUICK TIP ... INTERNET TRAINING

Even though the Internet is computer based, always have a flipchart
available ... this is an invaluable aide when trying to explain
something technical or spell some jargon. Also, don't forget the pens.

                              William Hann ~ http://www.willco.co.uk/

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                        TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

                "UK Immigration Sources on the Web"
                             By Anne Ku

A foreigner wishing to enter and stay in the UK may have a number of
questions such as the following:

 1- Do I need a visa to enter the UK?
 2- How can I remain in the UK legally?
 3- Do I need a work permit to earn money in the UK?
 4- What must I do to become a resident, i.e. no longer requiring a
    work permit to work or student visa to study?
 5- Do my spouse and dependants require visas to join me in the UK?
 6- How long does it take to apply for a work permit?

My approach to answering the above, as with getting information about
anything else I'm interested in, is to surf the net first.  In other
words, I try to get it free BY MYSELF, before seeking free advice from
other people.  If I am still not able to answer these questions, then
I would buy a book or pay for advice.

Using the most popular search engines like Infoseek, AltaVista, and
Yahoo! for "UK immigration" and then "UK work permits", I was able to
get web sites of three types of entities:  recruitment firms,
immigration advisory companies (including law firms), and news
articles from newsgroups or news sites.

Reading the top ten sites eventually led me to the Department for
Education and Employment (DfEE) and the Immigration Nationality
Directorate (IND) of the Home Office. The DfEE provides detailed
information on the Work Permit Scheme at
http://www.open.gov.uk/dfee/ols.  The IND provides a fairly
comprehensive list of immigration rules and application forms at
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/hpg.htm.

I learned that free advice can be obtained by making an appointment
with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) at 115 Old
Street, London EC1V 9JR (tel. 0171 251 8706) or buying the latest
edition of their book entitled "Immigration and Nationality Law
Handbook".

Free advice may also be obtained by calling one of several Immigration
Advisory Services in this country.  Their web site
(http://www.vois.org.uk/ias/) lists their locations and contact
numbers. Unfortunately free advice is also sought by everyone else.
Thus free advice is limited to short, general advice --- which you can
also find on the web.

The immigration firms I found on the internet varied greatly in
content and quality.  Some provided extensive coverage of immigration
rules and recent cases. For example, BCL provides a lengthy guide at
http://www.visa-free.com/ukbrochure.htm in their web site (which
always comes up tops in my searches). Gherson and Company's site at
http://www.gherson.com contains an impressive array of articles
written by its staff.  Most web sites, however, only list their
services and contact details.

Many assume that immigration is a legal matter and therefore requires
costly specialist "legal" advice.  This is far from true, for the
service of providing immigration advice (and related services for
applying for visa, permit, or residency) is currently not regulated in
the UK.  This means that non-law firms may also provide immigration
advice and could well have more experience but charge less than law
firms.  See http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/advisers.htm#control for
problems in this area.  At time of writing, the second reading of the
green paper on a proposal for a regulatory body may lead to the
passing of an Immigration and Asylum Act of 1999.  Until then,
however, there is no one to go to in case of dispute.

As my questions were quite specific, I eventually ended up paying for
immigration advice given by a foreign lawyer practising in this
country.  Due to the lack of regulation in this area and my own prior
research, I quickly suspected that they were charging city legal fees
for immigration advice that I thought was misleading and confusing.
Although foreign lawyers are allowed to practise in this country, they
are not regulated by the UK Law Society or The Bar Council.  As a
foreigner, you would think a foreign law firm (especially from your
own country) would be more sympathetic towards your case.  On the
contrary, you should be even more wary of non-UK law firms!

Of course, I would not rely on using the Web to select the firm to
use.  There are far more firms who do not have web sites than those
who bother.  Similarly, there is a lot of immigration information that
is not on the Web.

Having said that, the Web is an obvious place to search for
information discreetly, quickly, and without cost.  Immigration
concerns are usually private, and the very act of asking for advice
alerts others to one's vulnerability (i.e. legal status in the
country).

One final piece of advice:  do not attempt to solve your immigration
problems solely from information sources on the Web.  In almost all
but the most simple cases, you are unlikely to actually know what your
situation really is.  Information that is obtained from any general
source, e.g. the Web, books, and departments, may not be accurate for
any specific case.  There are many cases of people being thrown out of
the country for doing something that they think is right (and would be
so under different circumstances) but their particular situation is
not covered under any of the general information as they are far too
complex and specific.

Based on what I found on the Web, follow-up phone conversations with
various firms, and my own research, I have put together summary
information and links on my web site http://www.analyticalq.com.
These include a critique of corporate webs, a list of commonwealth
countries, EEA countries, visa nationals, and useful links such as
newspapers, the Law Society, and employment law.

Finally, as a courtesy to the immigration advisors Montgomery and Co.
for their tremendous help and expert advice, I produced a corporate
web for them, to address immigration concerns from a user's
perspective.  This is found at http://www.montgomery-co.com. or is
alternatively, available on my website
http://www.analyticalq.com/montgomeryco/

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anne Ku has entered and stayed in the United Kingdom as a visitor,
student, working holiday permit holder, and work permit holder.  She
wrote this article out of personal interest, to demystify the
uncertainty surrounding ways to stay in the UK.  A super-keen Internet
surfer and researcher, she has built four intranets and two corporate
web sites in the past two years.  Currently she is a consultant at the
derivatives trainer London Financial Studies
(http://www.lfs.u-net.com) and the energy news and data provider
Standard and Poor's Platt's (http://www.platts.com).  She holds a
Ph.D. in Decision Sciences from the London Business School
(http://www.lbs.ac.uk).  She may be contacted on fortepiano@excite.com
for comments on this article.

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

*** DO YOU NEED TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY? ***

If so, then you should be reading Information World Review.
With key coverage of online, Internet, intranet and CD-ROM content
worldwide, IWR is all you need to stay informed.  For further details
on how to keep your finger on the pulse of the information industry,
visit http://www.learned.co.uk
or email: customerservice@learned.co.uk

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li353]

 >>> Contacting over 20,000 knowledge workers couldn't be easier <<<

  Advertising in Free Pint is THE most effective way of reaching a
       large audience of influential professional Web users

  Full details, including rate card and subscriber breakdown at ...
               http://www.freepint.co.uk/advert.htm

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                QUICK TIP ... INTERNET CONSULTANCY

Use auto-responders to give instant email responses with no effort. If
someone emails a specific address (e.g. auto@freepint.co.uk) then they
are sent the response you specify (e.g. the latest issue of Free Pint)

                              William Hann ~ http://www.willco.co.uk/

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                          FEATURE ARTICLE

            "The Internet for Competitive Intelligence"
                          By Amelia Kassel

The Internet has made a major impact on competitive intelligence (CI)
activities during the past two years. Briefly, competitive
intelligence involves gathering data about direct and indirect
competitors and industries in which a company operates.  CI can also
be characterized as the "purposeful and coordinated monitoring of your
competitor(s), wherever and whoever they may be, within a specific
marketplace... CI also has to do with determining what your business
rivals WILL DO before they do it". (Arik R. Johnson, Aurora WDC)
[http://aurorawdc.com/whatisci.htm]

Competitive intelligence has been used primarily by major corporations
as a way to identify and act on opportunities - as well as avoid
those that could prove detrimental.  At one time, it was too expensive
and time consuming for small and even mid-sized businesses to collect,
classify, organize, and distribute competitive information.  With the
advent of the Internet, however, more businesses are both aware of
information and can now afford to access a wider range of sources than
ever before. Moreover, many information professionals have become
involved in providing business intelligence information on behalf of
users or clients.

According to CI expert Leonard Fuld [http://www.fuld.com] "The
Internet has dramatically accelerated the speed with which anyone can
track down useful material, or find other people who might have useful
information.  Before the Net, locating someone who used to work at a
company - always a good source of information - was a huge chore.
Today people post their resumes on the Web; they participate in
discussion groups and say where they work.  Recently, we were asked to
determine the size, strength, and technical capabilities of a
privately held company.  It was hard to get detailed information. Then
one of our analysts used Deja News, a search engine that tracks online
discussion groups.  The company we were researching had posted 14 job
openings onto a Usenet newsgroup.  That posting was like a road map to
its development strategy.  You couldn't find that sort of thing five
years ago". (Competitive Intelligence - Get Smart! by Gina Imperato,
Fast Company, April 1998)
[http://www.fastcompany.com/online/14/intelligence.html]

Other examples of the type of Web information useful for CI include:

* Worldwide public and private company reports

* Company Web sites that contain vital information - including job
postings

* Market research reports and industry and market statistics useful
for understanding the marketplace in which the company operates

* Millions of experts on thousands of subjects who can be located
through Usenet newsgroups or electronic discussion groups.

Why use the Internet?

Several other reasons for using the Internet to gather competitive
information are described below with resources and tips for finding
necessary data as quickly as possible.

1.  Company Web sites describe products and services and contain
information that can be used to evaluate corporate structure and
market positioning strategies.

Resources and Tips:
Finding a competitor's Web page can be fairly easy if they use their
company name as the URL. Typically, it's possible to type the company
name into the browser location box preceded by www and find what you
want immediately. Or, major search engines such as Hotbot
[http://www.hotbot.com] and AltaVista [http://www.altavista.com]
provide quick access.  A relatively new addition to Hotbot, for
example is The Top 10 Most Visited Sites feature which often contains
an immediate link to a company's home page.  Altavista offers The
RealNames Link that takes you directly to the company you are
searching for. Some company URLs, however, are not spelled out in
full, are abbreviated, or use hyphens (-).
Many times, multiple companies have the same or similar name,
although, in some cases, are in different industries. To quickly find
a company's URL(s), try Web Sitez [http://www.websitez.com], a
specialty search engine that contains web addresses for more than a
million sites. Currently, only com, net and edu URLs are provided but
more are being added and will eventually include worldwide addresses.

2. Electronic discussion groups may uncover controversies, conflicts,
or rumours about competitors and these are starting points for further
research that must then be explored and validated.

Resources and Tips:
Two valuable specialty search engines for finding discussions about
competitors are Reference.Com [http://www.reference.com], which
searches more than 150,000 newsgroups, mailing lists, and web forums
and DejaNews [http://www.dejanews.com], which covers 80,000 discussion
forums, including Usenet newsgroups.

3. Company financial, corporate management, and marketing information
are necessary parts of every puzzle for learning about competitors.

Resources and Tips:
An excellent starting place for corporate intelligence is a specialty
Web site, Corporate Information [http://www.corporateinformation.com].
It contains links to public and private companies in more than 100
countries and recently added a search engine for accessing a database
of 100,000 companies.  The results list indicates source of
information and country and is hotlinked to the site where the
information resides.  A search of Reuter, for example, brings up the
following:

   Wright Company Profile: Reuter Manufacturing, Inc. (United States)
   Wright Company Profile: Reuters Group plc (United Kingdom)
   Wright Company Profile: Reuters Group plc- ADR (United States)
   Hoovers Profile: Reuter Manufacturing, Inc. (United States)
   Yahoo! Finance News and Information: Reuters Group plc- ADR (United
   States)
   FreeEdgar Filings: Reuters Group plc- ADR (United States)
   Hoovers Profile: Reuters Group plc- ADR (United States)
   PR Newswire: Reuters (United States)
   CAROL Corporate Reports: REUTERS HOLDINGS PLC (United Kingdom)
   SwissFirms Profile: REUTERS SA (Switzerland)
   Prospects Web Company Profile: Reuters (United Kingdom)
   Virtual Career Fair Company Profile: Reuters Information Services
   (Canada) Limited
   Information Industry Association Company Profile: Reuters America,
   Inc.
   Information Industry Association Company Profile: REUTERS Canada
   Ltd.
   Internet Sourcebook Profile (Internet Section): Reuters Holdings
   PLC (United States)

Search results are limited to 200 entries with only substantive sites
that "tell you something about the company".  Brief sites with just
company address, or stock quote are omitted.

4.  A key use of the Internet is to track, monitor, and provide
current alerting about competitors.  Press releases and news stories
contain a wealth of information about a competitor's services,
products and markets.

Resources and Tips:
Two valuable free sources for CI tracking and monitoring are Excite's
NewsTracker Clipping Service [http://nt.excite.com] and Company Sleuth
[http://www.companysleuth.com].  NewsTracker "continuously scours the
Web and collects and filters thousands of late-breaking articles from
more than 300 online newspapers and magazines including Asia Week,
Economist, London Evening Standard, Los Angeles Times, Forbes Digital,
Advertising Age, and Russia Today". Company Sleuth "provides users
with a daily e-mail report detailing the business activities,
financial moves, and Internet dealings of up to ten selected
companies, often before official announcements or reports in other
media", according to Company Sleuth's product literature.
Currently, Company Sleuth tracks U.S. publicly-traded companies only,
although there are plans to track private companies too.  A
subscription-based corporate version
[http://www.companysleuth.com/corporate.cfm] offers many more
features, including Intranet delivery and custom content.  Here are
elements contained in a Company Sleuth report that meet CI needs:

* A Company Brief which indicates the markets a company competes in
and its general financial state.

* Patents from the U.S. Patent Office which can be a strong indication
of what new technologies, products, or markets a company is looking to
enter in the near future.

* Newly registered trademarks that reflect branding activities or
product development and may also indicate a company's intentions of
getting into a new market or industry.

* Newly registered Internet domains, which can point to the Internet
tactics and provide a guide to general plans a company has for their
online business strategy.

* A Message Board Summary that includes Motley Fool, Raging Bull,
Silicon Investor, Usenet, and Yahoo! shows the number of new messages
on each board daily, the average number of messages, and the
percentage change.
Large increases in message board activity can often indicate major
financial or business changes, either good or bad.

* Current job postings are listed and are potential indicators about
the direction or plans of a company.

* Analysts' reports with opinions from the leading Wall Street firms
about changes in the consensus recommendation and earnings estimates.
These reports often provide insight into the financial well being of a
company and the path the company is headed in the near future.

* Insider trades from company presidents and directors, which some
people believe, provide good clues about insiders' outlook for the
near future.

* U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Edgar Filings with detailed
financials plus valuable information about corporate and market
strategies and other competitors.

* News headlines and press releases with breaking news about industry
reaction to a company's activities.

* U.S. Federal litigation including civil, class action, and
anti-trust lawsuits which often indicate the activities or the
business practices of a company and how the government or market is
reacting to them. This information is often a gauge of difficulties or
problems a company may currently face that could affect their business
or financial state in the future.

Word of Caution

As we have seen, new methods and new resources for competitive
intelligence research are now available on the Internet and the
sources discussed here are just the beginning of more to come.  BUT a
word to the wise: It goes without saying that a company controls the
information it places on the Web.  To round out CI research, it's
necessary to use other sources that add depth and perspective.
Although the Internet is a starting place, it is extremely important
to continue using trusted vendors who provide much more in the way of
analytical and historical information and peer reviewed professional
and trade articles. Moreover, other research methods such as telephone
research and knowing how to read between the lines are involved
in the "art of competitive intelligence." Company Sleuth uncovers a
lot of clues that may contain "pure gold" and provide genuine insight
into a company's operations.  Nevertheless, they also admit that some
of what is found may be "fools gold" and lead to a dead-end.  Further,
it's the user's job to determine the validity of information and draw
conclusions.

There is no question that the Internet has become a significant tool
and may be the only source to supply needed parts of a puzzle.  Yet,
it's also essential to proceed with caution since the quality and
reliability of Internet information, for that matter - any information
- must be questioned and confirmed for quality and reliability. You
might like to check out the article in Free Pint No. 30 about
information quality on the Internet at

  http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/210199.htm

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Amelia Kassel is President and owner of MarketingBASE, a successful
information brokerage specializing in market research, competitive
intelligence, and worldwide business information since 1984.  Ms.
Kassel, Master of Library Science (1971, UCLA), combines an in-depth
knowledge of information sources and electronic databases with
business and marketing strategies.  She has taught for more than ten
years at the graduate level. A recognized author and national and
international speaker, she also conducts workshops for conferences and
associations.  Currently, Ms.Kassel is writing a new book, The Super
Searchers on Wall Street: Top Investment Professionals Share Their
Online Research Strategies.  She also operates the Mentor Program
[http://www.marketingbase.com] via email to train corporate
researchers and information brokers worldwide.

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

         "SHOULDN'T YOUR COLLEAGUES BE UPDATING YOUR SITE?"

A tailored in-house course at your premises introducing HTML and Web
page creation (using your preferred HTML editor) can give your
colleagues and employees the start they need to begin updating your
Internet or Intranet site. Find out more today by contacting Willco.

 w: http://www.willco.co.uk/  e: info@willco.co.uk  t: 01784 455435

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [wc354]

            >>> Please help us to spread the word ... <<<

 It is easy to tell other people about Free Pint -> simply enter their
  email address on the following page and we'll send them a courteous
   note telling them about the newsletter and mentioning your name

                 http://www.freepint.co.uk/reco.htm

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                 QUICK TIP ... INTERNET PUBLISHING

It is good to "know" your newsletter readership. Ask a few questions
when they register, or run a survey - but keep it brief. From this you
can measure the success of your marketing, demographics, etc.

                              William Hann ~ http://www.willco.co.uk/

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                        FREE PINT FEEDBACK

Thank you for all your letters, feedback and questions.  Keep them
coming to feedback@freepint.co.uk.

This issue's subject index:

  * Pharmaceutical/health information
  * Access Control Issues
  * Analysing Web hits
  * Free Pint value for money
  * Thanks - Becoming a researcher

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: Pharmaceutical/health information (Free Pint No.34)
From:    Various
Date:    March 1999

We had a lot of email in relation to the Pharmaceutical article
which appeared in the last issue of Free Pint. All credit to
Sophie Graham for writing such an excellent article.  Here is a
selection of the letters, with other sites and adding their thanks ...


"I enjoy reading Freepint. The latest issue was particularly
interesting with its information on pharmaceutical companies etc.

I just thought I would write to let you know about Doctors.net.uk - a
peer-led online service for UK doctors that is by doctors for
doctors. Launched in September 1998, Doctors.net.uk now has 8,000
users. A wholly independent organisation, Doctors.net.uk offers
doctors access to many facilities, including searchable medical
databases, a customised medical news bulletin written exclusively for
us, a number of discussion fora, a unique 'jobs alert system' where
doctors can receive immediate information by email on new jobs posted
on our service (we invite all NHS Trusts to post their job vacancies
on our service completely free of charge), and, an 'Off-duty' area
which has links to Interflora, Racing Green, a ski holiday shop, a
wine shop...and many more services to come. All of the Off-duty
companies offer our members exclusive discount prices on products
ordered via Doctors.net.uk

We are already offering every UK doctor a free email address for
life, and will in the next couple of weeks be launching our own
dial-up CD - offering free Internet access to all UK doctors."

  Nigel Armitage
  http://www.Doctors.net.uk/


"On behalf of the Community Services & Health students & staff at
this TAFE College, I thank you for the research you did on Internet
sites related to medicine & illness."

  Susan Brunner
  Librarian - Salisbury Campus, Regency ITAFE, Australia


"A very interesting and informative article from Sophie Graham with
good links to pharmaceutical information etc. in issue no 34.

I have just one comment.  As a Health Economist I am very aware that
the standards of methodology used by clinical trials varies
enormously. Unfortunately, just looking at the results of clinical
trials does not usually give enough information about whether the
drug or medical intervention can really be expected to achieve what
the drug manufacturer is claiming it will.  As a result, people
wanting health information may not have good information which will
enable them to make informed decisions. Beware, the pharmaceutical
companies want you to use their product, which may be, or may not
be the best.

I would recommend that anybody wanting to know which treatment will
actually be the best on offer at the moment they should look at the
Website of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York
University at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/welcome.htm.  It is
quite easy to do a search of their database and get the real picture.

Best wishes to all at Free Pint, it is a real boon to people like
myself, who need to find information sources and want to make
information available."

  Andrew Taylor BSc, MSc
  http://www.adtaylor.legend.yorks.com


"Sophie Graham's recent article on Pharmaceutical sources on the web
(FP34) was excellent, informative, and concise.  One more site to add
is PharmiWeb, a unique collaboration between TBS (an advertising
agency), and key players in the UK pharmaceuticals sector.

PharmiWeb was launched mid-November 1998 and is designed for
professionals working in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and
medical markets.  Currently, PharmiWeb provides news from Reuters
Health Information, topical features and reviews, as well as
corporate profiles and recruitment advertising from key players in
the sector such as Unilever, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Parexel, Quintiles,
Innovex, Schering Healthcare, Roche, Glaxo, and Novartis, all of whom
are Founding Members of the site.

PharmiWeb was nominated for the Revolution Award for Best use of New
Media in Business-to-business Marketing and we will be aggressively
developing new features and services on the site in the coming weeks,
so watch this space ...  http://www.pharmiweb.com/

  Nicky Hickman, New Media Marketing Manager
  TBS Advertising http://www.tbs.uk.com/



"Further to the recent article on "Pharmaceutical/ health information
on the Web, I have been asked by my colleague, Rebecca Coomber, the
NHS Confederation's Web Editor, to point out the following:

The NHS Confederation is a membership organisation which was set up
in 1997 to represent the interests of all NHS bodies across the UK.
It is not, however, the NHS or part of the NHS.

As such, The NHS Confederation website contains information on NHS
Confederation material, eg, NHS Confederation publications, press
releases, and conferences.

The NHS is part of the Department of Health and both the DoH and the
NHS Executive operate "official" NHS websites containing information
on government policy. The original citation should therefore read:

* UK NHS Confederation  (http://www.nhsconfed.net)

* The UK NHS Confederation Net provides good access to NHS
Confederation publications, databases, conferences, press releases,
and also commercial opportunities. Some of the noteworthy commercial
opportunities available include advertising, sponsorship and
conference services."

  Cheryl Harrison
  Information Officer

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: Access Control Issues (Free Pint No.34)
From:    Roddy MacLeod
Date:    Thursday 18th March 1999

"The  "Who goes there...? - Access Control Issues  for
Internet-based information services"  article in Free Pint 34 by
Jonathan Eaton is well-written and very topical.  Anyone in the LIS
world interested in this subject might also be interested in an
article by Francoise Vandooren entitled "Access control, payment,
and smart cards in libraries"  in the latest issue of New Review of
Information Networking Vol 4, 1998, pp. 189-205."

  Roddy MacLeod
  Senior Faculty Librarian, Heriot-Watt University, UK
  http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/libram/roddy.html

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: Analysing Web hits (Free Pint No.34)
From:    Phil Hobson
Date:    Thursday 25th March 1999

"Many thanks for the information in Free Pint #34 about log
analysis.  I used the OS/2 version and it worked first time and gave
useful reports (eat your heart our Bill Gates!).  My hosting site
does not resolve the IP addresses to domain names.  Can anyone
recommend a package that will do this?"

  Phil Hobson
  Technical Director HCI Data Limited - http://www.hcidata.com

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: Free Pint value for money
From:    Various
Date:    Thursday 18th March 1999

"I have subscribed to Free Pint since its early days and,
despite the usual information overload problems, have no
plans to stop.

Our work at Information Automation Limited is mostly
centred on the Web and the mix of tips, feedback and
articles is always interesting and regularly provides
some new insight or the address of a helpful Web site.

Thanks, and keep up the good work!"

  Chris Armstrong
  Information Automation Limited http://www.i-a-l.co.uk


"Free Pint is indeed a pleasure to read. Information is extremely
important in today's society and we seem to have an overload at times.
However, Free Pint is timely, to the point and very well written.
Thanks for making my job easier with the helpful information freely
displayed."

  Steve Sanders, USA

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: Thanks - Becoming a researcher (Free Pint No.32-34)
From:    Rik Kershaw-Moore
Date:    Monday 22nd March 1999

Sir,

Could you please pass on my thanks to everyone who responded to my
question about becoming a researcher.  I found the replies helpful
in the extreme and now I have a clearer idea of where to go from
here.

Yours
Rik Kershaw-Moore

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

             DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION, COMMENT OR REPLY?

Let us know your feedback or favourite site by sending an email to
the Free Pint team now to feedback@freepint.co.uk
remembering to include your name, title and company or organisation.
Please note, if you write to us we may publish your letter in whole
or part for the interest of our subscribers unless you request
otherwise at the time of writing. Please let us know if you wish
your contact details to be withheld.

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                          FREE PINT FACT

William Hann is regularly invited to speak at conferences about his
experiences in publishing Free Pint.  Recent events include
"Internet Librarian International/Libtech 99", the "Online
Information" conference, and the recent British Library meeting on
promoting your Web site.

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Thank you for reading Free Pint.  We hope you will forward this copy
to colleagues, friends and journalists, or ask them to visit our Web
site soon at http://www.freepint.co.uk/ to see past issues.

                       See you in two weeks!

                           Kind regards,
                   William Hann, Managing Editor
                      william@freepint.co.uk
                    http://www.freepint.co.uk/

(c) Willco Ltd. 1999
http://www.willco.co.uk/

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                   FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES

     * Patents * New Media * Engineering * Chemistry Sources *
    * Online Communities * Outdoor Eventing * Eastern Europe *
       * Language Sources * Search Engine Business Models *
                 * Graphical Formats * Metatags *

                                                        [Provisional]
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

                        CONTACT INFORMATION

William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Managing Editor
e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436

Rex Cooke FIInfSc FRSA, Editor
e: rex@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436

Jane, Administrator e: jane@freepint.co.uk

Address (no stamp needed)
  Willco "Free Pint", FREEPOST (SEA3901), Staines
  Middlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom

Web - http://www.freepint.co.uk
Advertising - ads@freepint.co.uk
Subscriptions - subs@freepint.co.uk
Letters & Comments - feedback@freepint.co.uk
Latest Issue Autoresponder - auto@freepint.co.uk

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free email newsletter for anyone who
uses the Internet to get information for their work in any business
or organisation. The newsletter is written by professionals who share
how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet.

To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing,
advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at
http://www.freepint.co.uk/ or call +44 (0)1784 455 435.

Please note: The newsletter is published by the information
consultancy Willco Ltd. http://www.willco.co.uk/ - providers of
Internet consultancy, training and publishing services. The
publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list available to any
other company or organisation.

The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the
sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care
has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the
publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its
entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or
distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers.
Product names used in Free Pint are for identification purposes only,
and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Free Pint disclaims
any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.

> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

« Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter »

About this Newsletter