For the first time in a couple weeks, I had a really interesting reference question this evening at work. I had a young man who wanted "a book" on "bog soil". After a a brief reference interview, I discovered that he needed to know how to make bog soil, like that of the Everglades, in order to replicate it himself. I tried our catalog without much hope for sucess. At this point the "aha" hit and I showed him AccessScience (thank you McGraw-Hill). He left very happy with a full article on bogs, a segment of the article on soil, describing the soil type found in most of Florida (characterized by a large amount of organic matter and a high proportion of sand), and a pathfinder to finding the full 45 page article from home.
Overall it was the most satisfying reference experience I've had recently. I like pushing the boundaries of my personal experience and really puzzleing things like this out.
Also, I just want to say that I really can't say enough about how nice a resource AccessScience. I really think its a must have for public libraries and anyone else who serves a high school population. Its easy to navigate, makes excellent use of multimedia, and uses the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology as its base (a gold standard for general science reference). Its great for High School Students, College Undergrads, and Life-Long Learners, so if your library doesn't have it, ask that they get it, you won't regret it.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Ten Reasons Why Bad Customer Service Really Gets Me Steamed
With the holiday shopping rush upon us, I thought I'd share a few words on why bad customer service is just plain dumb. We see it everywhere, but I never really understood it until I was on "the other side of the desk". It isn't a matter of being rude to customers. It's about failing to satisfy the reasonable requests of one's customers, making customers jump through unnecessary hoops, and making\adhering to rules that don't make sense anymore. Here's ten reasons in particular why I just hate bad customer service:
1. Good customer service is not hard! - Good customer service is a matter of making an effort and being pleasant. You can read a lot of articles and learn a lot of techniques, but this is what it basically boils down to. These are two things within the reach of every person alive. It's entirely a matter of whether one has the will do it.
2. Bad customer service makes things hard! - After all, when is anything easier when one or both parties are angry. A customer with a grudge isn't conducive to a simple transaction.
3. Goodwill is important to any organization. - Good customer service builds goodwill, which is the lifeblood of any organization. Organizations rely on goodwill to maintain and grow their customer base. Organizations with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot.
4. Goodwill is fragile, but bad feelings tend to fester. - It's a sad fact, but people are more likely to remember when you've done something wrong than if you've done something right. In addition, one incident of sub-par service can be all it takes to turn a customer's opinion against the organization. Why risk it?
5. Customers don't understand or care about "what the policy says". - This is a fact. Write it down. The customer only knows what they need. It's the customer service rep's job to keep the customer as happy as possible, even if it means bending the policy a little. Any good employer will forgive bending the rules in exchange for a little goodwill.
6. Most customers are reasonable, decent people and shouldn't be treated otherwise. - It drives me nuts when rules are made to keep .01% of the population from doing something wrong. Just don't do it. It makes no sense and it makes your customers feel like criminals or children, not exactly conducive to a positive experience.
7. Good customer service is something everyone deserves. - This is one of those inalienable rights things. As sentient beings we have a right to be treated well.
8. Bad service is just as unpleasant for the provider as the customer. - I like to think that I have never given bad customer service. However, I can remember times when I haven't given the best service I could and they bother me for a long time after. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I gave blatantly bad service.
9. Customers make requests for a reason. - If a customer comes with a question or a request, its because they think you can help them (novel concept, eh?)! So here's a thought, try to help them! If it is genuinely impossible for you personally to do anything for them, be honest, they like that. Then bend over backwards trying to get them the help they need from another source they like that even more.
10. Its just plain annoying. - Nothing else to say really...
1. Good customer service is not hard! - Good customer service is a matter of making an effort and being pleasant. You can read a lot of articles and learn a lot of techniques, but this is what it basically boils down to. These are two things within the reach of every person alive. It's entirely a matter of whether one has the will do it.
2. Bad customer service makes things hard! - After all, when is anything easier when one or both parties are angry. A customer with a grudge isn't conducive to a simple transaction.
3. Goodwill is important to any organization. - Good customer service builds goodwill, which is the lifeblood of any organization. Organizations rely on goodwill to maintain and grow their customer base. Organizations with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot.
4. Goodwill is fragile, but bad feelings tend to fester. - It's a sad fact, but people are more likely to remember when you've done something wrong than if you've done something right. In addition, one incident of sub-par service can be all it takes to turn a customer's opinion against the organization. Why risk it?
5. Customers don't understand or care about "what the policy says". - This is a fact. Write it down. The customer only knows what they need. It's the customer service rep's job to keep the customer as happy as possible, even if it means bending the policy a little. Any good employer will forgive bending the rules in exchange for a little goodwill.
6. Most customers are reasonable, decent people and shouldn't be treated otherwise. - It drives me nuts when rules are made to keep .01% of the population from doing something wrong. Just don't do it. It makes no sense and it makes your customers feel like criminals or children, not exactly conducive to a positive experience.
7. Good customer service is something everyone deserves. - This is one of those inalienable rights things. As sentient beings we have a right to be treated well.
8. Bad service is just as unpleasant for the provider as the customer. - I like to think that I have never given bad customer service. However, I can remember times when I haven't given the best service I could and they bother me for a long time after. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I gave blatantly bad service.
9. Customers make requests for a reason. - If a customer comes with a question or a request, its because they think you can help them (novel concept, eh?)! So here's a thought, try to help them! If it is genuinely impossible for you personally to do anything for them, be honest, they like that. Then bend over backwards trying to get them the help they need from another source they like that even more.
10. Its just plain annoying. - Nothing else to say really...
Changing....
Yep, I did it again!
I changed things. Some are obvious (and cosmetic) and others are less so. Specifically, You'll see a bunch of new posts. If you were a reader of my other blog, they won't seem so new.
Were? You ask? Yes, WebraryLinks is now defunct. I have merged all its posts to this blog. I just decided that I was having trouble keeping up one blog, let alone two, so from now on I'll just be doing occasional site reviews here instead of doing so in its own space.
Hopefully it will go better this time.
I changed things. Some are obvious (and cosmetic) and others are less so. Specifically, You'll see a bunch of new posts. If you were a reader of my other blog, they won't seem so new.
Were? You ask? Yes, WebraryLinks is now defunct. I have merged all its posts to this blog. I just decided that I was having trouble keeping up one blog, let alone two, so from now on I'll just be doing occasional site reviews here instead of doing so in its own space.
Hopefully it will go better this time.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Sentient vs. Sapient
I have been informed that a better name for my blog might be "The Life of a Sapient Search Engine". It seems that the two words are often confused. Many people, including myself, assume that the definition of sentient includes "self-awareness". This is not so, according to the OED sentient means "That feels or is capable of feeling; having the power or function of sensation or of perception by the senses." Sapient has several definitions. Generally, it means "wise" but in anthropological terms it means "Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of modern man," a definition which includes being "self aware".
I've decided that I don't care. This is for four reasons:
1. It's meant to diferentiate me from computers, which are neither sentient or sapient. When they develop sentience I may change my mind.
2. "Sapient" as already mentioned, implies "wisdom" which I will not be so bold as to declare I've attained this at my age (nearly 23).
3. Most people get what I mean and might be confused by sapient.
4. I've already changed the name of this blog once and don't really want to change it again.
If you have a problem with this, tough noogies, its my blog durn it! (Yes, that's right, durn it!)
I've decided that I don't care. This is for four reasons:
1. It's meant to diferentiate me from computers, which are neither sentient or sapient. When they develop sentience I may change my mind.
2. "Sapient" as already mentioned, implies "wisdom" which I will not be so bold as to declare I've attained this at my age (nearly 23).
3. Most people get what I mean and might be confused by sapient.
4. I've already changed the name of this blog once and don't really want to change it again.
If you have a problem with this, tough noogies, its my blog durn it! (Yes, that's right, durn it!)
Friday, June 1, 2007
I Feel Fortunate...
Reading things like this makes me feel truly fortunate that I (1) work in Ohio, which in the worst of times funds its libraries better than some states fund their libraries in the best of times, and (2) that I work in a place that truly loves its libraries. Franklin County, Ohio (Columbus specifically), is a truly a blessed place to be a librarian, and I am really lucky to work in this fantastic environment.
My thoughts are with my colleagues in Massachusetts, Oregon and everywhere else libraries have been closing lately. Hopefully your new funding will come through and you can back to serving your patrons, which I imagine is all you really want.
My thoughts are with my colleagues in Massachusetts, Oregon and everywhere else libraries have been closing lately. Hopefully your new funding will come through and you can back to serving your patrons, which I imagine is all you really want.
Shifting
Today, I had the distinct pleasure of shifting in the nonfiction collection. In the process I came to the conlusion that this can be one of the most mentally and spiritually renewing tasks a tired librarian can undertake.
For those among the uninitiated, "shifting" is the process of moving books on the shelves so they fit better and are more evenly distributed. This is an essential process that goes on day to day (a small section at once). Once a year its good to do a "big shift" where you do the entire collection in a short period (a week or so).
When you're out in the stacks, you're alone with your thoughts finding treasures you didn't know (or forgot) were there. You also find stuff that has no business still being there and thus can do a little weeding while you're at it.
Shifting also lets you do something physical for awhile which is always great for your outlook on life. After all, there aren't too many day to day library tasks that let you get your blood moving quite like a shift, (except maybe storytime, but I'm not a children's librarian so I can't be sure).
So if you're a desk-bound librarian, do yourself a favor and do a little shifting once in awhile. Its not just good for your collection any more.
For those among the uninitiated, "shifting" is the process of moving books on the shelves so they fit better and are more evenly distributed. This is an essential process that goes on day to day (a small section at once). Once a year its good to do a "big shift" where you do the entire collection in a short period (a week or so).
When you're out in the stacks, you're alone with your thoughts finding treasures you didn't know (or forgot) were there. You also find stuff that has no business still being there and thus can do a little weeding while you're at it.
Shifting also lets you do something physical for awhile which is always great for your outlook on life. After all, there aren't too many day to day library tasks that let you get your blood moving quite like a shift, (except maybe storytime, but I'm not a children's librarian so I can't be sure).
So if you're a desk-bound librarian, do yourself a favor and do a little shifting once in awhile. Its not just good for your collection any more.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Booktalking
Today, I did my first booktalk. The assistant manager for my branch asked me to talk about Fantasy and Science Fiction books in our staff meeting about this years Summer Reading Club. Thus, I was performing for a friendly audience. Nevertheless I feel I can honestly say that its an experience I wouldn't mind repeating in the least.
For those of you who are completly confused, Booktalking is when you stand infront of a group of people and talk about books (there's a head scratcher for ya)! You quickly have to sum up why a book is great and who should read it. For today's, I was to just talk about books in these areas (I threw in History Nonfiction as a bonus) so staff would know what was out there when they inevitably got questions about what good books are out there. Since we're aways so swamped during Summer Reading Club, its important that everyone be able to fill this role.
For the one today, I picked books I like and feel others will like. Some will tell you that you don't have to have read the books, but I feel that its much easier to talk about books you have read and liked or at least have an appriciation for its virtues. Booktalking books unfamiliar to you involves enough additional preparation to sound knowledgeable that you might as well read the book as far as I'm concerned. You can also speak with more passion about books you genuinely like.
For example, at the meeting today our teen librarian talked about teen books. All were books she liked and weren't necessarily on any best seller lists. You could tell by the way she talked exactly why this woman is a teen librarian, for her passion and enthusiasm for these books and teens and general was plain for all to see. Her personalized approach made her comments seem genuine and meaningful. All of us have spoken to people who've just read the dust jacket on something and then try to act like they read it. I comes off as really phony and does nothing to inspire.
For my own part, I have gotten some good reviews on my efforts. I had a couple coworkers tell me they liked what I had to say and wanted to know more about some of the books I discussed. I'm not a great public speaker, but I have to tell you, I found this to be rewarding experience and highly reccomend it.
For those of you who are completly confused, Booktalking is when you stand infront of a group of people and talk about books (there's a head scratcher for ya)! You quickly have to sum up why a book is great and who should read it. For today's, I was to just talk about books in these areas (I threw in History Nonfiction as a bonus) so staff would know what was out there when they inevitably got questions about what good books are out there. Since we're aways so swamped during Summer Reading Club, its important that everyone be able to fill this role.
For the one today, I picked books I like and feel others will like. Some will tell you that you don't have to have read the books, but I feel that its much easier to talk about books you have read and liked or at least have an appriciation for its virtues. Booktalking books unfamiliar to you involves enough additional preparation to sound knowledgeable that you might as well read the book as far as I'm concerned. You can also speak with more passion about books you genuinely like.
For example, at the meeting today our teen librarian talked about teen books. All were books she liked and weren't necessarily on any best seller lists. You could tell by the way she talked exactly why this woman is a teen librarian, for her passion and enthusiasm for these books and teens and general was plain for all to see. Her personalized approach made her comments seem genuine and meaningful. All of us have spoken to people who've just read the dust jacket on something and then try to act like they read it. I comes off as really phony and does nothing to inspire.
For my own part, I have gotten some good reviews on my efforts. I had a couple coworkers tell me they liked what I had to say and wanted to know more about some of the books I discussed. I'm not a great public speaker, but I have to tell you, I found this to be rewarding experience and highly reccomend it.
Fantastic Fiction
Fantastic Fiction - http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ - 3 Stars
Many who know me have heard me extoll the virutes of this site. It allows a person armed with an author or title to find other books by the same author. The site is great for determining the next book in a series and its faster than using a database like Novelist (if you don't know about Novelist, ask a librarian its great!).
This site is easy enough to browse and search within its focus. Most books are linked to amazon so yoy can get a hold of a copy. The site has cover images, and often has them for multiple editions, so if you can only remember the cover of a book you read in the past the site can be really helpful. The site is not the most attractive out there but it is very functional. Some author pages have listings of books recomended by the author. This is really cool as it often exposes one to new and more obscure authors.
Many who know me have heard me extoll the virutes of this site. It allows a person armed with an author or title to find other books by the same author. The site is great for determining the next book in a series and its faster than using a database like Novelist (if you don't know about Novelist, ask a librarian its great!).
This site is easy enough to browse and search within its focus. Most books are linked to amazon so yoy can get a hold of a copy. The site has cover images, and often has them for multiple editions, so if you can only remember the cover of a book you read in the past the site can be really helpful. The site is not the most attractive out there but it is very functional. Some author pages have listings of books recomended by the author. This is really cool as it often exposes one to new and more obscure authors.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Sky and Telescope Magazine - http://skytonight.com/ - 2.5 Stars
Sky and Telescope's site offers a lot of neat stuff for telescope and astronomy enthusiasts, including cool columns, stargazing tools, blogs, feeds, and more. One can learn how to start with this hobby and ways to get involved with the stargazing community.
The site looses ground with me as far as the layout is concerned, as its really busy. It also includes ads which always irritate. If the ads weren't thematically related to the site I would have taken off another half star on my rating.
Give the site a look, and be patient.
Sky and Telescope's site offers a lot of neat stuff for telescope and astronomy enthusiasts, including cool columns, stargazing tools, blogs, feeds, and more. One can learn how to start with this hobby and ways to get involved with the stargazing community.
The site looses ground with me as far as the layout is concerned, as its really busy. It also includes ads which always irritate. If the ads weren't thematically related to the site I would have taken off another half star on my rating.
Give the site a look, and be patient.
On the Name Change
I've decided to abandon the name "CoolQueries" for this blog. As neat and potentially marketable as that name was, I felt I wanted to go beyond talking about interesting reference questions (turns out there weren't enough truly interesting questions to write about).
"The Life of a Sentient Search Engine" speaks to my passion for reference service while being more open to other "librarian stuff".
"The Life of a Sentient Search Engine" speaks to my passion for reference service while being more open to other "librarian stuff".
Monday, May 14, 2007
PDF Online
PDF Online - https://www.pdfonline.com/convert_pdf.asp - 4 Stars
I just discovered this at work today! This free service allows one to convert numerous popular document and image formats to PDF. Now I know this is nothing new, but its special to me because its all online! Where I work, I cannot install the software or drivers necessary to use most of the PDF coversion solutions and therefore could only make PDFs by printing the document, and scanning it to PDF on our RICOH copier. This naturally degraded quality significantly and was, needless to say a hassle. This free online site does the conversion with no messy real world interaction, creating crisp PDFs that look like the original document.
The site is easy to use and feature rich. All the most popular Microsoft document formats and most image formats are included! The site does load slow so be patient! Also be patient when uploading, as, quite naturally, some files take a while to upload. It only takes a short while after that for the file to show up in your mailbox. Highly recommended, especially used in conjunction with a mail service like Gmail or Yahoo mail for PDF creation on the go!
I just discovered this at work today! This free service allows one to convert numerous popular document and image formats to PDF. Now I know this is nothing new, but its special to me because its all online! Where I work, I cannot install the software or drivers necessary to use most of the PDF coversion solutions and therefore could only make PDFs by printing the document, and scanning it to PDF on our RICOH copier. This naturally degraded quality significantly and was, needless to say a hassle. This free online site does the conversion with no messy real world interaction, creating crisp PDFs that look like the original document.
The site is easy to use and feature rich. All the most popular Microsoft document formats and most image formats are included! The site does load slow so be patient! Also be patient when uploading, as, quite naturally, some files take a while to upload. It only takes a short while after that for the file to show up in your mailbox. Highly recommended, especially used in conjunction with a mail service like Gmail or Yahoo mail for PDF creation on the go!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Chemical Composition of Petroleum
I had a young woman with a school project on the Exxon Valdez. Her part was to look up the chemical composition[properties of petroleum. We found articles on Petroleum and Exxon Valdez in AccessScience, a subscription database that may be available at your local library.
Most Basketballs
I had a patron and his father come in asking about the record for most the most basketballs spun simultaneously. They thought it was in the 1990 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. We didn't have this, and it wasn't in the more recent editions (2007, 2006...). We checked the GWR wcbsite, and found a listing showing that the older record that the patrons had been referring to had been superseded. Here's the link to the specific article:
www.guinnessworldrecord.com/records/sports_and_games/
ball_sports/most_basketballs_spun_simultaneously.aspx
www.guinnessworldrecord.com/records/sports_and_games/
ball_sports/most_basketballs_spun_simultaneously.aspx
Nativity Ceramics
This eventing, I had a patron ask for:
1. Books on Sculpting
2. Art Depictions of the Nativity
This patron had been planning a nativity sculpture for years and I'm pleased to say that I was able to help her get it underway with several art books, children's stories of the nativity, and books on scuolpting and pottery.
1. Books on Sculpting
2. Art Depictions of the Nativity
This patron had been planning a nativity sculpture for years and I'm pleased to say that I was able to help her get it underway with several art books, children's stories of the nativity, and books on scuolpting and pottery.
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Owl and the Pussy Cat
I had a patron looking for the words to "The Owl and the Pussycat" the other day. I searched Thompson-Gale's LitFinder and found the text as well as links to related material. He left very happy!
LitFinder is a subscription database available through Thompson-Gale. It is, therefore, not on the free-web. However, LitFinder is a very popular resource, subscribed to by many public libraries. Go to your local library to see if you can gain access.
LitFinder is a subscription database available through Thompson-Gale. It is, therefore, not on the free-web. However, LitFinder is a very popular resource, subscribed to by many public libraries. Go to your local library to see if you can gain access.
Citizendium and Maritime Art Greenwich
To atone for the lack of posts, here are two offerings.
Citizendium - en.citizendium.org - 3 Stars
Citizendium, the brainchild of Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger, can be thought of as the librarian's answer to Wikipedia. It uses the same free-content paradigm as Wikipedia and the same communal elements. However, unlike Wikipedia Citizendium adds an element of oversight and editorial control aimed at ensuring the quality of the information included in the site's articles.
The format will be familiar to those who use Wikipedia regularly with a clean uncluttered interface and muiltimedia articles. The authors and editors are required to give their real names and a short biography describing their qualifications. The site includes numerous other measures designed to ensure good content please refer to The Big Cleanup page on the site for more information (http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:The_Big_Cleanup).
This is a librarian's dream come true! We're trained to look for authoritative and stable sources to the information we find our patrons. Citizendium promises to combine the advantages of authoritative sources with the communal benefits of Wikipedia. The site does not currently have many articles compared to that available from Wikipedia, but its still in a beta stage. So spread the word and if you're a Wikipedian, consider getting involved with this new exciting project.
Maritime Art Greenwich - www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/ - 4 Stars
This site is fantastic! Okay, so it satisfies something of a niche interest, but its cool all the same. It's maintained by the Great Britain's National Maritime Museum and displays quality images of "oil painting collection." "The website offers a searchable database of selected paintings plus in-depth content on some of the major themes of maritime art." The paintings are beautiful and are available in sizes sufficient to study.
The site is easily searchable and browseable with the "explore the catalog" button. The "in-depth" button includes some interesting educational content pertaining to artistic and maritime subjects. The site is attractive and well laid out. Its worth a look!
Citizendium - en.citizendium.org - 3 Stars
Citizendium, the brainchild of Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger, can be thought of as the librarian's answer to Wikipedia. It uses the same free-content paradigm as Wikipedia and the same communal elements. However, unlike Wikipedia Citizendium adds an element of oversight and editorial control aimed at ensuring the quality of the information included in the site's articles.
The format will be familiar to those who use Wikipedia regularly with a clean uncluttered interface and muiltimedia articles. The authors and editors are required to give their real names and a short biography describing their qualifications. The site includes numerous other measures designed to ensure good content please refer to The Big Cleanup page on the site for more information (http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:The_Big_Cleanup).
This is a librarian's dream come true! We're trained to look for authoritative and stable sources to the information we find our patrons. Citizendium promises to combine the advantages of authoritative sources with the communal benefits of Wikipedia. The site does not currently have many articles compared to that available from Wikipedia, but its still in a beta stage. So spread the word and if you're a Wikipedian, consider getting involved with this new exciting project.
Maritime Art Greenwich - www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/ - 4 Stars
This site is fantastic! Okay, so it satisfies something of a niche interest, but its cool all the same. It's maintained by the Great Britain's National Maritime Museum and displays quality images of "oil painting collection." "The website offers a searchable database of selected paintings plus in-depth content on some of the major themes of maritime art." The paintings are beautiful and are available in sizes sufficient to study.
The site is easily searchable and browseable with the "explore the catalog" button. The "in-depth" button includes some interesting educational content pertaining to artistic and maritime subjects. The site is attractive and well laid out. Its worth a look!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Hey!
So I had a patron wanting to know how to make sidewalk chalk paint. We tried several books and didn't find too much that was interesting, just some typical kids crafts and activites books. Several had recipes for sidewalk chalk, but nont had recipes for "sidewalk chalk paint" or "sidewalk paint".
I did a google search and found some things that were perfect for her. She left truly pleased!
Here's the links:
Sidewalk paint - http://www.recipegoldmine.com/childpaint/childpaint30.html
Sidewalk "chalk" paint - http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chalk-Paint
Enjoy!
So I had a patron wanting to know how to make sidewalk chalk paint. We tried several books and didn't find too much that was interesting, just some typical kids crafts and activites books. Several had recipes for sidewalk chalk, but nont had recipes for "sidewalk chalk paint" or "sidewalk paint".
I did a google search and found some things that were perfect for her. She left truly pleased!
Here's the links:
Sidewalk paint - http://www.recipegoldmine.com/childpaint/childpaint30.html
Sidewalk "chalk" paint - http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chalk-Paint
Enjoy!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
HowStuff Works
HowStuffWorks - www.howstuffworks.com/ - 3 Stars
HowStuffWorks is a really fun site and very informative. It provides articles on how things work from "British Titles of Nobility" to "Comets". The articles are in plain English as benefits the general audience they target.
Most importantly, it is not the public that contributes the articles like Wikipedia. Instead, the contributers are genuine experts, including lawyers and PhDs, working in the field they are asked to write about. One can click on the authors name to see their credentials. In doing so, one does find that some authors write on topics that they don't have an obvious expertise and there is nothing said about what their qualification to write on that topic is. This is troublesome. However, from what I can gather, for some topics it is presumed that an ability to research and write effectively is important. Obvious efforts are taken to research topics as many articles include acknowledgments to other experts for their assistance.
The site is well designed, but it is a bit more cluttered than I usually prefer.
HowStuffWorks is a really fun site and very informative. It provides articles on how things work from "British Titles of Nobility" to "Comets". The articles are in plain English as benefits the general audience they target.
Most importantly, it is not the public that contributes the articles like Wikipedia. Instead, the contributers are genuine experts, including lawyers and PhDs, working in the field they are asked to write about. One can click on the authors name to see their credentials. In doing so, one does find that some authors write on topics that they don't have an obvious expertise and there is nothing said about what their qualification to write on that topic is. This is troublesome. However, from what I can gather, for some topics it is presumed that an ability to research and write effectively is important. Obvious efforts are taken to research topics as many articles include acknowledgments to other experts for their assistance.
The site is well designed, but it is a bit more cluttered than I usually prefer.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Gamespot and ESRB.org
There's two sites on the docket for today's post, something fun and something related, but more sober:
Gamespot - www.gamespot.com - 3.5 Stars
Gamespot is my personal favorite site when it comes to gaming news. The site is a great source for information on games new and old for PC or any major (and most minor) console system in existence, past and present.
Actually, I'd more accurately describe Gamespot as an electronic magazine. It includes many of the same things like feature articles and game reviews, but is usually updated 5-6 days a week. The core of the content are the game reviews in my opinion. Their rating system is on a 10 point scale and is well described on the site. Few games get 10s and fewer get 0s, with most games seeming to fall in the 6-8 range. Gamespots editorial policy is availble though the "about us" page accessible by scrolling to the bottom.
In addition to this more "traditional" content, Gamespot has a lot of multimedia content including downloads, video, screenshots, and podcasts. It also includes many features like fourms and the ability to maintain a "wishlist" and "owned list" which really lend it a sense of community (for good or ill).
The layout of the site is busy, but consistent, so its easy to learn to navigate. The site is more conducive to browsing (read: the searching stinks). Be prepared to play and explore a little bit when you visit the first couple times.
Entertainment Software Rating Board - www.esrb.org - 4 Stars
This is a very well constructed site. For those not in the know, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is the group that decides what rating symbol ends up on the game boxes you buy. Their website is an excellent extension of their mission to help parents keep track of what games their kids are playing.
The site includes resources for parents and children that explain the rating system and define the "content" codes on the ESRB labels among other things. The site also includes a great "webliography"that lists other sites that will be of use to parents.
However, the center of attention is and should be the search interface. It allows the user to search by Publisher or Title keyword, by Rating, by Platform (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox...), or by content (mild violence, etc.). This lets you print out great lists of titles to refer to while doing christmas shopping, for example. Overall, one of the best intersite search tools I've seen.
Gamespot - www.gamespot.com - 3.5 Stars
Gamespot is my personal favorite site when it comes to gaming news. The site is a great source for information on games new and old for PC or any major (and most minor) console system in existence, past and present.
Actually, I'd more accurately describe Gamespot as an electronic magazine. It includes many of the same things like feature articles and game reviews, but is usually updated 5-6 days a week. The core of the content are the game reviews in my opinion. Their rating system is on a 10 point scale and is well described on the site. Few games get 10s and fewer get 0s, with most games seeming to fall in the 6-8 range. Gamespots editorial policy is availble though the "about us" page accessible by scrolling to the bottom.
In addition to this more "traditional" content, Gamespot has a lot of multimedia content including downloads, video, screenshots, and podcasts. It also includes many features like fourms and the ability to maintain a "wishlist" and "owned list" which really lend it a sense of community (for good or ill).
The layout of the site is busy, but consistent, so its easy to learn to navigate. The site is more conducive to browsing (read: the searching stinks). Be prepared to play and explore a little bit when you visit the first couple times.
Entertainment Software Rating Board - www.esrb.org - 4 Stars
This is a very well constructed site. For those not in the know, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is the group that decides what rating symbol ends up on the game boxes you buy. Their website is an excellent extension of their mission to help parents keep track of what games their kids are playing.
The site includes resources for parents and children that explain the rating system and define the "content" codes on the ESRB labels among other things. The site also includes a great "webliography"that lists other sites that will be of use to parents.
However, the center of attention is and should be the search interface. It allows the user to search by Publisher or Title keyword, by Rating, by Platform (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox...), or by content (mild violence, etc.). This lets you print out great lists of titles to refer to while doing christmas shopping, for example. Overall, one of the best intersite search tools I've seen.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Clusty
Clusty - clusty.com - 3 Stars
Okay, so I say that I'm not going to review a search engine, and then I go and review a search engine in my third post. What gives? Well Clusty is just that cool.
In my defense, Clusty is not a search engine, its a metasearch engine (Yeah Mike, BIG difference). If you aren't aware, a metasearch engine queries several search engines at once. So Clusty's results tend to cover a lot of ground. The excellent thing about Clusty is the way it organizes search results by grouping them by subject, so not only are the results more complete, but they're also more useful.
The interface clean and straightforward to use. It includes a filter for adult sites. You can also use the interface to search to news, images, wikipedia, blogs, jobs, and more. What's more, the site is now completely "Wii Friendly" (If you don't know what that means, then it probably doesn't apply to you.) Look in the "about" page to find out how to add a Clusty Cloud to your blog or website like the one at the bottom of this page.
Okay, so I say that I'm not going to review a search engine, and then I go and review a search engine in my third post. What gives? Well Clusty is just that cool.
In my defense, Clusty is not a search engine, its a metasearch engine (Yeah Mike, BIG difference). If you aren't aware, a metasearch engine queries several search engines at once. So Clusty's results tend to cover a lot of ground. The excellent thing about Clusty is the way it organizes search results by grouping them by subject, so not only are the results more complete, but they're also more useful.
The interface clean and straightforward to use. It includes a filter for adult sites. You can also use the interface to search to news, images, wikipedia, blogs, jobs, and more. What's more, the site is now completely "Wii Friendly" (If you don't know what that means, then it probably doesn't apply to you.) Look in the "about" page to find out how to add a Clusty Cloud to your blog or website like the one at the bottom of this page.
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/ - 4 Stars
Internet Movie Database is the gold standard of cinema information. Librarians love it for its usability and comprehensiveness. One can find information on films, tv shows, filmmakers, actors, and more from around the world. A great source of trivia and source of information for bar bets.
Home page has film industry news and lists of the new and top films and DVDs.
You can also use the site to purchase movie tickets, talk about movies, and even post your resume so you can get a job in the film industry yourself!
Internet Movie Database is the gold standard of cinema information. Librarians love it for its usability and comprehensiveness. One can find information on films, tv shows, filmmakers, actors, and more from around the world. A great source of trivia and source of information for bar bets.
Home page has film industry news and lists of the new and top films and DVDs.
You can also use the site to purchase movie tickets, talk about movies, and even post your resume so you can get a job in the film industry yourself!
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Inaugural Post - Internet Public Library
Ah...the inaugural post...
Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org/ - 4 Stars
Fantastic Site! It provides links to especially useful sites that have been vetted by librarians and library students. This means that their content is trustworthy. It also gives you a finite number or hits instead of the 80 billion from a Google search, so you don't have to wade through search results to find something useful. In my mind, if you're not going to a library for your infomation needs, at least go somewhere credible and useful like IPL.
The content has also been catagorized (ya'll know how librarians like to organize). The catagories are like those in web directories like Yahoo! but better (Of course, I am a bit biased).
The interface is "pleasingly plain", meaning clean and relatively intuitive. Try the Grokker enabled search too as its pretty interesting.
Overall, I have to say as a nearly lifelong Buckeye that the "school up north" has put something truly outstanding together here!
Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org/ - 4 Stars
Fantastic Site! It provides links to especially useful sites that have been vetted by librarians and library students. This means that their content is trustworthy. It also gives you a finite number or hits instead of the 80 billion from a Google search, so you don't have to wade through search results to find something useful. In my mind, if you're not going to a library for your infomation needs, at least go somewhere credible and useful like IPL.
The content has also been catagorized (ya'll know how librarians like to organize). The catagories are like those in web directories like Yahoo! but better (Of course, I am a bit biased).
The interface is "pleasingly plain", meaning clean and relatively intuitive. Try the Grokker enabled search too as its pretty interesting.
Overall, I have to say as a nearly lifelong Buckeye that the "school up north" has put something truly outstanding together here!
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