Information Strategy

July 29, 2009

Many businesses are concerned about Social Media and SEO.  Due to the participatory nature of the Internet now, businesses are concerned about findability and reputation tracking.

Companies, organizations and agencies create and use lots of information.  I’ve written about information overload in the past.   Information users are overwhelmed by the influx of data and frustrated by the inability  to easily and quickly find what they need or want.

Good information strategy results in better findabilty.

Good information strategy results in better findabilty.

Findability is important.  In order to make information findable creators and publishers must employ strategy.  Successful information publication and retrieval requires processes and policy.

Policy must consider a multitude of items.  First and foremost is what users really are seeking.  Is it news, events or contact info.  The review and use of analytics can provide valuable quantitative guidance.  Other considerations include:

  • Valued Information i.e. research reports, organizational guides
  • Information creation sources i.e.  speeches, video, PR releases.
  • Social Media content i.e. Facebook groups and user comments

With the right policies and processes and the strategic use of analytics, organizations can place the right content in front of their users.  This will help recruit and retain users and thus support for the organization no matter what the mission is.  Without a well employed  information strategy you could lose your users.

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Posted by Answer Maven

Call for Information Professionals to Take Charge

June 26, 2009

I may be misinterpreting Stephen Arnold’s words with my headline, but if you read his post here and disagree with my interpretation, the comments field is open.

As a law librarian, I took on the training of summer associates, fall associates and partners.  Their training needs were based upon the fact that they underutilized the power of the commercial databases at their disposal and didn’t use the free resources on the Internet to their greatest advantage.

Librarians are continuously learning and expanding their own knowledge base.  Partnering with vendors to maximize the powerful information collected in commercial services is just one way to win friends and influence users.

Keyword search with Google is so easy because most people are looking for those top indexed terms.  Applying the Google method of search to complex information collections does not assure accurate results.  If you are searching within a specific industry’sdata and that industry serves multiple audiences that use similar terms that talk about vastly different topics,  you will understand that search is more than keywords.

Taxonomies, language structure, database structure and more affect how information is retrieved.  The average user doesn’t think beyond their own interpretation of  a topic and may turn away frustrated or satisfied when they have no information or the wrong information.  And therein lies the danger because the average user does not recognize that the correct information is there, just beyond their keywords.

Without the education provided by information professionals the inaccuracies caused by amateur searchers could have significant impacts on business and research.  Our profession must iterate the importance of information literacy that reaches beyond keyword retrieval.  Verification of sources, currency, accuracy and complex search techniques are critical skills.  No one is better able or placed to teach those skills than librarians.

So my fellow professionals, take up the charge and continue the fight.  We must demonstrate the need, the problems caused by not meeting that need and why we are in the best position to meet the need.  Teach information literacy beyond keyword search.  Teach to cause and effect and champion yourself as the key weapon in the battle for information retrieval.

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Posted by Answer Maven

Lines and Technology

June 24, 2009

SLA 2009 was engaging and full of educational and networking opportunities.  I was scheduled to return home on Friday, unfortunately that did not happen.

I did receive the unexpected opportunity for education and networking while standing in various lines for 3 plus hours on Saturday.  My original plans called for a flight home on Friday afternoon.  And the delay of the 1st flight and the cancellation of the Chicago to Louisville connection began my long journey home.

I took that first day’s delay in stride and made the best of my layover in Crystal City.  What did not work for me was the 2nd day.  I did my duty as a traveler and arrived in plenty of time for the security screening and other formalities.  Our flight boarded and all looked well until the mechanical problems were announced.  An hour of sitting on the plane finally ended with a de-boarding  and a need to stand in the first line and the re-ticketing process began.

We were handed a sheet of paper with an 800 number to call to get new reservations.  With 100 plus people standing in line calling the same number the odds of a quickly answered call seemed slim.  Fortunately the call went through and the reservations for another flight were made.  Pretty good…twenty minutes in line.

Then off to the other carrier, to print boarding passes and get gate information.  Quickly navigate through the line to self-check-in kiosk and bam!  The first brick wall…Your record can not be located.

Three hours later I’ve learned that competing airlines can’t talk to one another and if you’ve had trouble in the first self-help line with the same information, stay in the line to talk to the humans.

Problems encountered:

  1. American Airlines can’t talk to others and send a simple E-Ticket to the airline they with which they have made reservations.
  2. Delta Airlines can archive traveler records within hours of creation.
  3. Self-help isn’t the best option when travel arrangements are complex.

Conclusions & Observations:

  1. Airlines should be pro-active, when travelers are delayed serve water or coffee on the plane and in long-lines. (This type of courtesy will keep the frustrations at bay)
  2. The baggage process at Reagan National is bizarre:  one line to get tags and weight, another to drop off – use the curb-side check-in (Thank you Casey for the tip!)
  3. Airlines are not making a profit because they have refused to invest in technology regularly to maximize communications internally and with other airlines when necessary.
  4. Line policing is important to avoid possible crowd eruptions.  Delta did this well, American did not.

The final conclusion is that information flow is critical to satisfied customers.  If the reservation made on the phone twenty minutes into the first line had been accessible via the self-service kiosk at the carrier I would not have been at my wit’s end at the end of the next three hours.

I  hope my fellow-line compatriots are home, at Fort Benning in time to report to duty, and enjoying their Hawaii vacation respectively.

Constance Ard June 24, 2009

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What are your Technology Wheelbarrow Requirements?

June 13, 2009

I’ve been thinking about requirements a lot lately.  For my upcoming birthday I asked for a wheelbarrow.  For my business, I’ve been thinking about my on-line presence.

One seems simple and the other seems complicated.  However, as I have since learned, nothing about wheelbarrows is simple.  I simply want a tool to carry heavy bags of organic potting soil to by 25 square foot garden in my backyard that can be stored in my garage.  Easy right?  No!

There are collapsible wheelbarrows and wheelbarrows that can be laid on the ground to scoop stuff into and there are big wheelbarrows that can handle 100 foot trees or something ridiculous like that.

Result of pre-shopping?  I had to define my requirements.  Result of requirements definition?  We’ll see next month but I can reasonably expect a manageable wheelbarrow that can stand alone so that items can be taken in and taken out.

In thinking about my on-line presence the requirements may appear to be extremely complicated but the wheelbarrow requirements exercise has caused great focus.  Here’s a list of reasonable requirements for Answer Maven.

  • Consistent identity across networks
  • Easy to find information
  • Consistent blog tags that demonstrate my taxonomy ability
  • Accurate, current Professional biography
  • Clean, simple presence
  • Can be found

Those requirements are broad but they will and do guide my inputs into the Internet and my future developments of such things as my website.  (I’m about two weeks behind on meeting this deadline–must get busy.)

Many times, we don’t get or have what we need because we were not careful enough to set expectations and define our requirements.  When working on a technology project you must know what you want to happen and let the people who can make it happen know.  If something you dream is technologically impossible–the tech folks will let you know.

Product people, and this is anyone who is responsible for gizmos and content, must know what they want and communicate.  Without definition it’s easy to say you didn’t get what you need.  Success doesn’t just mean saying I want a wheelbarrow.  It means saying I want a wheelbarrow that can stand up by itself and can handle up to 150 pounds of cargo and can be stored in my garage.

If you are having a problem with your wheelbarrow technology, have you really figured out what you really want?

Constance Ard June 13, 2009

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Business and IT: Collaboration Benefits Business

May 27, 2009

The inspiration from this post came from this quote:

While I couldn’t agree more that IT organizations need a track where technical excellence is rewarded with a solid career path, I still think those technical experts need to spend real time with business peers. ( Practical Analysis: Reaquaint Yourself With Your Changing Business by Art Wittman)

In recent years I have seen the blending of library and IT due to the fact that digital information is growing.  This forced collaboration has not always been comfortable.

Librarians as a general rule enjoy working with others and try to make all relationships work.  (Note: as a general rule…there are those of us who just want to get down to business and avoid the touchy feely stuff.)  IT, as a general rule, has seemed more comfortable with the technology than the technology users.  Taking the strengths of both and blending them to benefit business is the ideal situation.

Each service provider, and librarians and IT truly are service providers, must recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their colleagues and partner to maximize business investments.

Understanding how users seek and apply information is the librarian specialty, providing the technological infrastructure to deliver the information is the IT domain.  Users don’t care who is making it happen behind the scenes as long as they get the data they expect and need when they hit enter to send their search to the data wasteland.

Collaboration between IT and Librarians is becoming smoother.  IT is learning how informaiton users seek and apply content.  Librarians are raising their awareness of the infrastructure and programming demands on making search work.  Optimizing the skills of both groups to deliver content efficiently is good business.

If your organization is not combining business goals with content management practices, you are using resources inefficiently.  In the current economic climate businesses should be assessing internal practices, evaluating current information resources and ensuring the collaboration of IT, librarians and business peers to maximize resources.

The collegial relationships that are growing between the tech and management side of information is a strong company asset.  Are you using it for your benefit?

Constance Ard May 27, 2009

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Finding Content

May 20, 2009

There is a lot of data out there that states that business suffers because information can not be located.  Is this a problem? Yes!

If you are working and trying to use internally created content to advocate, sell, or succeed, it is critical that you are able to find organizational content.  All of my regular readers know that I strongly support the telephone as the number one most powerful research tool.  Unfortunately, information users get frustrated by the need to use the phone to find something they perceive to be a simple task.

If you work for an organization and want to find content created for and about you, can you do so without picking up the phone?  Even if you use Google or Cluuz are you satisfied with the results?

If not, is lack of findability caused by the the “search engine” (internal or external) or is it because of content distribution?  Are the two mutually exclusive?

In my opinion, digital content is so easy to create and upload that no one thinks beyond the upload.  In today’s cloud computing environment, tags are easy to create and content abounds. The million dollar question is:  is content findable?    I don’t really care if it’s “searchable”  because the search is just an action to get me to the data I’m seeking.  I want to FIND information so that I can use it.

So do the tags I use make my content on this blog “findable”?  I think so…I do pride myself on being a good taxonomist.   (So if anyone needs a good custom taxonomy to make your content findable…give me a buzz.)  I aim for descriptive tags that are consistent and fit into categories.  Of course, the more content you have, the more complex your tags/taxonomy/categories become.  Consistency in applying those tools is important.

If you are a digital content creator, you must be flexible and structured.  Growth of categories and tags is inevitable but consistent application increases the findability.  If you are an organization that has multiple content creators it is important to findability to establish procedures that ensure consistency in “tagging”.  It’s hard for content creators to keep at the forefront of their minds as they work, that other people, complete strangers, need to be able to find their content.  Thinking about how to bring people in and give them the content they need ensures success in advocacy, sales and success.

There is more to the digital revolution than uploading content.  Metadata is important, no matter the process of adding to your information.  Metadata helps make content easier to find so that decision makers can locate the information they need to support their work.   So if you are publishing content, either internally or externally to/for your organization think strategically about the processes and procedures that will make your content findable and usable…having it just sitting there defeats the purpose of creating content.

Constance Ard May 20, 2009

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Posted by Answer Maven

Time Management

February 5, 2009

Sometimes the best tool for information management is time management.

I had an interesting conversation today with someone who felt that a particular listserv had gems of good information but that the overall value was not worth the noise.

I tend to agree.  I get the particular listserv in digest form but still find it difficult to make myself review it daily for the few gems I do receive.  The search feature for the archives of the listserv also disappointed my conversation partner.

She made a conscience decision to not receive the listserv any longer as a part of her time management strategy.  Interesting.  As my schedule continues to tighten over the next several weeks I realize that my own time management skills are going to need some serious honing.

I know that my best personal productivity is early in the morning and from about 3-7 in the evening.  Of course, the home duties are also at a premium during that time as well.  The dogs have just gotten to used to feeding time at 6:30 a.m and 5:30 p.m.

I also have a variety of deadlines that involve other people’s schedules over the next few weeks.  Planning around my work and personal calendar and their calendars will be a challenge.

Collaborative work on-line is definitely an advantage but it is not always possible.  Sometimes you must meet with people (not have a meeting) in order to allow the creativity and problem solving to occur.  That takes additional time.

Routine is important and so is flexibility.  As I adjust to added demands on my schedule and meet my upcoming deadlines I will need to build time in for routine tasks as well.

Controlling my information flow will be critical.  Constantly checking email or Twitter will not be a part of the routine.  Twice a day response time to email will be built into the new schedule.   After-hours will be the social media time.

Managing my information, both incoming and outgoing, will benefit from better time management.  And my time will be better managed with these new information workflows.

What is your favorite time/information management tip.  Feel free to share in the comments section.  I’m sure I will benefit from your expertise.

Constance Ard February 5, 2009

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Managing Information

November 6, 2008

Today, I’ve been busy with some final duties for the non-profit I have been working with for nearly 8 years.  On Monday, I announced my resignation from the board effective December 2008.  My final duties include doing my part to clean-up our donor database and review and revise our Board Manual and Volunteer Training materials.

This would be oh, so easy, if only…

If only, all the data was in a central location.  If only, I hadn’t lost my originals that had been done years ago on computers long gone.  If only, the files that I had copied from other machines had actually made it onto the organization’s computer (I could have sworn, they were there before I deleted my back-up.)

Today’s work caused me to reflect upon how people don’t really pay attention to important information when they are involved with an organization, whether it be work or volunteer.  This morning, I went through lots of “dead paper” (borrowed from Stephen Arnold) and filed it accordingly.

One thing became very clear, an organization that has lots of volunteer workers in a decentralized environment must have a policy in place about how the meeting records, training materials, and organization policies are archived.  Organizational history in a grass-roots organization is critical to the on-going support and well being of the entity.  Knowing where new members can access that information is extremely important.

A central place for all of this rich information is important whether in dead paper or electronic.  I will make some final recommendations to my fellow volunteers encouraging even more attention to the proper filing/archiving of critical information.

If you have gotten complacent in your own policies regarding information management whether at work or within your own volunteer organization, I would encourage you to follow these guidelines.  I know, you’ve heard it before but it really is important.

  • Back-up data.
  • Electronic documents created on a home computer for work/volunteer should be transferred to the organizations files.
  • Don’t let the paperwork overwhelm you; file it, recycle it, but don’t pile it.
  • For important documents:  Time/Date Stamp and File a Hard Copy and an Electronic Copy.

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