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This page is intended for printing purposes. Note that the internal links to references will not work correctly.
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January 2001
As the Web gets deeper and wider it becomes more and more important for us to get feedback from our users. Cultivate Interactive investigates one of the ways you can.
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Can you think of any good ways to get user feedback? Most sites contain the obligatory 'Contact us' link, some have 'User feedback forms' but a number have taken the plunge and added polling software to their site allowing visitors to vote on whether they like the site or not. You may think that online polls are tacky and unnecessary but they are a very quick and easy way to find out what your users think.
A variety of externally-hosted polling services are available. Bear in mind that some of these make their money through advertising. A selection of the best are given below.
The free trial version of the SurveySolutions Express interface is downloadable from their site. The interface is fairly intuitive and easy to use. The available polling solutions are divided up into single-question polls and multiple surveys and users can schedule these in advance and switch over to a different poll whenever they want. Changing the design and content of your poll is easy to do even after saving it. SurveySolutions for the Web, Including the CD and documentation is currently priced at $179.00.
URL: <http://www.perseus.com/softwareprod/ssexpress_index.html>
You have to register initially to be given access to the EZPolls manager page but once you are in you can configure your poll to your hearts content! The online version is easy to use and you are free to create as many polls as you like. The configurable options include the color scheme, up to 15 answer choices, voting preferences and the option to have your results emailed to you on a regular basis.The free version of Ezpolls, EZpolls Lite, is funded by advertising, a licensed version is also available at $199/ per poll. An example of this service is given below. Mycomputer.com, who make EZPolls have a number of other useful and sometimes free services including site submitters, advertising exchanges and banner adds.
IBID claims to be "The best market research, opinion poll and survey tool online". It offers both single question surveys and multiple question surveys. You can choose between public, registered and registered-restricted. Registered user surveys can be used to target specific countries, age ranges etc. Restricted surveys can be set up to allow only invited customers to complete them by means of a predefined key. IBID also offers translation services on surveys. Currently you can have your survey in English, Finnish, Polish and Russian. Another added advantage is that you can get extra traffic to your site from other visitors to IBID pages who can also see and respond to your surveys .
URL: <http://www.ibid.co.uk/>
The OnlineOpinion system is different from a standard opinion poll, it is more a user feedback solution. The code is download from the Web site free of charge and copied and pasted into your site. An OnlineOpinion icon will appear on each page of your site and begin collecting valuable user feedback. You can view your free O-Scan data in the O-Zone or subscribe to reports, which cost money. The product can be complicated to set up but provides very useful information.
URL: <http://www.o-pinion.com/>
Vox Populi - URL: <http://tools.arsdigita.com/voxpopuli/>
Zaplet - URL: <http://zaplet.zaplet.com/index.jsp>
CGI World - URL: <http://www.cgi-world.com/pollit.html>
Infopoll - URL: <http://www.infopoll.com/>
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For citation purposes:
Cultivate Interactive "Providing User Feedback services through Polling Software", Cultivate Interactive, issue
3, 29 January 2001
URL: <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue3/polls/>
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By Marieke Napier - January 2001
Most people will agree that the terminology and acronyms of the European Union are difficult to follow, even for those working within the sound of the European Community bells. Eurospeak, eurojargon, eurobabble (call it what you want) can be very tiresome to comprehend and quick definitions are often impossible to find. Eurojargon [1] is an attempt to give us Europeans a head start in understanding what is being talked about by people in and out of suits in Europe. Marieke Napier reviews.
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The
dictionary contains approximately 4000 definitions, which is 1000
more than the previous edition, yet on first opening I am struck
by the explicitness of its layout. The structure itself is
simplistic; the table of contents lists only six sections
including the acknowledgements and bibliography. The dictionary
opens with a brief preface detailing the aim of the book and is
followed by a list of symbols and abbreviations not explained in
the text. The main body of Eurojargon consists of 376
pages of spaciously laid out, comprehensive definitions in
alphabetical order. There are no graphics, gimmicks or colour to
confuse the reader; which makes the text quicker and easier to
use than a search engine. The only appendix is a list of postal
addresses of publishers and electronic hosts. The 6th edition is
the first time Eurojargon has been issued as a hardback
version. The cover does add to its value as reference work for
libraries or for personal use.
The blurb on the sleeve describes Eurojargon as "a dictionary of European Union acronyms, abbreviations and sobriquets". The use of sobriquets in the introductory sentence may put some people but for those without a standard dictionary it simply means nicknames. The preface warns that "not every abbreviation in EU documents has been cited" but that in compensation "some have been included which are from a wider context than that of the EU".
In order to review the text I set out to use it in earnest in a 'digital cultural heritage context' for a month. I was pleased to find that my first look up, IST (Information Society Technologies Programme), was listed along with three URLs. Unfortunately one of the urls was broken, an fact of life in our ever changing Web world. Eurojargon might benefit from citing the URLs of folders where possible instead of exact page addresses, which are more likely to change. The 6th edition contains many more Internet addresses than previous editions and as time moves on this will probably become a more significant part of the dictionary. However, it is first and foremost a dictionary and not a Web reference guide and benefits from remembering its own intent. The IST reference also gives previous and related definitions that can be looked up for further information.
During the month about half of the jargon I looked up in Eurojargon was contained in the dictionary. Although DIGICULT appears none of the new projects such as CULTIVATE are listed. Some of the previous TELEMATICS projects are there but not all of them. However whilst not all details for specific projects are given in the dictionary, most general areas are covered. Whilst investigating European Databases all the acronyms I was interested in were featured and details for how to actually access them was given for most.
Eurojargon markets itself at "specialist consultants in EU information, academics, documentalists, librarians, journalists, local authority staff, civil servants, economist and politicians." A long list of people to please but it does its job well. As a guide for general use this reference book is a must.
Where Eurojargon falls down is in its timeliness and focus. It does not and cannot contain all EU definitions and some readers may find that they require a more focused text that concentrates on their own specialised area of EU work. This aside, Eurojargon will still serve as a complementary text to any other European glossary. It is the Babelfish of eurospeak. Not only is the book a pleasure to hold (all that knowledge at your finger tips) but what a refreshing change from a Web page!!
For those who just can't say "No" to the Web, glossaries of terms are available online from InfoBASE EUROPE [2] and the University of Aberdeen [3].
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Marieke
Napier
Information Officer
UKOLN
University of Bath
Bath
England
BA2 7AY
m.napier@ukoln.ac.uk
<http://www.ukoln.ac.uk>
Marieke Napier is editor of the Cultivate Interactive Web magazine.
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For citation purposes:
Napier, M. "Book Review: EUROJARGON", Cultivate Interactive, issue
3, 29 January 2001
URL: <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue3/review/>
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Time again for a bit of light relief with the Cultivate Interactive Competition.
Below are two sets of four pictures. Each set of four represents a different European city. All you have to do is decide which cities are being shown.
 
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The answers should be sent to cultivate-editor@ukoln.ac.uk
before the closing date of 1st March 2001. Names will be drawn out of a hat
and the winner will receive a book token. Good Luck!!
The winner from issue 2 was Gunnar Holmlund from Gteborg, Sweden. Congratulations!! Two art books are winding their way over to you.
The answers were:
Lots of you got the answers right last time, it was obviously too easy. I have picked slightly harder cities this time so you may need to put your thinking caps on.
For more fun try the Cultivate Interactive Scramble game.
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This issue Cultivate Interactive is bringing you an extra distraction from the pile of papers on your desk. The Cultivate Interactive Scramble Game is very easy to play. All you need to do is start the game using the link below, then click on the 'Scramble' button to mix up the pieces of the picture below and then rearrange them all back again by hovering your cursor over the piece you would like to move. Those who can manage the game in under 2 minutes deserve a pat on the back.
Start the Scramble game.
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The picture is of the Santa Maria delle Grazie church from the Fabricators Last Supper Interactive game.
The Cultivate Interactive Scramble Game has been provided courtesy of
Dynamic Drive
.
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The content on this page is current at the time of publication (January 2001), but will become out of date. To reach a more recent issue of Cultivate Interactive use the 'Current Issue' link in the top green navigational bar.
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Position?: Professor for Library Science
teaching Digital Media
Company?: The Archive, Library and Documentation
Department of the University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule)
Potsdam, Germany (near Berlin)
Closing Date?: March 2001
Qualified candidates must have teaching and research experience in technology and management of digital publication of all types of media for an information organization, preferably with knowledge of the development of digital libraries. We expect the candidate to contribute by teaching both library and information science, as well as conventional techniques for information and communication media. Cooperation in teaching such topics as digital archiving, document management and innovative information systems is also desired.
We expect outstanding commitment to the academic administration of the Department and to the ongoing issues concerning curriculum reform and continued development of the courses of study. Thus, it is taken for granted that you are very much interested in new forms of university teaching as, for example, online teaching. The courses at the Fachhochschule Potsdam shall increasingly be held in English.
Requirements for this position include a relevant university degree, outstanding job experience in the form of projects, scientific publications and specific practical experience in the desired teaching areas mentioned above. The Fachhochschule Potsdam is attempting to increase the proportion of women in sciences and explicitly seeks applications from women. Given equal qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference.
The Fachhochschule Potsdam is attempting to increase the proportion of women in sciences and explicitly seeks applications from women. Given equal qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference.
The position to be filled by 1 April 2001, initially for a limited period of 1.5 years. This is a civil service position in the public sector (im Angestelltenverhältnis). The salary is analogous to C2.
If you want to apply, please contact:
Rektorin der Fachhochschule Potsdam
Postfach 60 06 08
D-14406 Potsdam
Germany
rektorin@fh-potsdam.de
URL: <http://www.fh-potsdam.de/>
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Position?: EARL Information Manager
Company?: EARL (Electronic Access to Resources
in Libraries), the Consortium for Public Library Networking
Closing Date?: 5.00pm on Monday 29th February,
2000
Job Purpose
Key Tasks
Person Specification
The post is a full time 12-month fixed term contract
(renewable). Salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
Further information is available from Sally Chambers, EARL
Liaison Officer by telephone (020) 7702 2020 or by email sally@earl.org.uk
and the
Earl Web site
.
To apply for either position, please forward a CV and covering letter matching your skills to the person specification in either hard copy or electronic format to arrive by 5.00pm on Monday 29th February, 2000. Interviews are likely to take place in early February.
Please send applications to:
Sally Chambers
EARL Liaison Officer
4th Floor, Gun Court
70 Wapping Lane
London E1W 2RS
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In this section we will review some of the sites that have chosen to link to us. If you would like to be mentioned in the next issue then please Contact Us.
If you would like to see how many sites are linking to Cultivate Interactive have a look at
Link Popularity
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Web Site Name?: Research Libraries Group News
URL?: <http://www.rlg.ac.uk/preserv/diginews/>
Description?: RLG DigiNews is a bimonthly web-based newsletter intended to
focus on issues of particular interest and value to managers of digital
initiatives with a preservation component or rationale. It also aims to
provide filtered guidance and pointers to relevant projects to improve our awareness
of evolving practices in image conversion and digital archiving and
announce publications (in any form) that will help staff attain a deeper
understanding of digital issues.
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Web Site Name?: The Museum Computer Network
URL?: <http://www.mcn.edu/>
Description?: The Museum Computer Network is a nonprofit organization of
professionals dedicated to fostering the cultural aims of museums through the use of
computer technologies. They serve individuals and institutions wishing to improve their
means of developing, managing, and conveying museum information through the use of automation.
They support cooperative efforts that enable museums to be more effective at creating and
disseminating cultural and scientific knowledge as represented by their collections and
related documentation.
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Web Site Name?: Berkley's Current Cites
URL?: <http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/2000/cc00.11.10.html>
Description?: Current Cites is maintained by a team of librarians and
library staff who monitor information technology literature in both print and digital forms,
each month selecting only the best items to annotate for a free publication. The resulting issue of 10-20 annotated citations of current
literature is emailed to a mailing list and held on the Web.
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ISSN 1471-3225 |