Chapter 14: Keep what you find

============================== Little is gained by being skillful at locating and accumulating information, and then becoming drowned in an avalanche of data that one cannot manage - or use. This chapter starts with how to build a personal data base on your own hard disk. We continue by investigating strategies for finding interesting information on your disk, before winding down with some words about what separates good information from bad. Search and throw away --------------------- To novices, everything is difficult. During the first online trips, they may feel as if moving to the other side of the globe to start over: They need new newspapers, magazines, information sources, and services. Trial and error are required to find online gold mines. As you get more experience, focus tends to shift from getting information to digesting. Getting the data gets 'into your fingers', and doesn't bother much anymore. The number of retrieved lines increases. The only bad news is that your reading speed remains at the same old level. In our time, people tend to talk more than they listen, and you usually find more information than knowledge. Therefore, say NO to irrelevant information. It is seldom worth keeping. There is generally no good reason to learn things that you really don't need to know. Practice "selective ignorance." Regularly evaluate your online sources critically, and discard those costing you more than they are worth. Concentrate on those giving the best returns. Adjust the frequency with which you visit selected services to match their usefulness. What used to be daily visits, may have to be downgraded to once per week or month. Consider replacing daily news monitoring by clipping services. Plan 'overview' and 'details' with different frequencies. 'Overview' refers to online trips to get an impression of what generally goes on. An example: My script system is set for automatic visits to the CompuServe Toshiba forum. Whenever I visit, it 'digs out' unread messages based on key words on the item's subject line. During 1991, it searched for these strings: '5100', T2000', and '425'. Once, This gave the following message to read: #: 29550 S6/Hi-Power Notebooks 05-Oct-91 17:27:30 Sb: #T2000SX Recharger Fm: Steve Kitahata 75166,1741 To: All I tried to order the battery recharger for my T2000SX from Jade Computer last weekend. The sales rep said it would take about a week, so I called today to check up on it. He told me that I could only buy the recharger with the car adapter as a bundled set for $260. They had both advertised in their flyer as separate items, which they should be. Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know of any sources that have the battery recharger available? Any help would be appreciated. Thanx. -- Steve My script found the search word "T2000" in the subject line's text (Sb: #T2000SX Recharger), and subsequently selected the message. Once per month, the same system "scans the horizon" to give me an idea of what is going on. This is done by requesting a list of subjects being discussed. Here is part of one such list: 29555: DOS 5 Upgrade 6 replies 29540: TDOS Upgrade questions 3 replies 29585: Toshiba DOS 5.0 ships! 1 reply 29586: DOS 5.0 Upgrade Solution 29580: ToshibaDOS=bad business 8 replies 29581: DOS 5 / Stacker 1 reply Reading the list, allows me to see if new and interesting topics are up for discussion. If I use Stacker and want contact with other users, I can request message number 29581 and the subsequent reply (1 reply). That should give me some email addresses. | Several advanced communication programs and offline readers | | have built-in quick scan features. For example, TAPCIS does | | this just fine in CompuServe forums. | | | | When retrieving conference messages from bulletin boards using | | 1stReader at high speed, like 9600 bps or above, then the cost | | of downloading all new items may be insignificant. Therefore, | | you might just as well do it. | | | | Later, when reading the captured mail, 1stReader lets you | | select messages to read from a list of subjects. You can save | | what you want to keep, and delete the rest. | By regular scanning subject headers you reduce the risk of missing important trends, for example because authors were using other terms on the subject line than expected. Scanning also lets us discover if the discussion is heading off in other, interesting directions. After a while, you'll have a set of sources, persons, and tools that will provide you with what you need. This is your personal infrastructure of electronic information. Now, you must maintain and cultivate it. Store incoming information -------------------------- Chances are that you will retrieve more information than you can read. Sometimes it takes weeks for me to get up to date with my own readings. If you visit several online services, consider storing the data in files with different names. Use part of the file name to show the source of this information. If visiting a service regularly, consider using the date as part of the file names. This will make it easier to select, read and search them in a useful sequence. | Example: Say you're regularly visiting TWICS in Tokyo. What you | | download on November 10, you may store in a file named | | | | TW1110.TMP | | | | My scripts do this automatically. On some services, they also | | split retrieved data into URGENT and MAY BE READ LATER files. | | Private mail from TWICS is stored in NB1110.TMP. By storing | | private mail separately, it is easier to see if somebody wants | | a quick reply. | All file names in this example have the extension .TMP (temporary). This signifies that these files are unread. When I read them, and select parts for permanent storage on my hard disk, I use different names. Often, I use the year, or a month/year code in the file name extension. For example, the file DIALOG.93 contains information from DIALOG collected during 1993. Postprocessing the data ------------------------ The data capture is completed, and the retrieved data is stored on the hard disk in more or several files. Your next task is to * Read the received texts, * Cut and paste selected parts to archive or work files, * Prepare responses to your electronic mail. This may include quoting part of the incoming messages in your replies. * Finally, delete all temporary files. Many advanced programs have these features built in. If not, you may use your favorite word processor, or something else. There are many alternatives. LIST is my favorite MS-DOS shareware file viewer program. It can be downloaded from most bulletin boards. Using LIST, it is difficult to destroy your precious retrieved data while reading, cutting and pasting. | MORE ABOUT LIST: | | Assume that all input data is stored in the disk catalog C:\IN | | and that you're using the file name convention suggested above. | | Type LIST and press Enter. A list of file names will appear on | | your screen. Press S to sort the list, and then D to have them | | sorted by creation date. The newest files are at the bottom of | | the list. | | Move the cursor (using the Arrow keys) to the input file | | that you want to read and press Enter. Scroll up and down in the| | file by pressing the PgUp/PgDn or the arrow keys. | | Let's assume that you are reading TW1110.TMP right now. | | On your screen is a piece of information that you want to | | keep for future reference. Mark the text with ALT-M commands | | (keep the ALT key pressed down, while pressing M), and then | | ALT-D. LIST will ask you for a file name. You enter TWICS.93, | | and the text is appended to what is already there. | | This method allows you quickly to mark and append parts | | of your input file to various archive files. Press ESC to | | return to the file list when through, then press D. LIST asks | | if you really want to delete the file. Press Y, and TW1110.TMP | | is gone. | | LIST lets you find information stored in your archives | | (string search). What you find can be marked and copied to a | | work file. It can also be set to invoke an editor or a word | | processor for the selected file. | Reuse of data on your hard disk ------------------------------- Over time your personal archives will grow in size. You begin to experience the benefits of having all this information on your hard disk. Yesterday's news is today's history, and may be used in many interesting ways. One business executive regularly monitors key technologies, customers, competitors, and suppliers. He does it by tapping sources like KOMPASS, Associated Press, and Reuters. Interesting bits of information are regularly stored on his disk. Tomorrow, there is an important meeting with a major customer. First, a quick search through the personal customer database to be reminded of important events since the last meeting. An unfamiliar person is also going to be present. Maybe there is some background information, for example about a recent promotion. Then, a quick check on major competitors. Maybe they are up to something that he needs to know about. With efficient tools for searching your hard disk, finding information takes only a few seconds. If you are still left with open questions, go online to complement. On MS-DOS computers, you can search the files with WordPerfect, LIST, the DOS utility FIND, and a long list of other programs. I prefer programs that let me search for more than one word at the time, like in HYDRO AND PETROCHEMICAL AND CONTRACT, or EXXON OR MOBIL. | MY FAVORITE: My favorite search utility is LOOKFOR. It can | | be downloaded from many bulletin boards. The MS-DOS program | | is small, fast, and is superior for searches in DOS text files.| | Store your finds in work files, or print them out on paper. | | LOOKFOR is not an indexing program. It is ready to search | | anywhere, anytime. | Discipline and organization is required to get the most out of your file archives. You must decide what to do with each piece of information: Should it be printed out and be read in front of the fireplace this evening, or should it be circulated? Should it be stored on your hard disk, or be refined before storage? Use standard file names that are easy to remember. If you don't, risk having to view files to find out what they contain. It may take longer to find a piece of information in a casual file on a large disk, than look up a piece of information on paper in your inbox. Therefore, finish handling your capture file while you read it on your screen: Send the pieces to their final destination. Make immediate transfers to your TO-DO files. Give the original file a name that makes it easier to move later. Have a procedure that prevents duplication of effort. Desinformation, deception and errors ------------------------------------ Always use several sources of information. Some people write to lead you astray. The online world exposed some interesting incidents that came out of the former Soviet Union before the attempted coup in 1991. Desinformation hurts everybody and comes from all sides. Even professional news agencies, like Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, regularly stumble. Most news is written by journalists reporting what they have seen, read or heard. Their interpretation of the situation may be wrong. Supplement online news with what knowledgeable people say (by email or in conferences), when knowing the facts is important. Another point: Errors will occasionally be discovered and reported by the news sources, but always after the fact. Always store these reports in your archives, and make it a rule to search to the end when looking for something. Otherwise, you may never discover these corrections.