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amazon.co.uk
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amazon.com |
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ISBN 0910965668
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Published by CyberAge Books
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Written by Robert Berkman
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Book published February 2004
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Title:
The Skeptical Business Searcher
Review:
Today, there is more information available from more sources than ever before. However, we live in a world in which some of that information is incomplete, inaccurate, biased, or intentionally misleading. While on some level we are all aware of these pitfalls, it is a fact of life that bears repeating often.
Robert Berkman, in his new book, "The Skeptical Business Searcher"
reminds us of this cold, hard fact and provides us with some of the
tools necessary to uncover reliable sources of business information.
The book focuses primarily on free or low-cost Web sources, but
traditional fee-based information sources are mentioned as well. With
Chapter 1 serving primarily as an introduction, the real meat of the
book begins in Chapter 2 when Berkman reminds us that there are other, sometimes more effective, ways of beginning our search than by
immediately turning to a search engine. In the following chapter, he
discusses search engines in general, and Google in particular. He
advises that searchers become proficient searching one (he prefers
Google) and familiar with several others, some of which are covered
here. He also provides some tips to focus your search to help you zero in on more relevant pages.
In subsequent chapters, Berkman tells you what flags to look for to
assess the reliability of a given site. He also gives his own opinion
of the trustworthiness of the different types of organizations and
sources. Company and industry sources, statistics, surveys, news, and
other topics are all covered. Finally, Chapter 9 closes out the main
body of the book with a list of what the author considers to be some
of the best business sites on the Web today, plus a small sample of
sites preferred by researchers at Find/SVP.
The book includes two useful appendices and an index. Appendix A
contains several checklists that can be useful in evaluating Web
sites. Appendix B contains the URLs for those sites mentioned
throughout the book under their respective chapter headings along with some additional resources.
"The Skeptical Business Searcher" is an easy read with plenty of
examples, anecdotes and even a few case studies. There is also a
corresponding Web page with links to the sites and sources recommended in the book at . This page is periodically updated and amended with additional sources. The book is clearly targeted to the business searcher with a strong, but by no means exclusive, emphasis on U.S. information. However, all searchers can benefit from the tips provided, especially today in the wake of the recent scandals at the New York Times, CBS, and others. Scandals such as these emphasize the need for the proactive approach to research and the development of critical thinking skills that Berkman advocates.
FreePint Reviewer:
Penny Leidtke, principal of On-Target Information Services, has over
20 years experience analyzing, researching, and reporting on
companies, industries, economic conditions, and financing strategies.
On-Target works closely with operating companies, financial services
consultants, and law firms on valuations, M&A activities, product
development, strategic planning, and industry or economic trend
analysis. Recent projects related to various segments of the
automotive, insurance, publishing, organic chemicals, healthcare, and
extreme sports industries. Articles and presentations have covered
starting an information services business, market research methods,
and automotive industry resources.
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