Transcript Toolkit 6 Study Tool

Systems Analysis & Design
Sixth Edition
Toolkit Part 6
Toolkit Objectives
● Describe the characteristics of the
Internet and the World Wide Web
● Formulate an Internet search strategy,
and evaluate your requirements, choose
a proper tool, assess the quality of the
results, and download virus-free results
● Explain how to use search engines,
subject directories, and the invisible
Web to locate the information you
require
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Toolkit Objectives
● Demonstrate advanced search techniques,
including Boolean logic and Venn
diagrams
● Describe other Internet communication
resource tools, including newsgroups,
newsletters, mailing lists, Web-based
discussion groups, chat rooms, and
instant messaging
● Provide examples of IT community
resources and their value to a systems
analyst
● Explain the benefits and disadvantages of
online learning opportunities
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Introduction
● The Internet offers a wealth of
information about every conceivable
subject
● Will describe various Internet
resources, assist you in formulating an
effective information gathering strategy,
and explain Internet resource tools and
techniques that you can use to access
the information you need
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Overview
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Internet
World Wide Web or Web
Web pages
Web site
Web server
Web browser or browser
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Overview
● Some Characteristics of the Internet
– According to a recent Federal
Communications Commission estimate, the
Internet has more than 40 million Web sites
– Internet mapping
– According to Lumeta, this data makes it
possible to analyze, document, and predict
the Internet’s growth and behavior
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Overview
● Summary of Internet Resources and
Tools
– Many navigation tools are available to you
– Search Engines
• Meta-search engines
– Subject Directories
– The Invisible Web
– Internet Communication Resources
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Formulating an Internet Research
Strategy
● To be effective, you should consider a
four-step approach:
1. Evaluate your information requirements
2. Match your information requirements to the
proper tool
3. Assess the quality of the results
4. Download the results and perform a virus scan
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Formulating an Internet Research
Strategy
● Evaluate Your Information Requirements
– The first step to finding the information you need
is to make sure you really understand what you
are seeking
– Start with a more generalized search instead of
going directly to vendor sites
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Formulating an Internet Research
Strategy
● Match Your Information Requirement to
the Proper Tool
– Once you feel that you understand the
information required, it is time to pick an initial
tool
– As with most skills, the more you use them, the
more expertise you acquire
– Will develop your own list of favorite sites and
resources
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Formulating an Internet Research
Strategy
● Assess the Quality of the Results
– By definition, the Internet is essentially open and
unregulated
– Questions to ask when accessing content
include:
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Source
Accuracy
Scope - Sub-search
Currency
Look and Feel
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Formulating an Internet Research
Strategy
● Download the Results and Perform a
Virus Scan
– Once you have discovered the appropriate
information, you can save it to your hard
drive or network
– Many sites allow you to click a link and
download the file directly to your hard drive
– It is important to protect your network and
computer system from any unwanted viruses
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Search Engines
● Search Engine Basics
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Spider
Indexing
Keywords
Hits
Pay for performance
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Search Engines
● Search Engine Basics
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Sponsored links
Subject-Specific Popularity
Indexed Search Engines
Meta-Search Engines
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Search Engines
● Search Techniques
– Consider the following suggestions when you
begin a search:
• Refine your topic
• Translate your question into an effective search query
• Review the search results and evaluate the quality of
the results
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Search Engines
● Advanced Search Techniques
– These features can include the option to search
within returned results and the ability to search
within specific areas, such as newsgroups
– Boolean logic
– Logical operators
– Venn diagram
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Search Engines
● Advanced Search Techniques
– OR
– AND
– NOT
• You should use the NOT operator carefully, because
the term you want to exclude may be intertwined with
the term you seek in many documents that would be
useful to you
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Search Engines
● Advanced Search Techniques
– Using phrases
• Phrase
• Implied Boolean logic
• Advanced search
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Search Engines
● A Search Checklist
1. Does the topic have any unique words, phrases,
or acronyms?
2. Do any of the search terms have other spellings
or names?
3. Are certain additional words or phrases likely to
appear in any Web document?
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Search Engines
● A Search Checklist
4. Is there any unrelated material that my search
terms might pick up?
5. Are any organizations, publications, or
institutions likely to have an interest in my
topic?
6. Is the search returning results too numerous to
examine?
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Subject Directories
● A subject directory collects and
organizes Web sites in a top-down format
● Portal
● Many subject directories are reviewed by
human experts, rather than computer
robots, to ensure relevance and quality
of links
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Subject Directories
● A Subject Directory Example
– Subject directories organize information into
various categories and provide an overall
framework for finding information
– In addition to Yahoo!, other popular subject
directories include About.com and the Librarians’
Index to the Internet
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Subject Directories
● Advantages and Disadvantages of
Subject Directories
– The main advantage of a subject directory is
that it provides an overview
– Many subject directories use human expertise
– This process involves subjective decisions
– A subject directory forces you to work your
way through a series of levels, rather than
using specific words and phrases to locate
directly the material you seek
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The Invisible Web
● Visible Web
● Hidden Web or deep Web
● Much of the invisible Web is open to the
public, but some databases are
password protected
● Spidering
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The Invisible Web
● Invisible Web Examples
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Specialized topic databases
Hardware and software vendors
Publications
Libraries
Government databases
Auction sites
Locators
Career opportunities
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The Invisible Web
● Navigation Tools for the Invisible Web
– Use a search engine to locate a portal
– Using specialized portals
– You might want to use special navigation
software to assist you
– Z39.50 protocol
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Internet Communication Resources
● Suppose that you are asked to analyze
your organization’s virus protection
requirements
● As part of your research you would want
to learn about relevant news,
developments, and the latest virus
threats
● You can consider using newsgroups,
newsletters, mailing lists, Web-based
discussion groups, chat rooms, and
instant messaging
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Internet Communication Resources
● Newsgroups
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Usenet
Threads
Newsreader
FAQs
Netiquette
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Internet Communication Resources
● Newsletters
– Some newsletters are published daily, others
weekly
– Although newsletters are not interactive, they
can provide a convenient way to keep current on
subjects of interest and developments of interest
to the subscriber
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Internet Communication Resources
● Mailing Lists
– Listserv
– Users can post messages and view postings
made by others
– A mailing list uses e-mail to communicate with
users
– List server
– Digest
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Internet Communication Resources
● Web-Based Discussion Groups
– Most Web-based discussion groups can be
accessed through a portal
– In addition to text messages, group Web sites
often include membership lists and contact
information, photo galleries, and links of interest
to members
– Web-based discussion groups are popular
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Internet Communication Resources
● Chat Rooms
– Channel
– IRC – Internet Relay Chat
– Various companies also provide chat rooms that
are available to IT professionals interested in
specific topics
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Internet Communication Resources
● Instant Messaging
– Although instant messaging began as a popular
feature in home-oriented services such as AOL
and Yahoo!, it has become an important
business communication tool
– Raises serious security and privacy concerns
because it is relatively uncontrolled
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Information technology (IT) community
● This vast collection includes many sites
that IT professionals can use to research
specific questions or obtain background
information
● Four important components of the IT
community are corporate resources,
government resources, professional
resources, and online learning resources
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Corporate Resources
– An important corporate resource to systems
analysts is their own internal company Web site
or intranet
– An intranet must be easy to access and provide
access to valuable information
– Intranets can contain company policies and
procedures, lessons-learned files, and financial
information
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Government Resources
– Government sites can provide information on
federal, state, and local business policies and
regulations
– The General Services Agency (GSA) is a good
source for federal policies and regulations,
especially for firms that do business with the
government
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Professional Resources
– Many associations focus on a specific topic
– Information Technology Association of America
(ITAA)
– Many associations offer electronic newsletters
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Online Learning Resources
– Advances in bandwidth and processing power
have made online learning an increasingly
attractive option for many IT professionals
– Online learning - e-learning
– Gov Online Learning Center
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Online Learning Resources
– Benefits of online learning
• Convenient
• Economical
• Customizable
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Information Technology Community
Resources
● Online Learning Resources
– Disadvantages of online learning
• Interaction
• Interface
• Suitability
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Toolkit Summary
● The Internet is a worldwide network that
integrates many thousands of other
networks
● The primary research tools include
search engines, subject directories, and
a collection of searchable database
resources called the invisible Web
● An Internet research strategy should
use a four-step approach
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Toolkit Summary
● The IT community includes corporate,
government, professional, and online
learning resources
● Professional development through
online learning is a way for IT workers
to remain current in their chosen areas
● Toolkit Part 6 complete
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