Transcript Toolkit Dx

Systems Analysis and Design
9th edition
Toolkit D
Internet Resource Tools
Toolkit Objectives
• Describe the characteristics of the Internet and
the World Wide Web
• Plan an Internet search strategy, review your
information requirements, use the proper search
tools and techniques, evaluate the results, and
consider copyright and data integrity issues
• 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 Internet communication channels including
social networking, newsgroups, newsletters, blogs,
podcasts, RSS feeds, Webinars, mailing lists, Webbased discussion groups, chat rooms, instant
messaging, and text messaging
• Provide examples of IT community resources of 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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Planning an Internet Research Strategy
• You can use a four-step plan
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Review your information requirements
Use the proper search tools and techniques
Evaluate the results
Consider copyright and data integrity issues
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Planning an Internet Research Strategy
• Step 1. Review Your Information Requirements
– The first step to finding information online 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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Planning an Internet Research Strategy
• Step 2. Use the Proper Search Tools and
Techniques
– 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 tools and
resources
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Planning an Internet Research Strategy
• Step 3. Evaluate the Results
– Questions to ask when accessing content include:
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Source
Accuracy
Scope - Sub-search
Currency
Look and Feel
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Planning an Internet Research Strategy
• Step 4. Consider Copyright and Data Integrity
Issues
– You must ensure that you legally can use the
material, and that the content is safe and free of
threats
– Malware
– If the information is legally usable and safe, you
can save it to your hard drive or network,
depending on the content and purpose
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Search Basics
• You will use various navigation tools and
techniques
• Search Engines
• Meta-search engines
• Subject Directories
– Topic directory
• The Invisible Web
– Deep Web or hidden Web
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Search Engines
• Search Engine Concepts
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Spider or crawler
Indexing
Keywords
Hits
Pay per performance
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Search Engines
• Search Engine Concepts
– Sponsored links
– You usually can determine an engine’s approach
by clicking the About tab or link on the search site
– Indexed Search Engines
– Meta-Search Engines
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Search Engines
• Search Techniques
– Consider the following suggestions
• Refine your topic
• Translate your question into an effective search query
• Review the search results and evaluate the quality of
the results
• It is important to organize the results of your search
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Search Engines
• Advanced Search Techniques
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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
– Using fill-in forms
• Advanced search
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Search Engines
• Search Checklist
– Does the topic have any unique words, phrases, or
acronyms?
– Do any of the search terms have other spellings or
names?
– Are certain additional words or phrases likely to
appear in any Web document?
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Search Engines
• Search Checklist
– Is there any unrelated material that my search
terms might pick up?
– Are any organizations, publications, or institutions
likely to have an interest in my topic?
– 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
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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 directly locate the
material you seek
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The Invisible Web
• Visible Web
• Much more information is available on the
Internet that is not indexed
• Much of the invisible Web is open to the
public, but some databases are password
protected
• Many sites allow guest access, but some areas
can be accessed only by members
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The Invisible Web
• Invisible Web Examples
– Specialized topic databases
– Hardware and software vendors
– Publications
– Libraries
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The Invisible Web
• Invisible Web Examples
– 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
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Internet Communication Channels
• 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 social networking sites,
newsgroups, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, RSS
feeds, Webinars, mailing lists, Web-based
discussion groups, chat rooms, and instant
messaging
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Internet Communication Channels
• Social Networking
– Many people use these communication channels
along with more traditional choices, such as email, blogs, chat rooms, and instant messaging
– Social networking allows you to connect to an
extended family of personal and professional
contacts
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Internet Communication Channels
• Newsgroups
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Usenet
Threads
Newsreader
FAQs
Netiquette
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Internet Communication Channels
• Newsletters, Blogs, and Podcasts
– Subscribers can listen to the recorded material
anywhere, anytime
• RSS Feeds
– Really Simple Syndication
– RSS feed, Web Feed
– RSS reader, feed reader, aggregator
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Internet Communication Channels
• RSS Feeds
– Notice the important
caution regarding the
use of the content
• Webinar
– A prerecorded Webinar
session also can be
delivered as a Webcast
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Internet Communication Channels
• 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 Channels
• Web-Based Discussion Groups
– Web-based discussion groups can be accessed
through portals
– 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 Channels
• 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 Channels
• Instant Messaging and Text 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
– Texting
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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
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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
– Can take many forms
– Need to think about your personal learning
preferences
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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
• An Internet research strategy should use a
four-step approach
• The primary research tools include search
engines, subject directories, and a collection
of searchable database resources called the
invisible Web
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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
• Online learning is convenient, economical, and
customizable
• Toolkit D complete
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