The Skeptical Business Searcher: The Information Advisor's Guide to Evaluating Web Data, Sites, and Sources [Paperback]

Robert Berkman (Author), Reva Basch (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

Offering business information users strategies for identifying and evaluating no-cost online information sources, this guide emphasizes techniques for recognizing biased and untrustworthy web sites. Information users are directed to the most useful and targeted sources of company histories and overviews. These include corporate sales and earnings data, SEC filings and stockholder reports, public records, market research studies, competitive intelligence, industry analyses, staff directories, executive biographies, statistics, survey/poll results, conference proceedings, press releases, news stories, and hard-to-find information about small businesses and niche markets. Demonstrated are concepts such as precision searching, which enables business searchers to quickly find the specific information they need. Also discussed are critical-thinking skills and the art of asking the right question. A 10-point checklist that allows users to systematically evaluate web site reliability is included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Berkman teaches courses on research methods and media ethics at the New School University. He is a frequent speaker at workshops and conferences, including the European Journalism Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands, and Web Search University. He is the past director of secondary research for The Winters Group, a market research firm, and has been the editor of such journals as The Information Advisor and What to Buy for Business. He is the author of Find It Fast: How to Find Information on Any Subject, The Art of Being Well Informed, Find It Online, Finding Business Research on the Web, and Finding Market Research on the Web. He lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Information Today, Inc. (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910965668
• ISBN-13: 978-0910965668
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Just a quick note to previous readers of Find it Fast: How to Uncover Expert Information on Any Subject (HarperCollins, 5th ed. 2000).

I am currently working on an ebook revision that will be available no later than June 2012! It will be fully revised and include several new sections, including how to use social media sites, ranging from Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn and more for quality effective research.

For more information, or to get an early release of the book, just drop me a note at [e-mail]...

Thanks!
Bob

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine guide internet researchers will find essential, February 10, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Skeptical Business Searcher: The Information Advisor's Guide to Evaluating Web Data, Sites, and Sources (Paperback)

In The Skeptical Business Searcher: The Information Advisor's Guide To Evaluating Web Data, Sites, And Sources, business information expert Robert Berkman identifies the tools and methods for evaluating no-cost online information sources in a fine guide internet researchers will find essential to understanding business site values. Researchers will learn how to gain access to everything from company histories and corporate earnings data to SEC filings and public records of all kinds --and how to recognize the underlying bias and misinformation potentials of any source.