IWR Blog

Local governments will play safe with library closures, but will close them anyway

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:51:58 GMT

It is a bit like fighting a losing battle but fight we must to save our local libraries and library professionals. The proposed closures of libraries (as many as 450) nationwide has raised much interest, scepticism and deep-rooted concerns. Many...

Control the cloud before it gets out of hand

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:23:36 GMT

While outlining its strategy for cloud computing, European Union vice president for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes emphasised that an increased focus on security and data protection in the cloud lies in the heart of its strategy. Kroes called for...

Businesses cannot ignore data protection and privacy issues as pressure mounts

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:59:28 GMT

Towards the end of September, the European Commission referred the UK to the EU Court of Justice for not fully implementing EU rules on the confidentiality of electronic communications such as e-mail or internet browsing The organisation pointed out that...

Digital Economy Act continues to remain unpopular

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:16:08 GMT

By Jack Phillipps A few weeks ago, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) was asking for individuals within the library sector to respond to the Ofcom consultation on the implementation of the Digital Economy Act by 31 July 2010...

Google Wave drowned by apathy

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:28:32 GMT

The Official Google Blog announced the close of Google Wave- the web app for real time communication and collaboration, developed by the search engine giant in 2009. Urs Hölzle, senior vice president, operations & Google fellow wrote on the blog:...

A would-be Gen Y worker speaks out

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:42:17 GMT

The Centre for Information Leadership at City University London has put forward its first challenge paper, which looks at whether information and business leaders are prepared for the entry of Generation Y into the workplace. The paper, entitled "Responding to...

Microsoft must realise that Internet is a different ball game

Wed, 05 May 2010 16:13:41 GMT

Microsoft's slipping browser market share is a telling statement that when it comes to the web, it is fast information exploration and easy content navigation that matters over brand name, technological grasp of the provider or its market dominance. From...

Picking and choosing

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:39:47 GMT

You may remember at the beginning of April a row broke out over science and politics. This row was re-ignited today [22 April] when the UK Drug Policy Commission and the think-tank Demos released a research report saying it was...

Digital Economy Act is a far cry from Digital Britain vision

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:45:05 GMT

Chalking out legislation for the internet and safeguarding interests of the consumers, providers and other stakeholders on the web is a tricky business. Just as no one anticipated decades ago how the internet would unfold, it is difficult to formulate...

China's information potential is too delicious to resist. Even for Google

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:18:57 GMT

Turns out that Google is now diverting Chinese users' search through Hong Kong is a telling statement of how lucrative the Chinese search industry is and how reluctant the internet giant is to close its business prospects here. In the...

IWR is now on Twitter

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:55:44 GMT

You can follow Information World Review at Twitter.com/iwronline. Follow us, update us and share information with us on every industry detail that fascinates you, surprises you or even leaves your head scratching for more information....

Twitter's ad plans bold but boring

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:15:23 GMT

It is no surprise that Twitter is considering to introduce advertising into its service. But why has it adopted the traditional model of advertising - an umbrella model affecting all of its half a million users? In 2009, just three...

Rising use of social web amid disasters

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:24:37 GMT

The communication, collaboration, networking and coming together of people after the unprecedented and devastating earthquake in Haiti has once again illustrated the importance of social web. As the traditional channels of communications collapsed in the area and as rescue professionals...

This Christmas is all about turkey and yes Twitter

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:57:28 GMT

It's Christmas time and most information professionals are wrapping up their data projects to spend time with their loved ones. But professionals may still have their nerves on the market, thanks to the rise and adoption of social web and...

NLA got aggregator to remove newspaper links but nobody sure of copyright

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:34:55 GMT

Newspaper publishers and NLA may have won the battle against content aggregators, but can they really claim victory? Not until copyright laws define and cover online aggregation service. NewsNow, the UK content aggregator is set to remove links to most...

Google's absence at OI '09 was conspicuous

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:02:11 GMT

As the three-day Online Information 2009 conference wrapped up in London yesterday [Thursday], most information professionals in public and private sector organisations as well as the information technology professionals left the premises a little wiser on how to deal with...

Will the digital economy bill backfire?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:45:36 GMT

The government used the Queen's speech to introduce a Digital Bill that will "enhance UK's digital economy" by effectively tackling the copyright infringement online and improving digital infrastructure and content technologies. Realising that rapid digital technological evolution calls for legislation...

The answer is with you, stupid

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:10:04 GMT

CrossKnowledge, the European expert in the remote development of leadership and management skills through new technologies, wanted to look at the social web from "every possible" angle, certain that it is the future of business, communication and information exchange. Interesting...

Google's Powermeter helps monitor energy and perhaps even rescues social media

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:53:47 GMT

Google has launched a software application in the UK that will give consumers information about their energy consumption, usage pattern and carbon footprint thereby enabling them to save both money and energy. The "opt-in" tool receives information from utility smart...

Social media technologies must do what they say

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:14:12 GMT

Micro-blogging website Twitter has managed to secure a "significant round of funding" from five investment firms, as was revealed through the blog post of its co-founder Evan Williams. The new funding has reportedly come from two new investors Insight Venture...

Drop the silo approach

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:01:49 GMT

Two research reports on the impact of social networking and Web 2.0 tools in the workplace highlight the anxiety among experts over these issues. Suggesting identical outcomes, both reports - one from Economist Intelligence Unit on managing technology democracy in...

Will technology spark the next economic crisis?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:32:26 GMT

In previous decades it was the stock market crisis that brought the economy to its knees. More recently we had the sub prime mortgage doing the same to the economy. It may well be the technology in the next two...

Publishers showing spine in the ebook battle

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:51:48 GMT

Credit where credit is due. The publishing sector deserves a pat on its back for steering the future of the books. Acknowledging the role that ebooks and ebook readers would play within the sector, the industry is not just keeping...

Internet's evasive ways

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:20:35 GMT

Within most businesses crisis drives innovation. Within technology, business innovation leads to crisis. Privacy crisis, IP crisis, security crisis and financial crisis are just a few conflicts to name. Let us take the newspaper business. All was fairly well for...

Give us a newspaper revolution

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:08:10 GMT

And another newspaper [thelondonpaper] closes down because of falling advertising revenue. Archana Venkatraman The scene will only get grimmer now on. The fight for winning adverts turns bitter not just between the newspapers but also between newspapers and other consumer-facing...