Pointcast

[George Jenkins]

>From: George Jenkins <gjenkins at hbs.edu>
>Subject: Pointcast
>Cc: g-fout at tc.umn.edu
>
>From: Gary Fouty <g-fout at maroon.tc.umn.edu>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>>
>
>I tested Pointcast when it first came out and found it to be a fascinating
>concept. Ultimately, though, it was just too business/sports/yuppie oriented
>for my tastes.  I also found it impossible to turn off (though this may
>reflect my ineptitude).  I finally got rid of it by obliterating it from my
>hard disk.  Even so, with the right content I would try it again, at least
>on my desktop.  Hard to see the relevance to libraries.  Maybe down the road
>there will be cheap 'server' software that performs the same function.  Then
>we could set Librarycast as the screen saver on public machines and
>'broadcast' the latest news.  In my 1928-vintage building even a weather
>report would not be inappropriate.
>
>Gary Fouty                       Science/Engineering Library       
>108 Walter Library                University of Minnesota      
>117 Pleasant St. S.E. #108             (612)-624-1851
>Minneapolis MN 55455                   g-fout at tc.umn.edu
>


I have been testing the product this week, and came to form a similar
position.  I agree with the "unable to turn off" sentiments.  However, I
like the product.  The software installed easily and quickly.  It was easy
to learn and to use.  Documentation was unnecessary.  Other users here would
probably find it beneficial.  (This product reminded me of the old,
LAN-based news filter products like Hoover/Sandpoint and Desktop Data.)

The product would be more appealing if the user could further customize the
news filter functionality.  My application includes monitoring specific
companies and/or industries.  So the International, national, sports, and
weather news is unnecessary for my work.  In its current format, much of the
data/functionality in Pointcast is just too broad.  My application is to
target specific companies and industries.  The industry news is good, but
could be better if SIC codes (i.e.- Pointcast, have you looked at File 16 on
Dialog?) were assigned to the stories.  This would allow more specific news
filtering, a more targeted product, and a more efficient news solution.

I wrote the company suggesting added functionality to a) turn off the
national and International news, b) provide user defined mail purge
functionality by date, and c) a utility to remove/delete the unused and
unnecessary subdirectories on the hard disk.  (Open File Manager to view the
multitude of subdirectories Pointcast creates on your hard drive.)  I also
wanted user defined control to the number of stories saved to disk.
Currently, Pointcast keeps a "rolling database" of 25 stories per company.
Hence, the product doesn't allow storage of important news items.  You must
manually edit and save elsewhere the raw HTML file.

The company responded promptly (i.e.- the next morning) to my e-mail.  (A
good sign.) According to the hotline rep, who responded to my e-mail, the
requested added functionality won't be added to the version 1.0 of the
software available later this month; but would be added "soon."

George

***************************************************************
* Research tip: To borrow working papers from                 *
*      Baker Library: http://library.hbs.edu/cat              *
***************************************************************
* George Jenkins                 Voice: 617.495.6837          *
* Business Information Analyst   Fax: 617.495.8948            *
* Research Services Dept.        E-mail: GJenkins at hbs.edu     *
* Baker Library                  WWW: http://library.hbs.edu/ *
* Harvard Business School        WWW: http://www.hbs.edu      *
***************************************************************