[WEB4LIB] Re: Re: Google Answers questions

[Dan Lester]

Friday, May 24, 2002, 12:57:47 PM, you wrote:

AKP> If people don't know about answers.google, then they most certainly don't
AKP> know about VRDs...who do you think will ultimately win this marketing
AKP> race...hmmmm, I wonder, cuz, you know, "Virtual Reference" is almost as
AKP> great a branding as "Google."  Why do we call it "virtual" anyway?  Aren't
AKP> the questions, the answers and the people on both ends real?

Excellent points.  I'd not thought of that about "virtual", but I
guess we use that because we're not face to face and because it is a
"cool" and "with it" and "modern" word.

AKP> What's more,
AKP> "ask a librarian" puts the emphasis on the question, not the answer, where
AKP> it should be.  I propose that we change "Virtual Reference" and "Ask a
AKP> Librarian" to simply "Real Answers."  That's what we're good at, isn't it?

Exactly.  Our service is called "AskUs".  I like yours better, and
lost the argument that ours should be "Ask A Librarian", which was
deemed not short enough or cute enough.

AKP> As for the sentiment of "why not" to the librarians feeding this
AKP> bastardized reference service?  Well, gee, why shouldn't I spend my day
AKP> making webpages for money using the tools provided by my employer?  Why
AKP> shouldn't I be doing paid consulting on the clock?  Because its unethical,
AKP> if not illegal.

Of course.  But there's no reason you shouldn't do it at home in the
evening with your own computer and software.  Or staying late to do
the research in the library, etc.

AKP> Why not devote that energy to making library services
AKP> better, and marketing them to wider audiences?

Yes, we can all do that, but presumably we're doing that "on the
clock", to use your terms.

AKP> There's no good reason that
AKP> reference librarians should not be rising up to crush this service like the
AKP> tangential annoyance that it is.

Yeah, right.  That's as likely to be successful as all our campaigns
to keep from being portrayed in sneakers with our hair in a bun going
ssshhhhhhh.  I'm sure that those who are unhappy with the way the
librarian is portrayed in Attack of the Clones will get that changed
by the time the DVD comes out.  We're as likely to get that changed as
the ABA is in getting lawyers to be portrayed as other than ambulance
chasing sharks.

AKP>  Answers.google deserves to go down the
AKP> path of Questia's Answer Marquis, and Questia itself (1 librarian left on
AKP> their staff, and I'll bet her resume is current).  Google--and all their
AKP> dot-com brethren--oughta stick to algorithms and get out of the answer
AKP> business.

They may well fail, all of them.  However, there are many librarians
who are working part or full time at freelance information businesses.
Check out your local SLA or ASIST chapter if you have any doubts.
Many of them are doing quite well, as I see regularly on the BUSLIB-L
list that I manage.

Trying to convince someone to NOT do something doesn't seem to be a
notably successful technique.  Hmmmm....smoking, drinking, drugs,
unsafe sex, fatty foods, etc, etc, etc.

Guess we could try something like "Just Say NO to Information
Entrepreneurs".  But that'll never go on my car's bumper.

cheers

dan

-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.gailndan.com  Stop Global Whining!