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NEWS FEATURES
in its eagerness to make an impact in the enterprise search marketplace—a sector it has yet to satisfactorily conquer—Microsoft may have overlooked, or been inclined to dismiss, a number of apparent accounting irregularities on Fast Search & Transfer's books when it acquired the Norwegian search company for $1.2 billion in January 2008. The problems were no secret even then—inquiries related to FAST's accounting practices during the press conference call announcing the acquisition were met with pregnant pauses and "no comments"—but the story has grown more embarrassing for Microsoft in recent weeks as more details emerge about FAST and amid reports in the Norwegian press that the matter may come under criminal investigation.
When one thinks about the attacks of 9/11, and the ensuing national security hysteria, anthrax scares, and the impact it all has had on daily life and our government, the first thing that comes to mind probably is not the workings of the United States Copyright Office. Yet the effects of this tragedy resonate throughout the nation and into every aspect of our government activities.A lot of attention has been paid to the restructuring of the FBI and CIA, but the Copyright Office has also undergone a major overhaul as a result of that infamous day. On July 1, 2008, the Copyright Office (USCO) went public with the eCO (Electronic Copyright Office) after beta testing the system for about a year, and the all new FormCO, as part of a major overhaul of its system. These developments are, in many respects, a result of changes in Washington, D.C., following the anthrax scares of 2001, says David J. Christopher, associate COO at the USCO.
For more than 70 years, Disney has been engaging children and adults alike with clean, wholesome entertainment. Now, as the world of online content and media expands, Disney.com is following suit, implementing new features to bring the familiar aspects of the Disney brand to web users. To further achieve this goal, in late August, Disney Family.com will launch a free social network designed particularly for parents and family called Disney Family.com Community.
The holidays came early to 125 high school students when Microsoft gave Zune players to students in exchange for research data, in hopes of expanding its products into schools across the country. Devices were given to 100 Fort Sumner High School students in New Mexico and 25 at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Mo. The idea was for students to watch videos and listen to podcasts recommended by teachers and fellow students with the expectation of enhancing their educational experience.
There may be an ocean between them, but the U.S. and the U.K. are on the same wavelength when it comes to Enterprise 2.0 tools. These tools are increasingly in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Recently, Trampoline Sytems—a London-based provider of social networking software—released research echoing these sentiments; of 111 businesses surveyed in the U.K. and U.S., 84% said that social networking would help with sharing knowledge and expertise across the organization.
FEATURED STORIES
Online, an increasing number of voices can be heard, and word certainly travels fast. Unfortunately, that word isn't always complimentary. Yet, many companies have no idea what negative information is being circulated and possibly eating away at their businesses and the reputations they have worked so hard to build.
Email has not just revolutionized the way we communicate, it has transformed the way we do business today. Along the way, it also added a significant layer of security risk. However, most corporations lack policies, much less solutions, to help mitigate the potentially costly problems of unmanaged email.
It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to build your company's brand and corporate identity. When you move into foreign markets, you don't want your message to get garbled—literally lost in translation. As with any complex business problem, technology can help, but it only takes you so far.
COLUMNS
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FACES OF ECONTENT
"They were stunned at how quickly and easily it was done."
PRODUCT REVIEWS
I appreciate one of NoteScribe's taglines: Save a Forest, NoteScribe It! because it advocates saving paper by taking and storing notes online. But I'd add another phrase: Save your Sanity, NoteScribe It! because this excellent program allows you to organize your notes by categories, keywords, and sources; add files from a variety of formats; and find your notes quickly and painlessly.
CASE STUDIES
Impelsys helped Benchmark Education Co. develop materials that deliver information in a format that would enhance the reading experience, as well as subject matter processing.
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