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April '01 Edition
Behind the Scenes
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    What do we write about?
    The Development Process
    Community Networking (Australia)
    Where is the Spire Project going?
Fair Use & Reporting
A search is an adventure into unknown misty terrain, not a 3-point plan. We search with a paintbrush and imagination. We chop, synthesize, sift and discard information in an active process. Don't talk to me of surfing and serendipity. I want results. Answers. Even to questions I can't quite articulate. Finding information is a skill. The Spire Project is our effort to make this skill more accessible, more reasoned, faster.

This website is very flat. Click any to article listbutterfly to return to the index page, which links to everything.

The to article listSpire Project researches and innovates new ways to understand the world of information. We convey this information to you in three ways.

#1 Websites and Shareware webpagezipfile
Some of our best work is in html. We maintain SpireProject.com and SpireProject.co.uk. We also release these websites as free shareware (US, UK as well as Simtel, SoftSeek and Winsite) - which is good as forms and links work faster when accessed from your computer.

Shareware & Mirrors:
Shareware: To update your shareware copy, simply click Update available? here or at the top of the index page.
Mirrors: A collection of other sites also host our webpages. Many are library or information schools. There are restrictions, so read license.txt. The mirror process is smooth and quick. Download. Unzip. Link to index.htm
#2 Seminars
"Beyond Boolean" conveys the skills, techniques and concepts to further improve already confident internet searchers. The seminar is 3 hours long, around $200pp, and delivered by David Novak. It is intense, advanced, and supported with visuals and pre-prepared webbing. (Hands-on time is not a feature). Read more about Beyond Boolean here.

#3 Books and FAQs book
Our Information Research FAQ is a 100 page book on search technique and technology. The html version has pictures. We publish 4 usenet FAQs in total, available through all FAQ archives.


          to article listWhat do we write about?
Searching and Research! This extensive project aims to simplify, speed and educate you in better ways to find information. We divide our time between creating novel tools to simplify the search process (with scripts, embedded forms and deep links) and advancing research theory - building an understanding on how electronic research can and should be undertaken.

In all efforts, we push the fold: reaching beyond browsing bookshelves, reading newspapers and surfing the web.

  • We address information that is online, offline, and partially online.
  • We address free and commercial information.
  • We explore search strategy.
  • We mix deep links with clear organisational origin - a professional approach to information.
  • We also add lengthy descriptions, deep links and embedded forms.
  • We deeply research specific resources to discover patterns.
  • We conduct research into the nature of internet development too: surveys of regional resources, techniques of promoting discussion, and the liberation of information from government and associations reservoirs.

    If you are unfamiliar with patent research,
    start at the top of the Searching Patents article and read down.
    Some visitors are momentarily lost by the sheer volume of information found in the Spire Project. Please be at ease. We have compacted much of our research into a collection of articles, each focusing on negotiating certain resources. By placing related resources together, we hope to facilitate the process of research. So if you are unfamiliar with patent research, start at the top of the Searching Patents article and read down.

    Prepared by an information professional, released in html, shareware, mirror sites and FAQs, the Spire Project is the most detailed source for information research delivered on the internet. It is content rich, cohesive and frequently verified. We think you will be pleasantly surprised.


              to article listThe Development Process
    David and Fiona Novak undertake the bulk of the work involved in the Spire Project. David is a former information broker who became first an internet trainer then a internet developer. David is also one of the few internet experts with roots in serious research AND internet development. Perl programming and sociology round out the work. Fiona is an accomplished customer service manager and editor.

    What is the information quality? (Promotional) This information is the best on the net! Actually, there is very little information of this kind anywhere online though some can be found in books and trade articles. Some articles like National Statistical Bureau and News & News Databases simply don't exist elsewhere. (Legal) The content of this website is simply a collection of information gathered from many sources with limited editorial checking ... (Serious) Some articles do attract peer review. Most information comes from internet webpages, a selection of books on research, interviews with specialist researchers, trade articles and personal experience.

     The Information Industry is experiencing rapid flux.
    This is not to say the information is completely reliable. This industry is experiencing rapid flux. Observations are just observations. Descriptions of commercial resources tend to the cynical but are linked to supporting websites where possible. We periodically verify links and most articles are continually developing.


              to article listCommunity Networking (Australia)
    Community Networking develops effective structures on the internet. We currently reside in Perth, Western Australia. Our primary venture is the Spire Project. We have other projects, and in the past have lectured on internet studies, talk-back tv, creating meaningful community discussion and promoted socially-responsible publishing policy. We also developed several government websites.


    Isabella Novak
    Another of our projects...


             to article listWhere is the Spire Project going?
    July 1997, David launched the Information Research FAQ. In 1998, we launched our website, free shareware, a mirror/host effort, a webring and a second FAQ. 1999 saw two more FAQs, more mirrors and a newsgroup. In 2000, we launched two new websites, trialed a newspaper column, and rewrote the information research FAQ as a book. This year we are producing a traveling public seminar. For those interested, our website traffic bounces around 700 visits a day.

    Let us consider this project in context. So very much information has moved from its previous location to new digital formats. Yet the understanding of electronic information is only slowly emerging from the previous librarian-dominated information world of a decade ago. New formats and tools emerge, but the way we search has changed little - leaving much confusion. Work is needed to understand what the Internet means to research.

    Article ListSpire Project LightSpireProject.zipThe Information Research FAQ/eBook

    The information revolution is about making you an expert at working with information. It is about a dramatic fall in costs of getting information and a more open sharing environment. Over the past few years I have worked hard to liberate information; from the dusty shelves of government agencies, from the disorganized corners of the internet, and now through exception internet research seminars. We are still at the early stages of this global movement. Much work remains.


              to article listFair Use & Reporting
    Permission is granted for attributed use of statements in this website, provided such quotations are not longer than 400 words. An email to david @spireproject.com is optional. Requests for longer quotations, or requests to include articles in a larger presentation handout are almost always fine (and free) but contact David first. As an opinionated internet visionary, I also welcome pointed questions (best by email).

    David Novak - david @spireproject.com
    SpireProject.com   SpireProject.co.uk
    tel +61 8 92255909  fax +61 8 92255919  

  • to article listThe Spire Project - better ways to find information.
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