INFO 310 - April 13, 2004 - Basic Concepts in HIB (cont.) & Web Site Evaluation
Las Apuntes Por: Egaas, Fortier, Prins

Today:
-complete work started on concepts of HIB
-Web evaluation (Kris)
-discussion about Ellis
-leave early?

Information Behavior (continued from last lecture)
    > Information seeking
    > Information evaluating
    > Information use
    > Information representation
    > Information giving

Searching Methods (Ellis)
Where are we now?
    > Information behavior
        - Information seeking
            * Searching
                -- Search strategies
                -- Searching methods

The five searching methods:
    1. Starting
        - Your starting point. Where you begin.
        - Activities characteristic of the initial search for information
        - Looking for information in a new area or topic
    2. Chaining
        - Going to the sources of the article to find more information - backward chaining
        - There is also forward chaining
        - Searching by following citation connections between materials
    3. Differentiating
        - keeping focused
        - relevance
        - Using differences between sources as filters on the nature and quality of the material examined
        - Selecting information sources based on their orientation and the intended audience
    4. Monitoring
        - Maintaining awareness of developments in a field through the monitoring of particular sources
        - continuous monitoring of developments in a field of study.
    5. Extracting
        - Finding the information within an article and extracting what you need and figuring out what you would use
    (6). Browsing
        - A more broad look at the sources. More general.
        - semi-directed searching in an area of potential interest

Surfing
Where are we now?
    > Information behavior
        - Information seeking
            * Searching
            * Surfing
            * Encountering
            
Surfing: Browsing through a source of information, just to see what it has, with no particular information need in mind.
    Examples:
        - Reading the daily newspaper
        - Watching programs on TV
        - Visiting a bookstore
        - Surfing the Web

            Other examples?
                Grocery Store
                window shopping
                
Encountering: "Bumping" into information that can resolve past or future information need.
    Also Called:
        - Accidental discovery of information
        - Incidental information acquisition

    "information sticky" - natural curiosity, personable

    Can happen when:
        * Searching for information to resolve another need
        * Surfing
        * Any other activity

Information Evaluating: Users evaluate information when they decide if it is  to their need; that is, if it can resolve their need.
    Also called: Compare/Match
    The major issues:
        * The highly subjective nature of relevance judgment
        * The levels of relevance
        * Factors affecting relevance

Information Use
    The outcome of information seeking
    May take various forms:
        - Acting on information
        - Changing state of knowledge (making new sense)
        - Confirming what one already knows

Information Giving
    > Information behavior
        - Information seeking
        - Information evaluating
        - Information use
        - Information giving

Information Giving
    The act of disseminating messages
    Triggers for giving:
        - A user asks for information directly
        - A user raises a topic about which the giver has information
        - A user describes his/her situation to the giver who has information that can help看
        - A user behaves (or shows signs) in a certain way that prompts the giver to give information that will help看
        - The giver expects to receive needed information in return
    Strategies for giving:
        - Tailoring complete information to the attributes of a particular need看
        - Planting a nugget (giving in anticipation of a situation)看
        - Pushing, or, making a case for the need of information看
        - Presenting information and asking for feedback 

<<<< WEB SITE EVALUATION >>>>
Purpose of Evaluation
    > To understand the Web site better and how it can be user
    > To decide who will benefit most from it
    > To improve it
    > To get ideas about a similar product
    
Attributes for the Evaluation of a Web Site
    > Purpose and intended audience
    > Authority
        - Nature of the domain (.com, .gov, etc..)
        - Who/What is the site about and who/what organization has compiled it
        - Inclusion of advertisements
    > Documentation
        - Ways to get help
        - Ways to learn about advanced features
    > Format
        - Layout
        - Fonts
        - Effects (blinking, sound, animation, others)
        - Size
        - Number of graphics
    > Access and organization:
        - Navigation methods
        - Search features
        - Links
        - Categories
        - Language options
    > Quality of Information
        - Accuracy
        - Completeness
        - Language   
        - Who determines content?
        - Who creates the content?
    > Quality of Services
        - Updating
        - Other services
    > Privacy
        - Is registration required?
        - Privacy policy
    > Cost
        - Any fees for registration?

*** Assignments ***
Go out and observe within a context information behavior. Takes notes on this and be free with this.