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FulcrumThe news that Fulcrum Technologies Inc has licensed intelligent linguistic analysis technology from ERLI SA, a company based in Paris, France could bode well for the future of Search Engines. Fulcrum "will use ERLI's technology to provide accurate concept searches based on a multi-level linguistic analysis that understands the intended meanings of search terms." Phew! This means that users will get results based on what they actually mean, rather than unrelated meanings of search terms. Organizations will also be able to create and refine a customized corporate lexicon, geared to their own knowledge base. Great idea. It's the Holy Grail of searching the Web. Somehow, we'll believe it when we see it. For example, a real human bean of moderate intelligence, when confronted with the words "objective, experience, marketing", will figure out that we want to know about resumes which concern marketing. Search engines don't. Well, not exclusively. So, if Fulcrum has it right, we're looking at "intelligent" searching of the Web. This will allow us to quiz search engines in conceptual terms within a range of parameters. For example, in our example above, a Fulcrum search will return only those documents which fall within the parameters of containing the specified terms AND which are resumes. A major step forward. The problem is that we don't, as yet, fully understand the process whereby people "intuit" meaning from a string of unrelated words. So the notion that a search algorithm can do as we do is, while intriguing, a bit of a stretch. We'll watch Fulcrum with interest. --John Blower
SigsAs the most widely-used Internet application, eMail has the potential to be your most powerful marketing and promotion tool. By communicating regularly with your audience in this medium, you have the opportunity to develop and maintain intimate relationships, which, if fostered in the right way will lead to either business or referrals. A key element in the correct use of eMail is the proper use of your signature file. This is the electronic equivalent of your organization's letterhead. If you use http://www.eudora.com/EudoraPro, you have the ability to configure several signature files, each of which can be tailored for each segment of your audience. As a minimum, an effective signature contains the following elements:
Your organization Contact information (phone and fax numbers) Your URL and eMail address A brief description of your products and/or services and the appropriate URLs By including these pieces of information, you are making it easy for the recipient of your communication to discover more about you and to contact you. And by appending to each piece of mail which leaves your office, you are spreading that information on a consistent and regular basis. Happy signing… --John Blower
Dot NotThe eMail was quite intriguing. The service being promoted appeared useful and relevant despite the inevitable hype. Buried deep in the copy was a link to a site. The trouble was it didn't work. "404 - The requested file was not found on the server". The URL certainly looked OK. Except that, having appeared at the end of a sentence, it had attracted a stray period. Which had rendered the address invalid. It's a mistake that's easy to make, particularly if you're using Eudora Pro, in which the link in your copy of outgoing mail isn't highlighted (unlike with Eudora Light). Nonetheless, if you're going to put a URL at the end of a sentence, put in a space before the period. And always test your links… --John Blower
Using eMailWhen used together with conventional PR (mail, paper, phone and fax), eMail can be a most effective tool for getting coverage of your site in conventional media. The problem very often is obtaining the eMail addresses of journalists and correspondents. The US All Media E-Mail Directory is a comprehensive listing of over 7,000 media e-mail listings for magazines, newspapers, radio, TV and syndicates nation-wide. The directory costs $49 for either a hard copy or an electronic copy in MS Word format. An ASCII database is $79. Both versions include six monthly updates. The site - although rather ugly in our humble opinions - contains some useful hints for writing eMAil press releases called "The Ten Commandments for Sending E-Mail to the Media". At the site, you can also subscribe to "Internet & E-Mail PR News". The US All Media Jumpstation contains links to over 3000 magazines, professional journals, trade & consumer publications organized by category. This is a comprehensive, well-organized site which is well worth checking out. --John Blower
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