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 DiploFoundation is proud to announce the publication of a series of non-technical booklets intended to provide information and guidelines on key cyberspace- and Internet-related issues.
The titles in this collection include:
>> Yellow Pages for the Information Society Library
The Yellow Pages booklet consists of links to websites that have been assessed and reviewed for relevance, quality and usability. Like the telephone Yellow Pages, it is thematically structured to provide clusters of links to Ministries of Foreign Affairs, international organisations, diplomatic institutions and many others.
The Value Booklets
The Internet is dramatically changing the ways in which we work and learn. These four booklets examine the different ways in which the Internet can enrich our work and lives.
>> Internet Basics
This booklet presents the essential topics related to the functioning of the Internet, how it is funded and developed and discusses in non-technical terms the key Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Frequently Found Problems (FFP). You will learn many new tips and tricks to improve and simplify your daily work.
>> Internet Governance
A growing awareness of the social, economic and political impact of ICT (Information & Communications Technology) development on modern society has brought into focus the question of governance of the emerging Information Society. This booklet addresses important questions such as: Who governs the Internet? What are the stances of the various countries? Is it possible to control the Internet?
>> Finding Information in Cyberspace
With over 42 million websites and several billion pages of information, finding relevant and quality information requires more than knowing how to use a basic search engine. This booklet explores how to formulate effective searches and criteria for assessing the quality of the information found.
>> Online Learning for Professionals in Full Time Work
Cyberspace drives the need for continuous learning. Adult professionals in full time work have adopted online learning as an effective mechanism of acquiring knowledge. This booklet discusses the factors needed for effective online learning. It also presents a technique for evaluating online learning and determining its effectiveness and organisational impact. This booklet reflects the direct experience gained by DiploFoundation in training hundreds of young diplomats from 70 countries over several years.
The Risk Booklets
Like other tools that can be used, the tools of cyberspace can also be misused and abused. These booklets explore the most important aspects of such potential misuse and abuse.
>> Appropriate Use
Are you sure that you are using your connections to cyberspace correctly? Although the Internet is recognised as an environment where freedom of expression reigns, this booklet reviews the limits of individual freedom likely to be encountered in both the work and home environments. This booklet also explores the dos and don’ts of electronic mail and Web access and discusses issues such as employee monitoring, evidence gathering, emerging legislation and civil liberties.
>> Good Hygiene for Data and Personal Computers
Are you doing everything you can to protect your data and your computer? This booklet contains a number of simple and effective procedures that can greatly reduce the risks involved when you connect to cyberspace from home or from work.
>> Information Security and Organisations
This booklet presents the ways in which information security can be compromised through the actions of hackers, organised crime, malicious insiders and others. It also presents an overview of the defences that organisations put in place to mitigate the consequences of cyber-attacks. Furthermore, it intends to increase the awareness of individuals working in cyberspace of the existing dangers and how to effectively deal with them.
>> Hacktivism, Cyber-terrorism and Cyberwar
Activists are well aware of the ability of cyberspace to help them spread their activities to a global audience. This booklet examines the evolution of their activities and how these have escalated from advocacy to electronic sit-ins and website defacement. When this escalation reaches the point where it interferes with the work of organisations responsible for the operation of critical infrastructures, it is valid to talk of cyber-terrorism. This booklet also discusses how technologically advanced countries are preparing for the use of information technologies in war. |
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[Home] The World Bank's listing of top links for information security. DiploFoundation's website is listed. Date entered: 11/7/2003 1:44:30 PM | Defining Information Needs [Finding Informaton in Cyberspace]
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[...] The second approach puts greater demands on the end user to take steps to ensure that the information found is of appropriate quality for its intended use. The paragraphs that follow provide pointers of what these steps should include:
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FORMAT
Detail
Order
Presentation
Media
Style and clarity |
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TIME
Timelines
Currency
Frequency
Time Period
CONTENT
Accuracy
Traceability
Completeness
Scope
Consistency | |
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FORMAT
Quality indicators in this category include, in addition to those shown in the diagram:
• The degree to which the use of language and grammar is free of errors;
• The way in which complex issues are structured and articulated –
badly composed information may raise more questions than it answers;
• The absence of mistakes in the
• The absence of incongruities – consistency is vital (it was once said
that “the man with one watch knows the time. The man with two
watches can never be sure.”
TIME
The time elapsed between completing a manuscript and its final publication in the traditional world is measured in months, but on the internet is usually in days. Quality indicators regarding time include:
• The date of publication and the latest date covered by the information;
• The frequency with which this information is updated (if ever);
• The relevance of the time period covered by the information to the intended
application.
CONTENT
Now that anyone can be a publisher on the internet, it is important to apply a number of tests to the information found to validate its content:
• Does the author/publisher have the credibility and authority to publish
this material?
• Can this information be validated against other sources?
• Does the author/publisher provide a list of references? |
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Source: Baldi S, E. Gelbstein, J. Kurbalija, Finding Information In Cyberspace – From Irritiation to Inspiration (DiploFoundation, Malta: 2003), p. 14
Visit Information Society Library (ISL) Date entered: 10/11/2003 8:21:57 PM | Information and Uncertainity [Finding Informaton in Cyberspace]
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Information is a major weapon in the fight against uncertainty. Reduced uncertainty leads to better understanding and decisions. These in turn lead to more effective action and therefore a better outcome than if things were left to chance. Reduced uncertainty implies that the information collected is of appropriate quality for the intended
use. |
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Source: Baldi S, E. Gelbstein, J. Kurbalija, Finding Information In Cyberspace – From Irritiation to Inspiration (DiploFoundation, Malta: 2003), p. 14
Visit Information Society Library (ISL) |
Date entered: 10/11/2003 9:19:42 PM | Searching the deep web [Finding Informaton in Cyberspace]
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The deep web differs from the surface web in a fundamental way: content is stored in databases that are searchable and only produce results in response to a direct request. This is a complex and laborious process and special tools are used to create multiple and parallel direct queries and then to retrieve, classify and organise the findings. | |
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A White Paper entitled “The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value” (http://www.brightplanet.com/deepcontent/tutorials/DeepWeb/index.asp) provides a good tutorial on the deep web (ref. 4). The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can’t See,” by Chris Sherman and Gary Price, is a good book on this topic (ref. 5). |
Source: Baldi S, E. Gelbstein, J. Kurbalija, Finding Information In Cyberspace – From Irritiation to Inspiration (DiploFoundation, Malta: 2003), p. 14
Visit Information Society Library (ISL) Date entered: 10/11/2003 9:35:23 PM | [A short history of information] Everyone must feel that they know what information is. No lifeform, human or otherwise, could function if it was not continually receiving and processing information, and it has always been thus. Despite the fact that information is so essential to the functioning of any organism, and that people have put a lot of effort into the development of 'Information Science', 'Information Systems', 'Information Management', 'Information Theory', and the like, it may surprise you to know that there is no commonly agreed definition for the concept of information.
Source:New Information Systems Date entered: 10/28/2003 12:43:48 PM |
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