Making the most of information sources

As we begin a new year, I invite you to scrutinize your information sources. In the current economic climate, we can acknowledge that the Internet wasn't all its proponents promised. Nonetheless, it has irrevocably changed the way in which information is available.

Where does that leave print? Clicks haven't replaced bricks, but clicks nevertheless provide a convenient method of obtaining technical information. If you need a datasheet for a particular product, you just type a part number into a search engine.

But of course, if you don't know what part you need to begin with, a Web search might be far less productive. A search engine can locate specific information you are looking for, but it can't provide information that you didn't know you might need. Take, for example, the article on p. 23 about printed-circuit-board test. It quotes various participants in a panel discussion at the ITC 2002, at which board-test and semiconductor-test experts discussed ways in which board and chip test personnel can cooperate.

If you were lucky enough to attend that panel, you may have gained some valuable insights. If you couldn't attend, then you might never learn that these two disparate disciplines have useful information to offer each other—unless you have access to accounts brought to your attention by print or online magazines.

A recent article in Columbia Journalism Review ("Does size matter?" www.cjr.org/year/02/6/scherer.axp) by Michael Scherer questions how much today's readers are willing to read in order to uncover such nuggets as might be found from a close look at a discussion of semiconductor vs. PCB test. Conventional wisdom holds that, with quick information sources like CNN and the Internet, readers won't read anything longer than bite-sized newsflashes.

Not everyone agrees. Scherer notes that James Kaminski, the new editor of Playboy, is committed to running long articles to disprove the idea that long stories no longer sell. Of course, Playboy is well-known as a magazine whose audience is attracted primarily by lengthy articles, so Kaminski may not have much of a challenge convincing his readership.

We at T&MW are less sanguine. We know you look to us for the pictures as well as the articles. We know that the Internet is a viable alternative for technical information.

Nevertheless, we aim to deserve your attention, both in print and on our Web site. We will continue to bring you the technical features you rely on for in-depth information. But within the next few months, we'll be introducing new departments that give you a quick taste of new products and technologies while guiding you toward online and off-line resources that can give you more details. Stay tuned, and send us your feedback.

Contact Rick Nelson at rnelson@tmworld.com