BNET. Access: http://www.bnet.com/.

Maureen James, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, mejames@ualr.edu

BNET is a slick, multimedia Web site that, in the words of the developers, “provides working professionals with the tools, advice, and insight they need to succeed in today’s workplace.” The homepage features five news articles that continually loop and change throughout the day. Access to these articles is through the “Today” tab. The other seven tabs are “Management,” “Strategy,” “Work Life,” “ Insight,” “Industries,” “Business Library,” and “Video.” Videos are professional and effective. The series includes videos on best practices, such as how to ace a job interview and how to handle chronic complainers. A brief 15-second ad precedes each video, which typically lasts five-to-seven minutes.

In the “Business Library” users have access to business articles from trade and general interest magazines. Although 2009 issues were available for some titles, other titles showed holdings with the latest issues dated 2006 or earlier. Users would be better off using databases in their local library to find articles.

The Web site offers a free membership that gives users access to white papers, Webcasts, case studies, and other content. Once a user registers, access is enabled only after the user completes a personal profile. BNET is forthright in telling the user that it shares personal profiles with companies that produce content, products, or services featured in the Business Library and that these companies may contact the user with information and offers regarding their products and services. Free content has its price

CNET Networks launched a beta version of BNET in 2005 and in 2007 launched the Web site in its current iteration. CBS Interactive acquired CNET in 2008 and has since added CBS MoneyWatch as a feature on the Web site. Blogs, podcasts, Webcasts, and videos are widely used to present content. Users can set up RSS feeds, download documents, share and e-mail documents, and leave comments on blog posts. The main audience for BNET is the up-and-coming business manager who wants to further his or her career. Business school students will also find it useful as it gives them a glimpse into the world they will become part of.

Issuu. Access: http://issuu.com.

Ken Fujiuchi, Buffalo State College, ken.fujiuchi@gmail.com

Issuu is a Web-based publishing platform that allows easy upload of supported document formats to an attractive online flash-based viewer. It also provides access to a library of independent publications that publish on the Issuu platform. Publications can include full books, portfolios, professional magazines, and any document that meets document requirements.

Issuu has four sections: “Home,” “Publications,” “People,” and “Groups.” “Home” promotes information about Issuu and features publications within Issuu, with some customization options if you are logged in. “Publications” provides browsing options to find materials published on Issuu, while the “People section” lets you browse users. The “Groups” section lets you look through user-generated collections, with the option to create your own custom collection, as well.

A free ad-supported account will get you started with plenty of features to keep you busy. Uploading documents is a simple process of pointing to a supported file on your computer, providing additional descriptive information, and setting publishing options for the document. You will then be taken to “My Library,” which shows your publications on a virtual wooden shelf. Users can easily share documents by distributing the link to their published document or by embedding the publication into a blog or Web site. “My Library” has basic social networking features to let you make friends within Issuu, share publications with Issuu users, and even create “Shelves” of your favorite publications to display on your public profile page. If you click and open one of your publications, it will take you to the full online document viewer.

The document viewer is where Issuu truly shines, with its emphasis on readability and intuitive controls. Issuu even hides its own branding to give you as much screen as possible to view the document. You can control the viewer just with the mouse, zooming in and out with a click, and flipping through pages by clicking on the arrows to the right or left edge of the page.

Issuu is highly recommended as a great low-cost publishing platform that makes sharing documents online easy and attractive. It’s also a great place to find alternative publications that users wouldn’t find in the mainstream media.

Mondofacto. Access: http://www.mondofacto.com.

Delores Carlito, University of Alabama-Birmingham, delo@uab.edu

Mondofacto is a Web site that provides subject-specific dictionaries, word tools, and writing and studying tutorials. This site, developed by an education company, specializes in online learning resources and the Online Medical Dictionary. However, information about the company and its contributors is vague. Nowhere does it state who the editors and content writers are or how they define community.

Mondofacto is divided into four sections: “Dictionary,” “Word Tools,” “Study Skills,” and “Forum.” The site is easily navigated using either the graphics on the front page or the listing at the bottom. Each section is subdivided. “Dictionary” defaults to a medical dictionary, but the user can choose to look up terms in computing or education. “Word Tools” includes a word finder, Scrabble solver, anagram solver, crossword solver, and word visualizer. “Study Skills” has areas on researching, study skills, presentation skills, and personal research. The final section is a group of forums for users to contribute to and read.

Many of the words and terms could be found in other places, and other words you would expect to find are missing. For instance, a quick check of the education dictionary did not contain an entry on “Bloom’s taxonomy.” The medical dictionary was the most thorough, which is understandable since the site specializes in the Online Medical Dictionary. While the prefix, suffix, abbreviation, and acronym dictionaries were entertaining, they were not exhaustive. The visualizer, the most academic of the “Word Tools,” could be useful as a thesaurus.

The most helpful area of the site is the section on study skills; it contains information to help students write a paper, abstract, literature review, or bibliography. Each discussion begins with a list of instructional objectives and the time it should take to complete the lesson. “Reading” has a discussion of reading skills, which could be very useful for new college students.

The site is entirely funded through advertising revenue, which is annoying at times. The “Study Skills” section is worthwhile, but the site’s use of advertising greatly devalues what could be a useful resource.

There are more scholarly and thorough resources on the Web.