Infoglut Control Service Details

Briefing

The figure (right) shows a NetAlive screen show. Several times per minute the screen redraws with another set of headlines and graphics. The precise intervals, the animation, and the sources may change because they are downloaded from the NetAlive, Inc. Web site when you start NetAlive.

Time Line Display

The figure (right) shows NetAlive's time line display. NetAlive has surfed many Web sites but is displaying just the part of interest to the user. The list summarizes each concept, (1) including the date (2) the concept was first seen by NetAlive, and including an explanation of why NetAlive believes it to be of interest to the user (3). As the date column indicates, NetAlive finds several items per day for this interest. If NetAlive is left running unattended, new lines appear at the top of the list every few hours.

NetAlive expands a concept when the user clicks on it. NetAlive displays the "full topic" (4) "source" (5), and other information at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the "full text" or "web browser" buttons (6) will cause NetAlive to fetch the original document for even greater detail.

While NetAlive normally filters Infoglut aggressively, all information is available for "research." Normally the user does not type into the "search" field (7) so NetAlive filters on all the interests provided by the user (see below). When the user requests, NetAlive scans all the concepts found in its Web surfing for the search term and displays them in order of "newness." If the search has many "hits," the user can scroll "back in time" to see them all.

Configuring Interests

Before running NetAlive, we recommend that you configure a set of "interest keywords" using a screen like the one shown (right). Press the "set interests" button and type a series of topics of specific interest to you (and another set of topics of negative interest).

Setting Sources

NetAlive comes configured with a dozen sources and a default briefing. NetAlive also has a setup mode (right) and a Web-based setup wizard for guiding users through the process of finding and configuring agents. Click here to enter the setup wizard (however, the setup wizard will not be fully functional unless you have downloaded NetAlive).

Available Agents

Source Agents

Agent Type Setup Instructions

Empty Desk
A disabled source.
Drag the empty desk from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

Home Page Agent
Monitors a URL that you specify. After loading, this agent removes HTML formatting if any is present. The agent then splits the text into sentences. Each sentence is treated as a headline. Clicking on a headline loads the original URL.
Drag the home page agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
Double-click on the agent to configure.
Type-in the URL to monitor and a descriptive phrase. The descriptive phrase should remind you of the site being monitored. For example, the headline "Company receives Baldridge award for quality" requires the descriptive phrase "AT&T home page" to be meaningful.

Infoseek Search Engine
Monitors the result of an Internet search using the Infoseek search engine. It first submits a query to Infoseek using search phrase that you specify. It then makes each item returned into a headline, discarding header and footer information. Clicking on the headline loads the document that was indexed by Infoseek.
Drag the Infoseek search engine agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
Double-click on the agent to configure.
Type-in the search string and descriptive phrase. The descriptive phrase should remind you of the information being sought. For example, the headline "Acme Corporation Home Page" requires the descriptive phrase "Sites selling used machine tools" to be meaningful.

San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle (Hearst) is an electronic edition of a Monday-Saturday morning paper. Moderate editing. Separate agents for each section. Free.
Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

San Jose Mercury
The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (Knight-Ridder) produces two electronic editions each day, seven days a week. Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. A subscription is required to access the text of articles (the headlines are free). You will be asked for an authorization code when you access article text for the first time each session. Get an authorization code and password from the Mercury directly.
Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco (CA) Examiner (Hearst) is an electronic edition of a Monday-Saturday afternoon paper. The Chronicle and Examiner product a joint Sunday morning paper. Limited editing. Separate agents for each section. Free.
Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

Electronic Telegraph
The Electronic Telegraph is an electronic edition of the United Kingdom's daily newspaper. The Electronic Telegraph has a peculiar registration process which is not currently supported. Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. Free.
Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

News and Observer Times
The Nando Times (News and Observer Publishing Company; Nando.net; McClatchy) has editors continuously updating online content (online content changes every half-hour or so). Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. Free.
Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

Briefing Agents

Agent Type Setup Instructions

News Show
This agent contains the briefing shipped with the unmodified version of the product.
Drag the news show agent from the palette and drop in the briefing room.

List Box Show
Low CPU activity show. Multimedia animations may require too much CPU activity to be a viable background option on older or slower computers. The low CPU activity show displays the same headlines as a multimedia news show but in a textual "list box."
Drag the list box agent from the palette and drop in the briefing room.

Explore Our Site

Common links:

Next Section Previous Section Parent Document

This is part 3 of a 5 part document:

NetAlive News Gathering Valley Talk News Magazine Details.and Use

Adding a New Source Corporate Edition

Running NetAlive:

Download NetAlive Infoglut Control

Reference:

Home Page

Agent Type	Setup Instructions
Empty Desk A disabled source.	Drag the empty desk from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
Home Page Agent Monitors a URL that you specify. After loading, this agent removes HTML formatting if any is present. The agent then splits the text into sentences. Each sentence is treated as a headline. Clicking on a headline loads the original URL.	Drag the home page agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position. Double-click on the agent to configure. Type-in the URL to monitor and a descriptive phrase. The descriptive phrase should remind you of the site being monitored. For example, the headline "Company receives Baldridge award for quality" requires the descriptive phrase "AT&T home page" to be meaningful.
Infoseek Search Engine Monitors the result of an Internet search using the Infoseek search engine. It first submits a query to Infoseek using search phrase that you specify. It then makes each item returned into a headline, discarding header and footer information. Clicking on the headline loads the document that was indexed by Infoseek.	Drag the Infoseek search engine agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position. Double-click on the agent to configure. Type-in the search string and descriptive phrase. The descriptive phrase should remind you of the information being sought. For example, the headline "Acme Corporation Home Page" requires the descriptive phrase "Sites selling used machine tools" to be meaningful.
San Francisco Chronicle The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle (Hearst) is an electronic edition of a Monday-Saturday morning paper. Moderate editing. Separate agents for each section. Free.	Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
San Jose Mercury The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (Knight-Ridder) produces two electronic editions each day, seven days a week. Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. A subscription is required to access the text of articles (the headlines are free). You will be asked for an authorization code when you access article text for the first time each session. Get an authorization code and password from the Mercury directly.	Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
San Francisco Examiner The San Francisco (CA) Examiner (Hearst) is an electronic edition of a Monday-Saturday afternoon paper. The Chronicle and Examiner product a joint Sunday morning paper. Limited editing. Separate agents for each section. Free.	Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
Electronic Telegraph The Electronic Telegraph is an electronic edition of the United Kingdom's daily newspaper. The Electronic Telegraph has a peculiar registration process which is not currently supported. Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. Free.	Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.
News and Observer Times The Nando Times (News and Observer Publishing Company; Nando.net; McClatchy) has editors continuously updating online content (online content changes every half-hour or so). Extensively edited. Separate agents for each section. Free.	Drag the agent from the palette and drop onto a source agent position.

Agent Type	Setup Instructions
News Show This agent contains the briefing shipped with the unmodified version of the product.	Drag the news show agent from the palette and drop in the briefing room.
List Box Show Low CPU activity show. Multimedia animations may require too much CPU activity to be a viable background option on older or slower computers. The low CPU activity show displays the same headlines as a multimedia news show but in a textual "list box."	Drag the list box agent from the palette and drop in the briefing room.

Common links:
Next Section	Previous Section	Parent Document
This is part 3 of a 5 part document:
NetAlive News Gathering	Valley Talk News Magazine	Details.and Use
Adding a New Source	Corporate Edition
Running NetAlive:
Download NetAlive	Infoglut Control
Reference:
Home Page