Assignment:
1. Use WorldCat (in FirstSearch), a database selected in ProQuest, and ebrary to search for your topic. What is the major difference between WorldCat and the ProQuest database you selected? How does WorldCat differ from your local library catalog? Describe ebrary and how it differs from your local library catalog?
My search string is: grassroots marketing AND viral marketing AND community college. Obviously I need to revise my search string because I was unable to receive any results with either WorldCat or ProQuest. ebrary, however, did return two results. Upon further review, there is irrefutable evidence that I should revise my search string. The search string that I tried second is: viral marketing AND community college. I can only assume that WorldCat and ProQuest do not use Boolean search logic, as both returned no matches. I did, however receive 11 matches through ebrary. Is this to show us that ebrary might be our best resource for documents and research information? I am quickly beginning to think so. As I was having no success with any of my search strings in either WorldCat or ProQuest, I finally settled on the search string: community college marketing. This brought very depressing results: 842 matches from WorldCat, 5142 matches from ProQuest, and 8752 matches from ebrary.
One advantage of using WorldCat that I found was the ability to limit your search more specifically. WorldCat offers the ability to limit by types, subtypes, year, language, number of libraries and rankings. If you choose not to limit the type, the results are given to you in tabs that detail the number of each type and categorizes your results according to each type...a very nice feature. Because ProQuest does not offer the vast array of search limitations, it gives the search page a less cluttered feeling, which might translate to some users as a greater "ease of use." I went to our public libraries web page: https://www.sc.lib.ia.us/ and accessed their eCatalog/Database. I was very disappointed in virtually every aspect of the database. The look and feel was dry and callous, and the database did not present results for any of the search strings I used. I did enjoy the links that our library provides for accessing other online databases. They provide links to 19 different databases including Western Iowa Tech Community College where I am an instructor.
I believe ebrary to be a very useful tool in my pursuit of research material. The layout is such that it is easy to determine what might be of use and what can be brushed aside. The search engine itself is simple to use, and the results pages give you literally everything you would need to conduct your citations. At your immediate disposal on the results pages: relevance score (as the source pertains to your search string), title, types of source (book, report), the number of pages, the contributing authors, the publisher, the date of publication, the dewey decimal number, the LC call number, the ISBN number, and the subjects included. It is a wealth of information at your fingertips before clicking on the hyperlink to view the actual document. Once you decide to review or read a document that meets your criteria, the ebrary reader allows you to peruse the entire work by chapter or page...a wonderful tool.
2. For ProQuest, list the search strings you used to perform the search and the total number of records found.
• (grass roots marketing) AND (viral marketing) AND (community college) - NO RESULTS
• (grass roots marketing) AND (community college) AND ( community college marketing) - 3 results
• community college AND marketing - 2743 results
• community college AND marketing AND viral marketing - NO RESULTS
• (viral marketing) AND (community college) AND ( community college marketing) - NO RESULTS
• (college) AND (marketing) AND (viral marketing) - 11 results
• (college) AND (marketing) AND (online marketing) - 47 results
• (community college) AND (marketing) AND (online marketing) - 6 results
• community college AND viral marketing - NO RESULTS
• community college AND online marketing - 6 results
• community college AND grassroots marketing - NO RESULTS
• community college AND grass roots marketing - 3 results
3. For ebrary, record your search terms and the total number of records found.
• (grass roots marketing) AND (viral marketing) AND (community college) - NO RESULTS
• (grass roots marketing) AND (community college) AND (community college marketing) - 3 results
• community college AND marketing - 6 results
• community college AND marketing AND viral marketing - NO RESULTS
• viral marketing AND community college AND community college marketing - NO RESULTS
• college AND marketing AND viral marketing - 1 result
• college AND marketing AND online marketing - 23 results
• community college AND marketing AND online marketing - 4 results
• community college AND viral marketing - NO RESULTS
• community college AND online marketing - 4 results
• community college AND grassroots marketing - 2 results
• community college AND grass roots marketing - 3 results
References
Clark, Irvine, & Flaherty, Theresa (2005). Advances in Electronic Marketing. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.
Compton, Joshua A, & Pfau, Michael (2004). Use of inoculation to foster resistance to credit card marketing targeting college students. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 32(4), 343.
Ellen Neuborne, "Viral Marketing Alert!; E-mails bearing ads are starting to raise consumers' temperatures," Business Week, March 19, 2001, p.EB8
Morrison, David A. (2004). Marketing to the Campus Crowd: Everything You Need to Know to Capture the $200 Billion College Market.
Dearborn Trade, A Kaplan Professional Company.
Perry, Richard, & Whitaker, Andrew (2002). Viral Marketing in a Week. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Zimmerman, Jan. (2002). Marketing on the Internet: Your Seven Step Plan for Succeeding in e-Business Now That the Hype is Over," 6th ed, Gulf Breeze, FL: Maximum Press.