Do I Detect a Change?

Most librarians keep up with trends in the profession through three core activities: reading library literature, subscribing to library electronic discussion lists, and attending library conferences. While a library-centric strategy is a good start, many of us realize that it fails to encompass the growing universe of related technologies that we need to monitor to keep ahead of-or merely up with-the technology curve.

These technologies can include web site management and content development; cutting-edge computing, teaching, and instructional technology; wireless applications; telecommunications; and much more. Information about these peripheral technologies is rapidly expanding, with much of it available through e-newsletters and web sites. Even better, most of these resources are free.

Electronic newsletters are no problem; users subscribe to them, then they are delivered, or 'pushed,' as e-mail messages. It is far more of a challenge to integrate information that is available on web sites into a 'keeping up' strategy. Fortunately, there is technology available that automates the process of tracking changes to web page content. We'll look at a group of the services and products designed to carry out web page change detection and identify features to look for when selecting a service.

Managing Change Alerts with E-Mail Clients A continuous receipt of alerts from change detection services, particularly if more than a dozen pages are being tracked, can quickly clog up an inbox and become a distraction. Instead, let the alerts flow into their own folder within your inbox, keep them segregated from other messages, then review all the latest alerts at one time. Most e-mail clients, Microsoft Outlook being one of the most popular, allow users to create "rules" that define how e-mail messages are handled upon receipt. The goal is to create a rule to the effect that "when an e-mail from address@changedetectservice.com is received, send it to the ChangeDetect folder." These types of rules are fairly simple to create. Here is a screen shot that provides an example of a rule written for Outlook: Once the rule is properly established, when e-mail messages arrive from change detection services they are conveniently stored in the designated folder: Upkeep tasks are difficult enough to maintain. Managing e-mail alerts from detection services this way is one more valuable timesaver.

Enter web page change-detection services. Although these services can save you hours, be aware that they pick up change only on single web pages. Entire sites or portions cannot be monitored. Depending on the nature of a web site, monitoring the homepage may be all that is necessary. For example, when tracking online journals (a great way to keep alert to the latest articles) the homepage will typically change when a new issue is published. Other sites may require the tracking of second- or third-level pages as well as the homepage.

Change-detection services are either free or moderately priced. Starting with a trial subscription is the best way to test a service's features and evaluate its suitability. Each tracking profile is created individually by entering a URL and identifying information for each page, followed by setting monitoring preferences. The process takes just a few minutes for each page. Be wary of any service that allows only universal or default preference settings. Look for the ability to specify, for example, how frequently the service should send page alerts. It can be far more productive to check a daily-updated page just once or twice a week, particularly when those daily changes are minor. Remember, even if a single word changes, an alert is sent.

Another way to avoid frequent alerts for insignificant changes is to choose a service that allows subscribers to specify specific terms or phrases. If a subscriber must monitor a page on a daily basis, consider services that will highlight changed text. The ability to create folders for similar sites or assign sites to subject categories is also helpful. The services vary in options and preferences; subscribers who want the greatest range of options should explore the fee-based services.

Depending on the monitored pages, change notifications may start to arrive by e-mail within 24 hours. Some services allow for a single, daily, digest-type message that contains all notifications received on a single day. Otherwise each change alert will arrive as a single message. While single alerts may lead to some inbox clutter (see sidebar for advice on avoiding buildup), they allow better monitoring and are much easier to read.

After the initial setup is complete, aside from occasional preference modifications, most subscribers will primarily add and delete profiles. Consider services offering an icon added to the browser's tool bar, or a 'right-click' menu add-on, that allow the addition of new tracking profiles on the fly. When deletions or profile edits are needed, look at the ease with which those modifications are made. For help, the fee-based services have been found to provide far more responsive technical support, in addition to FAQs and other documentation.

The services described here are dot-coms, so there is little guarantee of their sustainability. One of the most popular and heavily used detection services, Pumatech's Mind-It, went out of business this summer. Change-detection service subscribers should maintain a list of URLs being monitored in case their service ceases to exist. Currently there are five products worth examining: InfoMinder, TrackEngine, ChangeDetection.com, Watch-ThatPage.com, and Website-Watcher.

TrackEngine. Its combination of features, customization options, and sharp design is difficult to top. At $62 per year it is also the most expensive, but if price is no barrier, TrackEngine does offer excellent features. While most services provide a link or digest in most in their alerts, TrackEngine can deliver the actual page or just the changed content. It has advanced options for customizing page monitoring to allow notification only if certain specified terms, phrases, or Boolean-connected keyword combinations are subject to change. TrackEngine's add-a-page toolbar icon makes adding new tracking profiles as simple as dragging the icon onto a desired web page. Additionally, its editing and organizational features are outstanding. Like InfoMinder, the basic TrackEngine subscription allows the monitoring of a maximum 100 pages.

ChangeDetection.com. This service is primarily marketed to webmasters as a resource to add to their sites, allowing visitors to sign-up for notification when the sites change. But ChangeDetection.com will accommodate the needs of the rest of us. As with most free services, expect to find fewer features and less convenience. ChangeDetection.com is about as basic as they come and could interest those seeking a service with minimal requirements. No registration is required; simply begin identifying URLs to monitor. Unlike the other services there are no preferences to set, and users have no profile on the system. Having experimented with ChangeDetection.com, I have found that it works reliably.

WatchThatPage.com. Those willing to sacrifice some of the features of the premium services in order to have a free service may prefer WatchThatPage.com to ChangeDetection.com. Watch-ThatPage is far more user-friendly with respect to instructions and help. It also has a few more features. It lets users choose between daily and weekly alert delivery and offers a bookmarking feature to allow for fast site selection. Users can also review and edit the sites they monitor, and there is a simplistic folder feature. WatchThatPage is also the only web-based service I encountered that has no limits on the number of pages it lets subscribers monitor. This service is well worth a close comparison with the fee-based services.

WebSite-Watcher. This one isn't web based but is a local client that monitors web pages and saves changes to the computer's hard drive. Users first establish bookmarks to designate pages to monitor. They then can opt to begin tracking manually or set it to run automatically at specified intervals. Locally loaded software often offers more features than comparable web-based products, and Website-Watcher has many options. This software may appeal to those seeking the utility of capturing, storing, and organizing the change captured from specified pages. There are no limits on the number of sites WebSite-Watcher can monitor. Though it costs $29.95, unlike fee-based services there is no annual renewal.

The other key choice in adding web page change detection is to decide whether to go fee or free. My preference is fee and not simply because of the better interface and features. My highest priority is subscribing to a service with good prospects for longevity. Past experience indicates that free services either institute fees at some point or eventually close up shop.

Not sure if web page change-detection services are right for you? Start free. If you find they improve your personal self-development, move up to a more full-featured fee-based service. Whether you choose fee or free, web page detection is sure to provide professional benefits.