Search Engines vs. Databases

Databases are reviewed and recommended. 

Databases are Purchased.

When pursuing fig information, databases will be the best place to find scoop. Databases are purchased, reviewed and recommended by librarians, organized, and stable (they do not change).....unlike search engines which have the exact opposite characteristics. Good advice from a PRISMS student says to use the mnemonic PROS for databases: purchased, recommended (reviewed), organized, and stable. Brilliant! In this post, the PROS concept has been put into illustrative from by using fig images for each piece of the mnemonic. In this way my topic is connected to the lesson!

Databases are Organized.

Databases are stable, and not changing.

Web Wisdom and Recognizing Legitimacy

Anyone can upload a website, scholars and scammers alike. Some signs to look for when making judgment calls about the credibility of an online source:

Author

Date

Workable links

Information can be cross-referenced

For an overall perspective, consider who is funding the website. The old cliche "Follow the money." has persisted over time because it is true...money is the source of most information and many actions in our world.

Be careful what you bite!

3 Truths of Search Engines

Search engines are not mind readers, although that would interesting if it could be done! Search engines can only offer results for websites it has collected and indexed and because of the indexing will only offer results based on what they think the keywords in the search box mean. Because search engines collect their own list of websites, without conferring with other search engines, there is very little overlap between their results.

These 3 reasons come together to explain why, when getting a "No Results Found" message after a search, a researcher needs to 1) alter the keywords or arrangement of keywords and/or 2) change search engines. Bottom line: make a change!

Change it up with different synonyms and/or related terms, and/or change search engines.

Figs as a keyword is pretty straight forward. However, synonyms could be exotic fruits, biblical fruits, Mediterranean fruits. Related terms fruit harvest, fruit trees and propagation, and perhaps Newtowns. Search engines to consider might include

Some of the search engines available online.

Research Partners project description

With the advent of Research Partners*, a whole new area of source possibilities are open! As a trial, it is unknown how well the website will work but just the chance someone may know information needed for this fig project is worth the effort to explain what I need. This is what I will say:

Collaboration makes ideas better!

"The figgy project surrounds the essential question of How can figs be produced and promoted for local farm market sales? This question leans toward two areas: producing enough figs to sell at a market and promoting enough interest that there will be sales once figs have been grown and are ready to sell. Finding someone knowledgeable about growing fig trees would be helpful, and then finding information about farm markets business practices."

Hopefully, someone will offer some advice.




*a PRISMS resource site where our Gifted Academic Program community circle can offer suggestions and ideas about projects

Essential Question

An Essential Question is the main, over-arching question that drives a research project. It is a higher order question of Evaluation that inspires all the other questions. I began this project thinking I was interested in the factors that promote  a personal preference in the backyard garden as something local folks would prefer as well. Since I sell at a local farm market, I want to increase interest and therefore sales of this somewhat obscure fruit. So, my question needs to incorporate two things 1) garden knowledge and 2) marketing strategies.

My essential question will be 

How can can figs be produced and promoted for local farm market sales?

From this question, all my other questions will erupt -- producing enough fig to sell and marketing strategies to build a client base desiring figs.

Selling figs -- a different skill than selling apples!

Figgy Poem -- First Fig

First Fig, a poem by Allison Elrod, is about the first fig that ripens and the delicious moment when it's picked and eaten. Yum!

Yummy is the only word to describe
the first fig of the season.

Sources for Figgy Thinking about Figs

This figgy brain is investigating sources I can access for my topic figs. Looking for information is like waiting for a fig to ripen. Figs ripen suddenly so when they are green and hard, the flesh is bitter and the ripening seems far off or impossible. However, checking each day...each day..each day..and one day suddenly, the color has changed and the flesh has softened. Ripening is now in sight! Within a couple days, they are ready to eat. Another couple days and they turn super sweet before falling off the tree and rotting.

That's the same with research. The search for information can seem far away, in fact, where is it? The suddenly a lead, or a set of keywords, or just the right person shows up, and there's a break-through! After that the research gets fast and information that once seems obscure becomes obvious.

These stepping stones look like figs
in puddles of water, no?

To start the research process in earnest, brainstorm some sources as the beginning stepping stones. 



Using a quick online search, I found some sources that may help initially. A quick phone call or email might get a couple leads for additional questions.

Primary Sources: 
Alson H. Smith Jr. Research and Extension Center, 595 Laurel Grove Road. Winchester, Virginia
540-869-2560 
Dudley Rinker, Rinker Orchards, 1156 Marlboro Road, Stephens City, Virginia 22655

540-869-1499

Secondary Sources: 

Locating newspaper articles about selling figs in Virginia may help. A good place to start may be newspaper archives. OH my! Library of Congress has an article from the Richmond Dispatch (Aug. 20, 1911) about big money in Mediterranean fruits such as figs and dates being grown in the US. That may warrant more investigation. 

Tertiary Source:

Since figs are plants, a plant catalog specializing in fruit trees would be helpful: Stark Bros. looks promising. It lists several kinds of fig trees for sale. However, since I already have fig trees, maybe I can propagate from what I have? A quick search gets some information from the Alabama Cooperative Extension about how to propagate fig trees which includes a list of other resources.

So, WOW!...a solid start! Ask some questions and start nibbling on some figgy information!