Web 2.0 Tools To Master Economic Development and Competitive Intelligence
For competitive intelligence researchers:
“”EDGAR Online’s goal is to deliver best-of-breed company and financial information to professional end users. The I-Metrix technology provides our users with the most efficient data and platform solution in the marketplace. This release brings the business intelligence capabilities of interactive data into the tools our customers use everyday,” said Susan Strausberg, CEO and President of EDGAR Online, Inc”
Tired of your old news alert service? Tired of modifying your keywords?
Here is a gadget that will help you save time in finding relevant content.
myFeedz is a “social newspaper” source in which users can access news articles that individuals are talking about. As you use myFeedz, the tool learns about your information needs to provide you with relevant content each time you consult the resource. Below is a screenshot of the page on myFeedz that I used to monitor the developments in the language technology sector.
Something has been bothering me for months and it is time for me to vent.
Blogs that do not have any affiliations to news sources are slowly becoming news outlets for broadcasters. The old lead-in, “According to a blog” is being used to often these days and it must stop, NOW!
Granted, blogs are great to share information but remember they are platforms for people to express themselves and views, such as myself and this blog. Using blogs to collect, synthesize and broadcast news is a very risky business.
Remember content on blogs can be easily modified within seconds, content that is already used in broadcasts can’t. Users of broadcast news make decisions on the basis of what is available and may not question the validity of the content.
On a previous post, I discussed the Cisco Systems and Apple dispute on the iPhone trademark and the implications of conducting throughout internet intelligence searching processes.
Update: Both companies has agreed to share the trademark. Strange. It will be interesting to see how two difference companies plan on marketing a product or service with the same trademark.
For more details, please read: Cisco, Apple Settle ‘iPhone’ Dispute.
I recall when desktop search tools first made a big splash in the information industry, one of the major concerns that information professionals expressed was security. Giving access to what is stored on your desktop, hard drive or server to such tools can put information at risk by possibility allowing hackers to conduct exhaustive searches.
Yesterday, it was announced that Google introduced a patch to prevent hackers from taking over a user’s computer and running a remote code. Watchfire, a provider of website security firm published a white paper discussing the vulnerability of tool and implications of allowing an attacker full access to user’s computer.
It always amazes me how software companies can roll out applications with big fanfair and then years discover glitches that could cost their users in the long run.
I came across the article, “Two New Web Research Studies Highlight New Business Opportunities” this morning and read a very telling fact. According an IDC study, “roughly 70 percent of users’ queries on the Web are not going first to the search engines (to be then referred through results clicks to Web sites). Instead, users are going directly to destination sites (such as Amazon or Staples) to search for specific information and are bypassing the search engines.”
As the article suggests, this fact will prompt online advertisers to strategically place ads on specific sites rather than on general websites.
The fact can also open a discussion that some individuals still do not take the time to plan out their search to find information to be used in buying a product or obtaining a service.
Yes, I know that some individuals do not have the experience to apply a search methodology to conduct an exhaustive query however; if people are seeking the best value for their dollar, they should know about how to use the internet efficiently.
Don’t have time to conduct an exhaustive search to find relevant information?
Jyve is a “ask engine,” where user searches provide a live chat, instant message or phone call from a person with expertise in the search topic.
According to Hitwise, Wikipedia has witness a drastic increase in web traffic via Google. Is this proof over good marketing and search engine placement? Maybe, however I would like to bring up a point that maybe overlooked by the casual web researcher.
With the overwhelming about of individuals visiting the source for their information needs, can we have a bit of doubt regarding the validity of the content that is posted on a regular basis. It may the cynical of me saying this but I think too many individuals take for granted that Wikipedia is ultimate source for information. In addition, having Google indexing Wikipedia content does reinforce the sources credibility however; please be careful.
Any good information professional will cull data from reputable sources or verify data that is made available on such web 2.0 platforms such as Wikipedia.
Here is a gadget for online marketing professionals who are seeking to adjust their selections of keywords to lead internet users to their site.
Microsoft adCenter Lab offers a tool that permits you to track and forecasts the use of keyword(s) and relation to others. The tool is very easy to use. Simply enter a series of keyword(s) separated by semicolons and click on the green button located to the right of the search box. The next page that will appear is a collection of graphs dealing with:
• Keyword monthly historical trends and impression count
• Keyword age distribution
• Keyword gender distribution
The Microsoft adCenter Lab Keyword Forecasting Tool is available at
http://adlab.msn.com/ForecastV2/KeywordTrendsWeb.aspx
If you are like me and tried to obtain a Gmail account forever, here is a piece of good news for you. Google has unveiled Gmail to the general public. Before, you had to know someone who was priviledged enough to have access to the service. Individuals had to invite you to register for an account.
Gmail has a built-in chat function letting people switch to instant messaging that is offered in more than 40 languages.
Gmail is available at http://www.gmail.com.
