Do not get me wrong. I am a big fan of Google News however; I have become a little bit disappointed with the results that the tool is spitting out.
I may have ranted about results from blogs being included in Google News before but it is worth repeating. Since when has blogs become official outlets for news? Yes, any blog that is linked to an official news outlet is credible however; there are some individuals who will not consider a blog posting to be of value to their researching needs. So many individuals still think that blogs are meant to share opinions and not facts.
My wish is to have Google filter their results more closely.
I couldn’t wait to blog on this subject. It gives me a good reason to log onto my Facebook account during working hours.
In case you are not familiar with Facebook, Facebook is a social network site where you can link up with old friends and meet new friends, post photos and videos and create groups just to name a few features.
Businesses have hopped on the Facebook bandwagon to promote their products and services online. As a result, Facebook has become a valuable source of information that is not available on the general web and it is important to know where to find information on the platform. Here are a few tips to consider:
i) Facebook Group Directory - Facebook has a directory of business related groups. Within each group, individuals can have discussion, post photos and videos. Individuals can browse thousands of group to collect information provided that you can join without any problems.
ii) General search - Entering a company name in the general search box will provide you with a list of hits where the company name appears on pages on the platform. For example if you enter “Company XYZ”, you will get a list of people who is or used to work at Company XYZ on the basis that the individual has mentioned the company’s name in his/her profile. (Please Note: I have notice the general search has a bug. On occasion, the tool fails to retrieve some information that is obvious on the platform. Try it on the list of your friends.)
iii) Browsing Networks - Networks are virtual hubs that individuals can belong to. It allows others to friends easily. Networks are created along the lines of regions around the world, colleges and universities, workplaces (companies) and high schools. For competitive intelligence purposes, a list of company networks is interesting to look at.
This article is pretty interesting for individuals seeking to establish a competitive intelligence function within their company however; there is something that you bear in mind.
Competitive intelligence does not automatically lead to profits!!!
Remember there are always fixed cost that you can not avoid and no matter the amount of competitive intelligence you have can an effect on costs.
To read the article, “How to increase profits with competitive intelligence”, click here.
One of the most misunderstood aspects of conducting internet searches for market research mandates is how to begin the process. Some may think that it is a matter of sticking in a series of keywords in a search engine and hope for the best in terms of results.
The proper approach is to attempt to gain an understanding of the market that is being examined first. Some may think that it may take a long time to grasp the dynamics of the market however, here is a site that is worth a look.
ResearchWikis provides free market research for the various industries in terms of background information, market structure, definitions, competitors, trends and developments.
Similar to other wiki platforms, individuals can contribute content to this source.
Here is another one of those silly articles that tries to lump the practice of “competitive intelligence” with “corporate espionage”.
The underlying theme of the article is rather interesting - the art of information solicitation but the spin on it is all wrong. It is amazing to see that yet another journalist would do another piece on CI and try to label it “spying”.
When is this going to stop? There has been hundreds of professionals in the industry that has drawn a clear distinction between the two practices but yet there are journalists who have overactive imaginations.
To read the complete article, click here.
Yes, I know it is a littleStud a Siete Cartas es un juego del casinos que es de el grupo del juegos clasicos. late to be making resolutions in terms of internet intelligence practices on the 10th of January but who is going to stop me. The important thing is to stick with them to remain an efficient researcher and a provider of highly relevant information, right????
1 - Improving Keyword Selection
I find myself not have enough keywords when I am dealing with a complex question. Having just a few keywords really limits the ability to find information from various resources online. I’m going to try to be more creative in terms of listing words to be used in search queries. Using tools such as Google Suggest, Keyword Suggestion Tool from Wordtracker and KeywordDiscovery will be a very good start.
2. Management of RSS Feeds
Okay, I have to admit that I’m not the best person that knows how to manage RSS feeds efficiently. I’m getting better but I need to brush up on the newest tools and approaches to filter information that is pushed to me.
3. Learn more about new tools.
Sometimes as information professionals, we are so focused on research mandates 9am to 5pm that we do not make time for trying out new tools to find and organize information. I think I need to take a hour out of my week to play with different applications on the web. A good place on the web to visit and find new tools is Tara Calishain’s ResearchBuzz and for Google maniacs, see Google Labs .
4. Keep Blogging
Yes, I know I have been a slacker when it comes blog postings over the past three months. I will try my darn best to blog two to three times per week. If I don’t come through on this resolutions, you have my permission to remind me every few weeks.
