Tag Archive for 'internet research'

Making Advanced Online Searching Easier With Gdocu

Published
by
Ian Smith
on February 19, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Competitive & Internet Intelligence and Internet tools
. 0 Comments

Pop quiz….

Which of the following search statements will permit you to access information in a Microsoft PowerPoint document regarding trends in the North American automobile industry?

a) flietype:.ppt, trends + “North American” + “automobile industry”

b) trends + “North American” + “automobile industry”, .ppt

c) trends + “North American” + “automobile industry” filetype:ppt

If you have selected either a) or b), it is recommended that you continue reading.

The correct answer is c)

Although it maybe difficult for some to remember how to structure a search query for a specific file format, there may be an easier way to conduct an advanced search of the web.

Gdocu is a search tool that permits users to find information in a specific file format by entering keywords and clicking within a radio button.  Using such a  tool will assist in filtering search results to locate relevant information efficiently.

Why scan through a number of pages looking for an annual report when you can easily surf through just a few .pdf documents? Annual reports are often available in .pdf.

As of February 18th, the tool can retrieve the following types of document formats:

  • PDF
  • Word
  • PowerPoint
  • Other Formats (i.e., Excel, Design Web Format)
  • Only Websites
  • All The Web

Figure 1 illustrates the search interface of Gdocu.

Figure 1: Gdocu Search Interface

Case Scenario

You are interested in finding a spreadsheet (in Excel) that contains the export levels of petroleum of Canada in 2008.  Figure 2 presents the query that is entered to find the relevant data as specified.


Figure 3: Search Query For Finding Export Data For Petroleum In Canada For 2008

By selecting “Other Formats”, Gdocu will provide only Excel files (XLS).  Results for the query are presented in Figure 4, where the most relevant result is highlighted in yellow.

Figure 4: Results For The Query:: export + petroleum + Canada + 2008
Click On Image To Enlarge

As stated on their index page, Gdoc is NOT a Google product however; it has been created by the Google Custom Search application.

Although Gdoc is a very good tool to conduct advanced web searches however; it is just the beginning when attempting an exhaustive search of the internet.

Gdoc is available at www.gdocu.com

Looking to enhance your team’s online searching skills?  Attend Intelegia’s seminar, “Advanced Business Intelligence Gathering Approaches”

Searching For Articles With Digg

Published
by
Ian Smith
on January 22, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Competitive & Internet Intelligence and Web 2.0 Search
. 0 Comments

Here is a tool that will come in handy when searching for articles and/or blog posts.

Digg is a social networking tool in which individuals can share content (i.e., news, videos and images) with others.  It can serve as an efficient avenue to promote content.  The index page of Digg is seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Digg’s Index Page
Click On Image To Enlarge

Conducting a keyword search is straightforward however; users may sort results by:

  • Best Match
  • Most Dugg (Articles or posts that have the most votes)
  • Newest First (Most Recent)

Figure 2 illustrates the first page of results for the keyword, “economic development 2.0″ sorted by “Most Dugg”.

Figure 2 Results For The Keyword, “economic development 2.0″ Sorted By “Most Dugg”
Click On Image To Enlarge

As with other good search tools, Digg offers advanced search options.  Below is a list of the options.

  • +b : Including “+b” at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to posted items that have received negative votes or “buries“.
  • +p :Including “+p” at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to posted items that have been promoted by Digg.
  • +np :Including “+np” at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to posted items that have not been promoted by Digg.
  • +u : Including “+u” at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to upcoming storing on Digg.
  • -d : Including “-d” at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to items in specific domains.
  • site: Including “site:” and a website address at the end of the entered keywords permits users to have access to items from a specific website.

Digg is available at www.digg.com

Are you looking to improve your internet researching skills, consider attending Intelegia’s seminar, ” Advanced Business Intelligence Gathering Approaches”

Northern Light Search Tool

Published
by
Ian Smith
on January 8, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Competitive & Internet Intelligence and Internet tools
. 0 Comments

Here is an internet research tool that is very valuable but does not come to mind when discussing search tools.  Northern Light Search portal is a handy tool to find information efficiently.  Figure 1 presents the index page of the research portal.

Figure 1: Index Page Of Northern Light Search
Click On Image To Enlarge

By default, the index page is composed of the following sections:

  • Quick Search
  • My Favorite Research
  • Most Popular Search Terms
  • Most Popular Articles
  • Most Mentioned Venture Funded Companies
  • Most Mentioned Business Issues

For the purposes of this blog, the “Quick Search” function was used with the keywords, “foreign direct investment”.  The results are presented in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Results For Keywords, “foreign direct investment”
Click On Image To Enlarge

Once the results are provided, they are different options that users can benefit from such as:

  • Save this Search - Save a query for future reference or use.
  • Edit this Search - Modify a query to add or remove keywords or operates.
  • Sort by Date - Sort results by publication date.
  • MI Analyst - MI Analyst combines the power of Northern Light’s best-in-class free-text searching with advanced text analytics developed specifically for Market Intelligence applications.
  • Toggle Your Search - Select where you would like your results to  come from. (i.e.,  blogs, national news sources, regional news sources, white papers)
  • Analyze Your Search - Identify relevant results by Northern Light text analysis application.

Figure 3 illustrates the “Toogled National and Global Search” for “foreign direct investment”.

Figure 3: “Toogled National and Global Search” for “foreign direct investment”
Click On Image To Enlarge

What is interesting about the Northern Light tool is the search interface page.   The page is divided into two parts: I) General Search & II) Expert Search

I) General Search

Figure 4 presents a look at the search interface for the General Search function.

Figure 4: General Search Interface On Northern Light
Click On Image To Enlarge

The General function not only allows you to search the web but specifically:

  • Online publications
  • Websites if you enter a web address in the URL field
  • News, blogs and white papers

II) Expert Search

The Expert Search permits access to online sources for subject-specific information found by internet research experts.   There are 10 subject-specific directories that are offered on the page.  A sample of the directories can be seen in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Expert Search Interface On Northern Light
Click On Image To Enlarge

To benefit from the full compliment of options, an username and password can be obtained for free.

Northern Light Search is available at www.nlsearch.com

Learn about additional internet research tools in Intelegia’s seminar, “Effective Online Research Strategies“.

Best of Tools For Thought 2009 - Internet Research Tools

Published
by
Ian Smith
on December 28, 2009
in Author-Ian Smith and Internet tools
. 0 Comments

In the past year, Tools For Thought introduced many internet research tools to be used in competitive intelligence and economic intelligence contexts.  Here is a look back the top three tools that readers were interested in as indicated by the number of page visits.

Samepoint - A Powerful Social Media Search Tool

Samepoint is a one-stop location on the web to search for “social discussions” available on the web.  Simply enter your keywords and receive relevant results on discussion groups, wikis, Twitter, podcasts just to list a few.

Click here to read Intelegia’s review of this tool.

Organization Structure Intelligence Using The Official Board

At times, finding information on how companies are structured along the line of corporate function can be a challenge.  Using a research tool such as The Official Board can make life easier for competitive intelligence practitioners.  The tool will provide you with organigrams to help identify individuals that the capacity to make key business decisions.

Click here to read Intelegia’s review of this tool.

Site Selection Intelligence With Bing Maps

This blog post highlights the innovative use of Bing Maps to investigate a potential piece of real estate for commerical purposes.  With the address of the location, you can access images of the place in question and the surrounding area.

Click here to read Intelegia’s review of this tool.