Tracking Changing News Needs through FreePint
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

As user requirements change and news aggregation vendors introduce product enhancements, Robin Neidorf asks: what is the real need for delivering news content into the organisation, now and into the future? Is it better to treat corporate users as one group or to separate them into those who're happy with "light, summary-type news" and those for whom "deep, multilingual, probably premium-priced" options are essential? FreePint's Community of Practice calls present an ideal arena in which to discuss such issues with peers across the industry.

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In recent Community of Practice (CoP) calls, I've been discussing results from the Sixth Annual Survey on News Needs & Preferences with customers. They want to discuss changes in strategy and product development at vendors, notably Dow Jones (recently written about for FreePint by Tim Buckley Owen), but also Nexis (see current review by Anne Lonergan) and more niche suppliers like Eureka (also recently reviewed, by Anne Jordan) and Newsdesk (also recently reviewed, by Penny Crossland).

But the harder part of the discussion - and the more interesting part - looks not at suppliers but at the buying organisations themselves. What is the real need for delivering news content into the organisation, now and into the future? 

Catering for Users Both Shallow and Deep

The nub of this discussion came up in the CoP call when I presented to the group this quote from a survey respondent:

"We have two kinds of news users:

1. Light, shallow, broad, summary (free may suffice).
2. In-depth, multilingual, deep, historical (premium priced). 

I would not want to make business decisions based on 1."

In my experience, buying organisations have typically tried to address the needs of both types of news users with a single product or solution. As we discussed the current options on the market, however, considering such variables as content sets, features, ease of implementation and cost-per-user, many on the call agreed that perhaps it would make more sense to treat each need separately.

Whilst this approach runs contrary to the trend towards reducing duplication of content, it may better suit users and the budget as well.

Stimulating Research and Fresh Ideas

I get excited by these discussions and by the potential they raise for additional research. They are best developed through a combination of FreePint's focus on our four Topics (Sources, Technology, ROI and Compliance), original research like our Survey on News Needs & Preferences, and regular calls with customers through our Communities of Practice.

When we bring these pieces together in a series such as the current FreePint Topic Series: Beyond Aggregation, we get a unique opportunity to go beyond product reviews and case studies and take a look together at fresh ideas that can change our industry.

If changes in the market for news aggregation are creating headaches for you, the benefit of our reviews, analysis and CoP calls could not be more timely. With a FreePint Subscription, you get access to all our articles and reports, and with a Team-level subscription, you can participate in any of our Community of Practice calls. Complete the online form and start your FreePint Subscription today.

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