If You Used to FUMSI...
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

Robin Neidorf explains what happened to the FUMSI and VIP brands - and where you can now find information such as in-depth product reviews and articles on sources, technology and value.

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With the recent publication of the 400th issue of the FreePint Newsletter, we've been reflecting lately on the evolution of FreePint, our readership and our offerings.

One question that comes up occasionally is what happened to our old brands, particularly VIP and FUMSI.

Product Reviews

VIP was the monthly publication in which we published our in-depth product reviews. When we brought product reviews into the FreePint brand, we opened up our ability to publish more of them, more frequently and in more flexible formats. Check out the latest FreePint product reviews here.

Moving to Topics

FUMSI was our database where we published articles and reports to help you Find, Use, Manage and Share Information. FUMSI does not correlate directly to the FreePint Topics of Sources, Technology and Value, but Topics did evolve out of our work with customers around FUMSI.

What did we learn through that work? Because FUMSI focused on the needs of a user rather than the overall needs of an organisation, it created a few barriers for us and for our customers:

• Most people felt that only part of the collection was meaningful to them
• It was hard to get organisation-wide sign-off for a subscription because the needs covered so many departments.

Over a year ago, when we brought FUMSI into a single FreePint Subscription and shifted to FreePint Topics, we made strides to better address customer needs:  

• We were able to focus on the needs of the organisation, rather than the needs of an individual or department
• Topics cross all user needs as well, making the whole collection relevant to each user; regardless of how you interact with information, you need to be aware of Sources, Technology and Value.

The same content is available as before:  

• Much of the "Find" guidance will appear in Sources: e.g. product reviews, tips on using different sources, where to find certain types of information
  
  
• "Use" guidance may appear in either Sources or Technology. For example, analysis tools or workflow tools are Technology-related
  
  
• "Manage" is largely mapped to Value, but with a more strategic focus - it's not just how to manage information but how to also document, discuss and make decision based on the Value it drives in the business
  
  
• "Share" is also largely mapped to Value. A lot of the guidance, Communities of Practice, and resources on sharing information have to do with communicating its value to different stakeholders.  

You can explore FreePint Topics, and even view a short video about how we understand, research and write about the world of information.

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