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FreePint Newsletter No.357
23rd August 2012
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 New ways of monitoring, organising and extracting meaning from information challenge product vendors as well as information professionals. Just as individual professionals work to make sense of every new tool, utility and app available, product development teams consider emerging tools and technologies as both opportunity and threat. Can established vendors effectively incorporate new features? Or will the more agile start-up with these technologies built into their very structure outmaneuver them in meeting rising customer expectations?
This month's FreePint Reports offer two success stories: one of a relatively young vendor with a fresh approach to a common corporate challenge; the second of a long-established vendor doing exciting things with content and technology.
Creating Awareness
Attensa's StreamServer tackles the problem of information overload and multiple streams of relevant information. Scott Brown's comprehensive review highlights the product's strengths: integration of social media content, ability to teach the software what matters, and capture internal information as well as external. Read more about Scott's findings, and FreePint Subscribers can access the full report now.
Simplifying Complexity
Thomson Innovation takes the deep patent and business information content resources of Thomson Reuters, and enhances their usability with elegant application of results clustering and visualisation. David Whelan explains further what he likes about these elements, and provides comprehensive details in his full review, now available to FreePint Subscribers.
If you're not already a subscriber, find out more about a FreePint Subscription.
But Did They Get It Right?
Both products reflect changing needs in today's organisations. But how well did their developers translate organisational needs into features?
Vendors take what they know of their customers and markets, and try to reflect current and emerging needs in products that aim for excellence. Buyers and users, however, do not always agree about the design, approach or outcomes of this process.
Buyers and vendors discuss what constitutes "product excellence", which is why FreePint is pleased to produce on behalf of the Content Division of the Software and Information Industry Association a webinar session on precisely this topic. This free session will provide you with insights about what developers are aiming for and what buyers are looking for. Register now and join us on 13 September for what is sure to be a lively session.
By Robin Neidorf
Director of Research, FreePint
robin.neidorf@freepint.com
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My Favourite Tipples
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 By Andrew Grave
Like a lot of people, I'm striving to stay on top of what's happening around me both professionally and in the broader global environment, whilst at the same time seeking inspiration. Four of my favourite sites do just this:
- Economist on Facebook: The Economist on Facebook has to be my favourite tipple. The Economist is always an insightful, globally-led read. As well as more serious articles, it also contains fun ones, for example analysis on why housework consumes more energy than winning gold medals in the Olympics!
The Facebook application delivers a quick way to read a selection of articles via your newsfeed. The beauty of the application is not only that it's free. Articles are "drip fed" to you and you can view both text and graphics easily on smart phones - useful on busy public transport where space is at a premium!
- Zero Hedge: Zero Hedge is a US-based, global financial news website with a difference. Its contributors are all anonymous and tend to take a healthy sceptical approach of institutions. Amongst its objectives is "to liberate oppressed knowledge" which strikes a strong chord with me and compensates for what is not a pretty-looking site.
It's strong on interpretation and analysis of financial news and is a useful antidote to the more corporate websites. You may not find yourself agreeing with all the contributors' contributions but they'll certainly get you thinking!
- TechRadar: Technology moves more and more rapidly. From both a professional and personal level it's now essential to keep on top of trends and developments. A quick visit to this site will do just that. On my last visit I read about a new virus in the Middle East that targets bank data, Google's additions to its mobile search facility and details of the new Windows 8 tablets. TechRadar is published by leading UK publisher Future Publishing whose investment in the well-organised site shows.
- Intranet Lounge: This site's objective is to be "a point of reference for intranet information" and it encourages users to submit their own articles and recommend links to other useful articles. It's run from the Netherlands by IT professional Bas Zurburg.
Its clearly-labelled tweets point to interesting articles like the top 20 alternatives to SharePoint and whether employees need intranets and it's a time-effective way to stay on top of intranet developments.
My other favourite tipple does exactly the opposite!
- Internet Archive: Despite dating back to 1996, whenever I demonstrate this site to non-information professionals, they are always astonished by it. Perhaps it's the web's best-kept secret?
Archive.org is a rapidly-developing site that has expanded from preserving previous versions of websites to include out-of-copyright sheet music, books and software.
It's proved to be an invaluable tool for competitor intelligence. By going back to previous earlier versions of websites you can see how organisations have changed and determine where growth or contraction has occurred by comparing present and former websites. And in some situations it has proved effective in digging up biographies that some would prefer to remain hidden!
After travelling throughout China and Australia for three months, Andrew has now returned to the UK where he is freelancing whilst seeking a permanent position. Before this he worked at the UK's sixth largest accountancy firm, BDO for 11 years, in business research management and knowledge management. He can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter (@andrewgrave).
Would you like to submit your Favourite Tipples suggestions to the FreePint Newsletter? Find out more »
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Coming Reports in the FreePint Subscription
Coming up in FreePint this month are the following reports:
- Semi-annual update: Research
- Monthly update: Information services management
- Monitoring and mining social media and news content
Your FreePint Subscription includes access to all reports, plus the ability to share them with anyone at your organisation, at any location. Login to MyFreePint at any time to access reports.
If you're not yet a subscriber, complete the form, "How can FreePint help?" to start the conversation.
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FreePint Features
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 FreePint Features offers the latest commentary on trends, issues and opportunities in the information world, as well as examples of how organisations use FreePint resources to raise the value of information.
Selection of the latest FreePint Features articles:
- Visualising Search Results in Thomson Innovation
By David Whelan on Tuesday, 21st August 2012
When researching a full review of Thomson Innovation, David Whelan was most impressed with the innovative data visualisation tools incorporated into the product to help researchers make sense more quickly of large and complex results. This brief article provides a taste of the analysis included in the full FreePint Report: Product Review of Thomson Innovation.
- FreePint Reports coming later this month
By Scott Brown on Monday, 20th August 2012
Get an overview of the additional reports coming out from FreePint in August 2012.
- Big data at work
By Sarah Hinton on Thursday, 16th August 2012
It's hard to look at an information industry publication or blog these days without running across the term "Big Data." Sarah Hinton provides a practical look at what this often vague term means to researchers and information professionals. This is a short version of a longer article on the same topic available as part of the FreePint Subscription. The longer article provides specific examples of the impact of Big Data on research projects, suggestions for incorporating Big Data principles into many types of organisations and suggestions for staying informed about this topic. Subscribers can log in to view it now.
- Paying attention, social media and big data
By Scott Brown on Tuesday, 14th August 2012
Content Development Editor Scott Brown provides his first Information Content Newsletter editorial and highlights the new FreePint Report: Product Review of Attensa StreamServer. Tim Buckley Owen and Dale Moore cover the latest statistics in social media and big data, respectively.
- Latest FreePint Buyer's Guide on Competitive Intelligence now available
By Robin Neidorf on Tuesday, 14th August 2012
The latest Buyer's Guide Report on Competitive Intelligence provides tips from experts in the field relating to recently released tools, new ways of approaching social media for intelligence, product reviews and more.
- Attensa StreamServer - "attention management" for the enterprise
By Scott Brown on Monday, 13th August 2012
The Attensa StreamServer is an enterprise-scale content management and delivery system, with a focus on addressing "information abundance" and the amount of attention users pay to specific pieces of content in the system. Attensa's customers are in the pharmaceutical and legal industries, with a smaller number of customers in the publishing industry. Attensa customers indicate that the product offers significant time savings for its users. The FreePint review of Attensa provides a look at Attensa's StreamServer and Portal products.
- Want ads and video: Exploring some social tools for competitive intelligence
By Aileen Marshall on Thursday, 9th August 2012
Social media offers a gold-mine of timely, topical and useful competitive intelligence. Consider all the ways employees and customers exchange information about companies online, and then set a strategy for non-traditional sources of CI insight. This is a short version of a longer article on the same topic available as part of the FreePint Subscription.
- ... More ...
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 FT Web App hits two million users
Just 10 months after launch, the Financial Times' Web App has surpassed two million users and was recently awarded the Global Mobile Award for Innovation in Mobile Publishing.
The web app ensures that FT corporate customers can access our content anytime, anywhere, with one login and one subscription payment.
With an FT corporate subscription, you get unlimited access to FT's global news, video, comment and analysis across multiple devices and 3rd party platforms.
Find out more about how your organization can benefit from an FT corporate license, register for a free trial here.
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 The latest FreePint Report: Buyer's Guide on Competitive Intelligence
Request your free copy today
One of the most common topics covered by FreePint, competitive intelligence is a discipline that you never stop learning about. Whenever companies find new ways to share information, CI professionals have new potential sources of insight.
Buyer's Guide reports combine FreePint articles with information about vendors that provide products and services for the discipline.
In this issue:
- Mini Review: Northern Light Discovery Portal
- Essential resources for competitive intelligence research in biopharma
- Competitive intelligence on a budget
- LinkedIn buys SlideShare - a boost for CI researchers
- And more...
Request your free copy now »
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FreePint Subscription
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Articles and reports included in a FreePint Subscription provide customer organisations with practical insight to support information practice, content purchasing and usage, and strategic planning.
Subscribers can click any link to login and view the full item. If you have not yet purchased a FreePint Subscription, learn more about the benefits now.
Selection of FreePint Subscription articles and reports:
- Product review of Thomson Innovation: Executive Summary
By David Whelan on Monday, 20th August 2012
Thomson Innovation is a mature patent research tool that integrates comprehensive patent information from more than 80 countries, regional patent offices, and defensive research with extensive literature and business information resources from current or former Thomson companies.
 FreePint Report: Product Review of Thomson Innovation
Published on Tuesday, 21st August 2012
Patent searching is an art, and Thomson Innovation makes it an art that almost any researcher can successfully try. An unmatched content set covering documentation from around the world and incorporating the deep pool of Thomson Reuters' related content in legal, intellectual property and business information resources is placed within an interface that is powerful yet not intimidating.
- Making sense of the deluge that is Big Data
By Sarah Hinton on Thursday, 16th August 2012
"Big data" is the buzzword of 2012, but what does it really mean for most of us? Sarah Hinton provides a practical guide to thinking about the role of big data, where it may come into play in research or corporate information practice, and how to stay informed on this topic as it continues to evolve.
- What to do when your information scent stinks!
By James Mullan on Wednesday, 15th August 2012
If you manage an intranet or website you'll know how important it is to ensure that any links you incorporate make it clear what they're going to open. Usually these are visual or textual clues that suggest to the reader what the link contains. But what happens when these clues or your information scent stinks and what can you do about it?
- Dun & Bradstreet for sale - will the usual suspects bite?
By Penny Crossland on Wednesday, 15th August 2012
Dun & Bradstreet is rumoured to be looking for a buyer. Growth in China has made up for a decline in revenues in its core North American business in recent years, however the company has run into trouble with the Chinese government over data collection practices.
- Thomson Innovation: Introduction and FreePint's View
By David Whelan on Monday, 13th August 2012
Thomson Innovation is a powerful database for patent research, published by Thomson Reuters. It uniquely combines patent content with business information, to help users identify opportunities and threats and move more quickly to decision-making. Reviewer David Whelan offers his quick-view in this introduction.
- Product Review of Attensa StreamServer: Executive Summary
By Scott Brown on Monday, 13th August 2012
An enterprise-scale content management system, Attensa StreamServer offers the ability to curate multiple "streams" of information and also track how those streams flow through an organisation. Reviewer Scott Brown highlights the findings of his full product review in this executive summary.
 FreePint Report: Product Review of Attensa StreamServer
Published on Tuesday, 14th August 2012
The Attensa StreamServer is an enterprise-scale content management and delivery application. Attensa bills the product as providing "enterprise information management and personalised intelligence delivery solutions." It was built to address not just the issue of information overload, but the idea of focusing on "information that matters, and ignoring the rest so we have the capacity to think, collaborate and innovate using the most current and relevant information available."
- Nice work if you can get it
By Tim Buckley Owen on Monday, 13th August 2012
Information and library schools aren't producing people with the skills that information managers need, suggests one new survey. Which is a shame - because the opportunities do seem to be there if you know where to look.
- Using third-party tools to mine social sites for competitive intelligence
By Aileen Marshall on Thursday, 9th August 2012
The rise of the Web 2.0 has opened virtual goldmines for intelligence analysts. One big factor is that customer interaction has come into play. Contrary to the static Web 1.0, where the flow of information was mainly a one-way street, this new dynamic make-up of the Web allows consumers to chime in: Social media, mining communities, social Q&A, you name it. While this article is mainly directed at business intelligence analysts, the tools explored here might also be valuable in other areas of Intel.
- ... More ...
Latest FreePint Subscription content »
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Webinar: CCC and Pubget - The custom information solution
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Jinfo
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 Jinfo is the central location for supporting your information career.
The Jinfo Jobs database lists vacancies, and the Jinfo Events database lists workshops, conferences, training, webinars and other professional development opportunities.
Latest featured vacancies in Jinfo Jobs:
- Librarian - School and Community Library
Outgoing and innovative librarians who want to be part of a new school/community library set-up... | Recruiter: TFPL | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
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Project director role to develop & implement IM strategy. Background in architecture is desirable; Sharepoint 2010 & GIS experience a distinct advantage. | Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
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RESEARCHER / LIBRARIAN for top London Advertising Agency - Ideally this would suit bright and engaging recent Library / Information graduate with research skills and numeracy. | Recruiter: Glen Recruitment | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
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Browse all Jinfo Events »
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About FreePint
FreePint supports the value of information in the enterprise. We do this by publishing practical articles and reports about information practice, content and strategy.
A FreePint Subscription provides exclusive access to all premium articles, reports and packages. FreePint Features highlights latest content and comment on the information industry.
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The FreePint Newsletter (ISSN 1460-7239) is published by Free Pint Limited. FreePint is a registered trademark of Free Pint Limited, registered in England and Wales. Registered Number: 3754418. Registered Office: Delaport Coach House, Lamer Lane, Wheathampstead, Herts, AL4 8RQ.
Copyright Free Pint Limited 1997-2012
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