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FreePint Newsletter No.364
6th December 2012
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 The tools we use get more sophisticated almost by the day. But our human brains – and behaviours – still work in the same old ways.
If I were to guesstimate the amount of FreePint content dedicated to technology tools versus human habits and how each affects the value of information work, I bet it would be about half and half. I would bet we spend at least as much time:
- trying to build awareness
- breaking bad habits
- getting over political infighting and turf wars
- and encouraging the actions we want colleagues to take
as we spend on discovering and exploring the latest developments in our fast-moving industry.
No wonder so many information professionals feel overworked and under-appreciated. It's hard work being a cheerleader, coach, trainer and therapist while also doing a full time job!
I'm brought to these musings by one of our recent FreePint Reports, on Adoption in the Organisation. Guest editor Melanie Brown assembled no fewer than a dozen FreePint Articles to support information champions in moving their colleagues and organisations further along the continuum towards best practices in interacting with information. When I first did an editorial review of the report, I was concerned about its length; most of our Information Practice Reports are about half the size. But as I read through Melanie's selections and reviewed again her introduction, all of the pieces seemed essential. If your organisation challenges your patience with out-of-date practices and policies, consider the wisdom in these pages about social media, mobile deployment, imagining the future of information work and more.
There's plenty to find fascinating as well as frustrating in human behaviour. Penny Crossland added a new article just this week based on a talk she heard at a TFPL Connect event about knowing which sources to trust and why – another "evergreen" theme in FreePint coverage. I picked up the theme myself based on remarkable case studies provided for my review by BBC Monitoring Online, demonstrating how savvy media analysts can identify potential falsifications in video and photographs.
And right alongside all that human activity are the latest, shiniest tools to be discovered too: Recent product reviews range from relatively simple design serving up hard-to-get information in PI's Private Company Data product (reviewed by Dale Moore), to complex workflow software embedding job-specific information for PR professionals in CisionPoint (reviewed by Connie Crosby).
Break a habit of your own. If you haven't yet suggested a topic of interest for FreePint in 2013, or perhaps offered up your own Favourite Tipples in awhile, drop us a line through the website. I don't think I'll ever break the habit of enjoying hearing from readers around the world.
By Robin Neidorf
Director of Research, FreePint
robin.neidorf@freepint.com
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My Favourite Tipples
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 By Christine Hamilton-Pennell, President, Growing Local Economies, Inc.
Getting good facts about all the factors relating to the economy is a key part of my work, and these sites are particularly helpful when researching and keeping up with areas related to the economy, jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University: A variety of reports cover workforce-related topics, such as the relationship between education - including higher education and career and technical education - and job opportunities, the economic value of college majors and how college degrees have served as protection for Americans seeking shelter during the Great Recession.
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – Research and Policy: The Kauffman Foundation funds numerous studies on entrepreneurship, most of which are available for free download from their site. Two that are goldmines for economic researchers are the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) - the largest longitudinal survey of new businesses in the world - and the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States.
- Pew Research Center: The Pew Research Center comprises seven projects: Polls on Politics, Policy and Media; Religion and Public Life; News Media Research and Analysis; Internet and Information Technology Trends; Latino Trends and Attitudes; International Opinion Polls; and Social and Demographic Trends. Each project has its own website and includes free downloadable reports and datasets on their areas of concern. Pew is a good place to start when researching any of these topics. You can find out, for example, how teens conduct research in the digital world, or what Latinos think about gay marriage.
- YourEconomy.org: One of the most valuable tools available on the Web to understand US job and business establishment dynamics, both within geographic areas and by industry sector. Using the National Establishment Time Series (NETS) database, YourEconomy is essentially an in-depth business census of the United States. You can find out, for example, how the number of establishments (businesses) and jobs has changed over a set period of time in a given region, broken out by size of establishment.
Christine Hamilton-Pennell is Founder and President of Growing Local Economies Inc., a company whose mission is to help communities of all sizes become more prosperous by leveraging their assets to support local growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Christine has a background in both economic development and market intelligence services. She provides consulting services to assist communities in planning and implementing entrepreneurship support programs.
Would you like to submit your Favourite Tipples suggestions to the FreePint Newsletter? Find out more »
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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:
- Productive Products for Particular Professionals
By Robin Neidorf on Tuesday, 4th December 2012
A flurry of product reviews goes live, and Director of Research Robin Neidorf solicits your input for additional products to add to the review pipeline in 2013.
- Simplicity, for Private Company Information from PI
By Dale Moore on Monday, 3rd December 2012
If you need in-depth current or historical company information, Private Company Data from Perfect Information could be what you're looking for.
- CisionPoint: Even Better After All These Years
By Connie Crosby on Thursday, 29th November 2012
From 1892 to 2012, Cision has evolved from clipping service to all-in-one PR and communication publishing and relationship management tool. Reviewer Connie Crosby comments on her positive experience with CisionPoint and notes the unique value of partnerships... and of human researchers to improve the data.
- Adoption in the Organisation
By Melanie Browne on Thursday, 29th November 2012
Melanie Browne reviews the articles which make up the FreePint Report: Adoption in the Organisation and highlights some of the strands. User-created content brings challenges for information professionals and nudges the evolution of the role towards that of facilitator or information guide. Mobiles and social media bring opportunities for using smarter tools and communicating more effectively, leading to better collaboration and more effective decision-making.
- News Diligence: When "Good Enough" Just Isn't
By Robin Neidorf on Wednesday, 28th November 2012
FreePint's research documents what many information professionals sense -- that free sources of news are increasingly used in the enterprise as "good enough" for most purposes. However, there are times when "good enough" isn't enough, and it's essential for a researcher to know when those are... and to have the right tools to hand.
- Right Time, Place, Skill Set, Mind Set
By Scott Brown on Tuesday, 27th November 2012
Robin Neidorf observes that our work as information professionals is perhaps not about trying to manage knowledge 'but the application of knowledge: enabling the right know-how to emerge for workers at just the right time and place'. While this can seem like a random and serendipitous event, well outside of our control, how can we consciously create an environment for this to happen more often?
- Plug in to What's Happening with Sources: Factiva, Nexis and EBSCO
By Anne Jordan on Monday, 26th November 2012
Every month, contributing editor Anne Jordan researches additions to and takedowns from common aggregator platforms, and investigates other sources newly available or removed from professional tools. Learn about this month's updates, which are available in full through a FreePint Subscription.
- Curation, cats and intuition
By Scott Brown on Tuesday, 20th November 2012
When I get down to the business of sorting through relevant video and data, how do I sort through it all? And ultimately, do I trust the data, or do I trust my intuition?
- Big Data = Big Opportunity
By Amy Affelt on Tuesday, 20th November 2012
Harvard Business Review listed "data scientist" as the "sexiest job of the 21st century". Librarians and information professionals are data scientists, as well as experts in finding, evaluating and transforming data and information into insightful deliverables that enable strategic decision-making. If we gain a basic understanding of how Big Data can be used to solve problems in the industries in which we work, we can gain a place at the table when Big Data initiatives are unveiled in our organisations.
- Seeking 'Truthiness' in Information
By Cynthia Lesky on Thursday, 15th November 2012
With journalism in disarray, news distribution channels changing and simple human error, business research that results in reliable competitive or market intelligence is more difficult to conduct than ever. The foundation for successful research and analysis can be expressed in simple terms: Right Skill Set, Right Mind Set and Right Reports.
- Perpetual Learners and the Resilient Organisation
By Robin Neidorf on Thursday, 15th November 2012
Changes to organisational structures, homeworking and the impact of technology have created a very different work environment for youngsters graduating today compared to those who entered the world of work just five years ago. Director of Research at FreePint, Robin Neidorf, explains why it's essential for 21st century workers to be perpetual learners.
- Spotlight on Financial Services: What FreePint Customers are Using
By Robin Neidorf on Wednesday, 14th November 2012
Many financial services firms have FreePint Subscriptions for education and awareness about the products, information habits and trends that will affect their information services. FreePint's Director of Research Robin Neidorf took a look at usage patterns of these firms to understand which FreePint Articles and Reports are most useful to them.
- ... More ...
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Perpetual Learners Create Resilient Organisations
Smart organisations make learning part of their personnel development strategies. As quickly as the world changes, workers ready and able to learn new skills, ideas and approaches will create resilient organisations.
FreePint supports your learning and your organisation's resilience through increased focus on where knowledge management and distance learning come together. Read more about our approach.
Ready to develop your own strategy for creating a learner-focused environment? Start with Director of Research Robin Neidorf's recently released book, "Teach Beyond Your Reach" and trade topic-focused teaching with learner-focused interactions.
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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:
- Trusted Sources in the Digital Age - Who Will be Your Guide?
By Penny Crossland on Tuesday, 4th December 2012
The topic of last week's TFPL Connect event, entitled "The changing balance of power in communication and information delivery" is one discussed by FreePint contributors almost every week and has a significant impact on the way that information professionals go about their business. Jonathan Charles, a distinguished former BBC foreign correspondent and now director for communications at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, gave a fascinating presentation on the importance of good research and accurate information sources to communication professionals.
- What Libraries Can Learn From the Businesses: How to Improve Services, Efficiency and Value
By Aileen Marshall on Tuesday, 4th December 2012
Libraries are facing tough times: budget cuts combined with competition from easy to access web resources. Aileen Marshall discusses what library professionals can do to ensure their library services are valued and to prove the library's worth to users and funders.
 FreePint Report: Information Services Management Monthly Update (November 2012)
Published on Monday, 3rd December 2012
This monthly update collects the current content relevant to those responsible for information service management, information strategy and content procurement in a convenient PDF package for download and offline reading.
- Product Review of PI Private Company Data: Executive Summary
By Dale Moore on Monday, 3rd December 2012
Private Company Data, from Perfect Information, is a database of UK, and Republic of Ireland, private company company filings and reports. The product significantly reduces the time taken to retrieve original company filings, financial performance and credit scores providing valuable information to business analysts and anyone involved in due diligence and risk assessment.
- Email: Our Greatest Enemy or Best Friend?
By James Mullan on Monday, 3rd December 2012
Much is made of how email distracts us from our real work and disrupts our lives, but love it or hate it email is here to stay. It's time we acknowledged that actually we couldn't live without it. But what is it about email that makes us compulsively check it each time we see that little notification icon?
 FreePint Report: Adoption in the Organisation
Published on Thursday, 29th November 2012
Social media is an incredibly powerful way of driving faster access to information and in return it drives collaboration. When organisations adopt social or information sharing tools the results can be quite fruitful. Outcomes can include faster and better decision making that can help drive new product innovation, higher sales, improved customer service, and streamlined processes.
- The Future is Financial for McGraw-Hill
By Penny Crossland on Thursday, 29th November 2012
As the global economy continues to struggle, or stands at best on shaky ground, accurate financial information is crucial and publishers in that sector will likely always be in demand. One of the leading publishers in the industry, McGraw-Hill, is about to change its name to reflect that trend. It is selling off its education division, while competitor Pearson is contemplating becoming a pure-play education publisher.
- Product Review of CisionPoint: Executive Summary
By Connie Crosby on Thursday, 29th November 2012
Cision's platform CisionPoint pulls together many of Cision's tools for marketing/communications professionals. It essentially covers all aspects of launching and running a marketing/PR campaign, pulling together many of Cision's offerings in one convenient place. It has a number of sophisticated workflows for those in this area and, for the more robust account level, project spaces that can be used by teams.
 FreePint Report: Product Review of CisionPoint
Published on Thursday, 29th November 2012
Cision's platform CisionPoint pulls together many of Cision's tools for marketing/communications professionals. It essentially covers all aspects of launching and running a marketing/PR campaign, pulling together many of Cision's offerings in one convenient place. It has a number of sophisticated workflows for those in this area and, for the more robust account level, project spaces that can be used by teams.
 FreePint Report: Product Review of PI Private Company Data
Published on Thursday, 29th November 2012
This report focuses on PI Private Company Data, an online database of private company data covering UK and Irish company filings and reports. Content includes original scanned documents such as annual returns, incorporation certificates, memoranda and articles of association as well as pre-defined document packages for Anti-Money Laundering, mortgages and liquidations.
- PI Private Company Data: Introduction and FreePint's View
By Dale Moore on Wednesday, 28th November 2012
Dale Moore plunges deep into financial, company and director detail with his review of Perfect Information's PI Private Company Data. He puts the product through its paces to discover how effective it is at uncovering information buried deep within official company documents.
- The Autonomy Row - Should Users be Worried?
By Tim Buckley Owen on Wednesday, 28th November 2012
What effect might the accusation by Hewlett Packard that Autonomy artificially inflated its pre-acquisition value have on the future of Autonomy and its flagship IDOL product? HP has declared its continuing commitment to Autonomy's technology, but will it be in a position to manage it effectively in the future?
- Reflecting and Reviewing: the Power of Analysing Our Actions
By James Mullan on Tuesday, 27th November 2012
Are you feeling overwhelmed, under pressure, wishing there were more hours in the day? If you're a knowledge manager then this can certainly be the case. There can also be a tendency to focus on getting things done and starting new exciting projects rather than reflecting on what has happened previously and learning from these. So what tools and techniques are available to help knowledge managers review what they've done so that they do it better next time around?
- CisionPoint: Introduction and FreePint's View
By Connie Crosby on Monday, 26th November 2012
CisionPoint is designed to allow communications professionals to research and identify relevant media contacts, distribute press releases, and to analyse the resulting media coverage. Over 30,000 freelancers and media professionals in large corporations around the world use Cision's products. Connie Crosby reviewed the web-based media monitoring, distribution and analysis tool through Google Chrome.
- If This, Then What? Creating Connections with the IFTTT Tool
By James Mullan on Monday, 26th November 2012
I've seen the abbreviation IFTTT for a while now but didn't really understand what it meant until I attended a session at the recent Internet Librarian International Conference. IFTTT has the potential to be a very powerful tool in an individual's or an organisation's social media arsenal, but what is it and how does it work?
- Can Gamification Help Collaboration?
By James Mullan on Friday, 23rd November 2012
The concept of gamification is something FreePint touched upon earlier this year, and whilst the concept hasn't changed significantly, the application of gamification is now firmly in the collaboration camp. Many individuals claim that gamification can significantly assist with collaboration projects. The question is how, and is using gaming techniques a good idea within organisations?
- Liberate Your Creativity - and Prepare to Fail
By Tim Buckley Owen on Friday, 23rd November 2012
Recent analyses from Gartner and the Economist Intelligence Unit suggest that, to be successful, businesses should welcome individual use of technology to break through traditional business barriers and should take advantage of disruptive new technologies. Recent technologies that information professionals may wish to pursue include software to predict trending topics on Twitter, and an app that summarises news stories automatically. Neither of these technologies may end up working effectively - but the most innovative companies will also permit and harness failure.
- How High is Your Value?
By Tim Buckley Owen on Thursday, 22nd November 2012
Although regulatory pressures mean that demand for high value services continues to grow, the specific value that information professionals can bring doesn't always appear to be recognised. Compliance workflow solutions from vendors such as Thomson Reuters or LexisNexis may appear to diminish the info pro's role, but there is actually plenty of scope for them to engage in regulatory horizon scanning and early warning. Current examples of upcoming issues include changes in European Union data protection legislation, liability for actionable Tweets and corporate ownership of staff emails.
- Stretching and Shaping the Knowledge Management Concept
By James Mullan on Thursday, 22nd November 2012
If you work within the knowledge management field then it's essential to understand is that there are different types of knowledge and to appreciate how to distinguish between these different types. In a fascinating post on the Knoco stories blog the author looks at the knowledge management landscape and asks "What does the knowledge management landscape look like?" and "Why is it important to understand what the terms mean and what they encompass?"
- Who Owns Enterprise Collaboration?
By James Mullan on Wednesday, 21st November 2012
It's widely acknowledged that collaboration within an enterprise has many benefits. The collaboration tools that organisations are providing for employees are constantly improving but the ways in which they're being managed haven't changed significantly. Perhaps more importantly, the question of who should be managing enterprise collaboration and the tools that support it remains an issue. If this is not addressed it can hamper their adoption.
- Big Data: The Opportunity Formerly Known as Information Overload
By Amy Affelt on Tuesday, 20th November 2012
Industry focus on Big Data represents a huge opportunity for information professionals. In many senses, we have worked with Big Data for our entire careers. We can leverage that experience, along with our expert ability to locate, evaluate and transform data and information into knowledge products, in order to advance our organisations' bottom lines.
- Interpretation of Images: Why News Analysis Matters
By Robin Neidorf on Monday, 19th November 2012
Do you believe your eyes? Today's news environment is awash with images and video, but the savvy researcher must be aware of how easy it can be to alter or falsify them. Examples provided by analysts at BBC Monitoring demonstrate the impact of knowledgeable media analysis to in-depth understanding of what's really happening, regardless of what photo or video evidence may suggest.
- Three Fundamentals for Business Research in the Post-Truth Era
By Cynthia Lesky on Thursday, 15th November 2012
The dismantling of traditional media culture and the proliferation of content channels for business-relevant news may result in more errors and misstatements in the sources that business research analysts rely on. To counter these forces, the author reminds readers of the foundation of good research and analysis, and in doing so presents a simple framework that incorporates skills in discovery and assessment; scepticism, critical thinking and prioritising; and candid, consultative reporting.
- ... More ...
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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:
- Information Services Specialist
Manage procurement and subscription process for online databases; provide technical and operational support. | Recruiter: Clifford Chance | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
- Knowledge Specialist
A new role has come up for a Knowledge Specialist within a highly respected consultancy firm... | Recruiter: TFPL | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
- Legal Knowledge Officer
Qualified legal prof needed to implement, manage & maintain effective knowledge sharing systems, exp in setting up & running KM & know-how systems essential. | Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
- Web Content / Information Researcher
Knowledge Manager with executive presence and implementation expertise for immediate Maternity Leave vacancy in Central London. | Recruiter: Glen Recruitment | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
Browse all Jinfo Jobs »
Latest featured events in Jinfo Events:
- SLA Europe Breakfast event at the FT
In a break with usual practice, this year's SLA Europe breakfast will be hosted by the Financial Times and sponsored by 7Side. | Organiser: SLA Europe Events Committee | Date: 11 Dec 2012 | Country: United Kingdom
- Introduction to knowledge management: a foundation programme
This course will demystify knowledge management and provide the basic grounding delegates need to work in the area. | Organiser: TFPL | Date: 29 Jan 2013 | Country: United Kingdom
Browse all Jinfo Events »
Next steps:
- Jinfo Update - Receive the weekly email Jinfo Update, with a complete list of the latest vacancies and events.
- Recruiting - Advertise a vacancy for just £195. 10% discount for agencies. 50% discount for registered charities.
- Running An Event - List it on Jinfo to reach a targeted audience seeking professional development opportunities.
Visit Jinfo »
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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 opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
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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: 3754481. Registered Office: Delaport Coach House, Lamer Lane, Wheathampstead, Herts, AL4 8RQ.
Copyright Free Pint Limited 1997-2012
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