By Mick Fortune

Becoming a consultant meant narrowing my interests to become as expert as possible in some rather specific areas of technology, whilst being semi-retired gives me more time for social interaction. So my favourite tipples help me keep up-to-date, hopefully without becoming excessively narrow in my outlook.

• Twitter: A rather obvious choice, perhaps. I use three different clients – HootSuite, Tweetdeck, and Tweetbot (for the iPhone) to manage three Twitter identities. HootSuite when I have news to schedule 24/7, Tweetdeck for its speed (especially when tracking conferences) and Tweetbot for its simplicity when on the move.
  
  Twitter users are a very generous bunch and I love the ease with which it’s possible have a dialogue with librarians and information specialists (often many at once!) and to be directed to ideas and information that I would otherwise miss.
  
  
• Library Technology Guides: Marshall Breeding has been collecting and curating information about library technology for many years and continues to be the most reliable and current resource for news, information and comment. Being essentially lazy, I’ll try and ask Marshall my questions directly - but when I can’t reach him by Skype, email, Facebook or Twitter I can usually find what I need on the website.
  
  
• Phil Bradley’s Website: Phil’s blog is my first port of call for all matters surrounding internet access, including new search engines and web utilities.
  
  
• Google Alerts: Concentrating on the relatively narrow world of library use of RFID, I find using Google Alerts a relatively simple way of keeping tabs on new stories. Coverage can sometimes be patchy or dated but with such a narrow field of interest I’m not overwhelmed by data!
  
  
• “If this then that”: IFTTT allows you to manage multiple inputs and outputs from a wide range of resources by creating “recipes” to initiate actions based on criteria set by the user. I’m looking forward to using the mobile version (iPhone only at the moment) to try and bring some order to my various blogs, Facebook pages, LinkedIn updates etc!

Mick Fortune works as an independent consultant advising both librarians and suppliers on various aspects of automation. During a varied career spanning almost 40 years, Mick was Systems Librarian (for the British Library), European CEO (for Ameritech Library Systems) and Divisional Manager for Nielsen BookNet.

Nowadays he is perhaps now best known for his work with BIC developing and promoting data standards for RFID and interoperability standards for LMS(ILS)/third-party integration.

Would you like to submit your Favourite Tipples suggestions to the FreePint Newsletter? Find out more »

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:

• Coming Soon - FreePint Topic Series: Compliance in Context
  By Andrew Lucas on Friday, 12th July 2013
  With the new FreePint Topic Series: Compliance in Context: When Information is Essential, due to launch in September, series producer Andrew Lucas provides a preview of article topics scheduled along with key compliance tools to be reviewed, ranging from BvD's Compliance Catalyst to Compliance Complete from Thomson Reuters and Reed Elsevier's Bankers Accuity.
  Posted in: Regulatory compliance - Compliance tools - FreePint news
  
  
• Forming a Social Media Research Strategy for Competitive Intelligence
  By Claire Whayman on Tuesday, 9th July 2013
  Social media has enhanced the information professional's research toolkit. Freelance information professional Claire Whayman examines the importance of developing a social media research strategy for competitive intelligence, covering tools from Facebook to Twitter, and offers tips on best practice as well as key points to avoid.
  Posted in: Competitive intelligence - Social media sources
  
  
• Making FreePint Part of your Strategy
  By Robin Neidorf on Monday, 8th July 2013
  Making time to think strategically is challenging in a busy world. Pausing to review FreePint articles and reports, participating in a customer call or reaching out to get a bit of external perspective on a tricky internal question can help even the busiest professional take a fresh, more strategic view of change. Recent changes in suppliers, questions from senior leadership and reactive response to popular technology have all prompted FreePint customers to turn to us... and here's how we've helped.
  Posted in: Information services management - Knowledge management - Information purchasing - Competitive intelligence - FreePint news
  
  
• Go Forth with (Due) Diligence
  By Sophie Alexander on Friday, 28th June 2013
  Lexis Diligence provides a convenient resource for timely access to global business intelligence in the areas of risk, compliance and fraud, with stringent Anti-Money Laundering, bribery and corruption regulations increasing the compliance burden for companies across many more sectors. Since the product was last reviewed there have been a few notable changes, making this a useful tool for organisations seeking to avoid the reputational and financial costs involved in non-compliance.
  Posted in: Information purchasing - Regulatory compliance - Company sources - People sources - Regional sources
  
  
• ... More ...

Visit FreePint Features »

Articles and reports included in a FreePint Subscription provide customer organisations with practical insight on four FreePint Topics:
Sources, Technology, ROI and Compliance.

Subscribers can click any link to login and view the full item. 

If you do not yet have a FreePint Subscription, tell us a bit about your interests on this form, and we'll share information about how FreePint can help.

Recent FreePint Subscription articles and reports:

• Investigating News Aggregation: Why?
  By Robin Neidorf on Monday, 15th July 2013
  Today's information ocean is a very different environment from that of just five years ago when FreePint started formally surveying news needs and preferences... and very different from the 1990s focus on copyright compliance and the one vendor, global content policy. Robin Neidorf examines what information buyers want from news aggregation today - and whether it's actually information aggregation that they're seeking.
  Posted in: Information purchasing - Content management - Media monitoring
  
  
• Showing Your Support with Social Media
  By James Mullan on Monday, 15th July 2013
  It has come to my attention that recently there was a tennis Grand Slam held in the UK, where the men's singles was won by the first British player in 77 years. Whilst Murray's Wimbledon win is cause to celebrate (at least in the UK) what does this have to do with managing information or using social media? James Mullan demonstrates how showing your support via Twitter or Facebook has become the norm.
  Posted in: Collaborative and social tools - Intranets
  
  
• Investigating News Aggregation: What Content, From Whom?
  By Robin Neidorf on Monday, 15th July 2013
  Robin Neidorf reports on recent research into use of news aggregation services and alternative products, and whether they meet all the needs of today's organisations in terms of awareness and discovery. The upcoming FreePint Series: News Needs in the Enterprise: Beyond Aggregation, starting in October, will examine the issues in greater detail.
  Posted in: Information purchasing - Media monitoring - News sources
  
  
• The Joy of Brokers' Reports: An Underestimated Resource
  By Yulia Aspinall on Friday, 12th July 2013
  Analyst and broker reports are a rich source of reliable financial and strategic information on publicly traded companies, explains Yulia Aspinall. She outlines why information professionals should use the reports when carrying out competitive intelligence, market research or financial analysis projects.
  Posted in: Company sources - Competitive intelligence - Financial sources
  
  
• Does Yammer Now Have More Klout?
  By James Mullan on Thursday, 11th July 2013
  Last week Yammer announced that it was integrating Klout scores within its enterprise social network. Whilst this is just one of a number of new integration points that Yammer has introduced since it was acquired by Microsoft, it's definitely one of the most interesting. On the face of it, displaying users' online influence seems a very sensible move by Yammer. But is displaying Klout scores behind the firewall really such a good idea?
  Posted in: Collaborative and social tools - Intranets
  
  
• Newsbites for Media Snackers: Delivering Facts to Mobile Users
  By Penny Crossland on Wednesday, 10th July 2013
  A new report on mobile news reading habits of consumers in Europe and the US published by Mobile Republic, the producers of the News Republic news app, makes for interesting reading and confirms the inevitable when it comes to news consumption: social media usage and mobile devices have turned us into "news snackers", dipping in and out of news sites several times a day to read bite-sized news updates. However, readers still go to traditional news outlets to "top up", proving that publishers need to deliver news via multiple platforms to capture their audiences.
  Posted in: Media monitoring - Mobile - News sources - Social media sources
  
  
• Privacy in the Cloud - Jobs for the Techies and for Info Pros Too
  By Tim Buckley Owen on Wednesday, 10th July 2013
  Recent reports from Gartner and the Ponemon Institute have highlighted some of the non-technological issues surrounding the move to cloud-based services - including regulatory compliance, data protection and corporate privacy standards. Current work by the European Commission and Parliament add contract and procurement issues to the mix - and the fact that major players such as Oracle, Microsoft, SalesForce and FICO continue to develop and collaborate on cloud-based services adds urgency to the need to take a holistic approach to the cloud.
  Posted in: Information strategy - Regulatory compliance - Content management
  
  
• Using Infographics to Promote Information Services
  By Yulia Aspinall on Wednesday, 10th July 2013
  Promoting information services through the use of infographics can help position information professionals as organisation leaders who research, analyse and present information in high-impact, eye-catching ways. Yulia Aspinall provides some ideas and inspiration for those seeking a new way to present research outcomes or promote their information service.
  Posted in: Visualisation
  
  
• How Captivating is Your Intranet?
  By James Mullan on Monday, 8th July 2013
  Most intranet managers are passionate about their intranet and the work they do every day to support it. But how much passion does your intranet inspire from users? Are people keen to use it and engage with it... or are they struck with dread or boredom every time they think about it? If they are then it's time to make your intranet more captivating!
  Posted in: Collaborative and social tools - Content management - Intranets
  
  
• Social Media for Competitive Intelligence
  By Claire Whayman on Monday, 8th July 2013
  Freelance business information specialist Claire Whayman discusses the use of social media in gathering and analysing competitive intelligence. She examines the role of the information professional in developing and maintaining a strategy to ensure that relevant social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are monitored.
  Posted in: Competitive intelligence - Social media sources
  
  
• Hacking - Risk or Opportunity? There's More...
  By Tim Buckley Owen on Thursday, 4th July 2013
  In further coverage of cyber security risks, and the opportunities they might offer to information professionals, a report from the Financial Times and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries indicates that senior British executives are still ill-informed about the threats, and another from Forbes Insights and Zurich suggests that some American executives are too complacent about them. The problems may also be exacerbated by anti-cyber crime threats to personal privacy (as the European Union data protection supervisor warns) and by growing use of cloud services and mobile devices, with Gartner pointing out that organisations are increasingly responsible for personal data on systems that they don't own.
  Posted in: Information services management - Information strategy - Regulatory compliance
  
  
• Source Update July 2013: What's Happening with Factiva?
  By Anne Jordan on Thursday, 4th July 2013
  This month's additions and takedowns in Factiva, researched and compiled by Anne Jordan.
  Posted in: News sources - Regional sources
  
  
• BuzzFeed to Take Centre Stage in News Provision
  By Penny Crossland on Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
  News provision appears to have come full circle. Traditional publishers like The Wall Street Journal and the FT are embracing social media tools to attract new audiences. Some digital start-ups, whose remit was based on entertainment and gossip, are becoming more serious content providers. Penny Crossland looks at BuzzFeed, a social media platform known for its celebrity gossip virals, which has developed the native advertising business model and is set to become a news distributor to rival the well-established publishers.
  Posted in: Media monitoring - Mobile - News sources - Social media sources
  
  
• Developing Your Library's Operational Plan: Five Essential Steps
  By Yulia Aspinall on Wednesday, 3rd July 2013
  Yulia Aspinall explores five essential elements when developing a robust operational plan for a library's information services. Over time she has adapted and adopted areas from libraries, competitive intelligence, knowledge management and technical services operational planning to create a specific plan tailored to the unique needs of information services.
  Posted in: Information services management - Information strategy - Competitive intelligence
  
  
• ... More ...

Latest FreePint Subscription content »

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:

• Client Care Manager
  International law firm requires talented manager for Bus Dev. An understanding of AV, streaming & sound systems preferred. 12 month contract. | Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »
  
  
• Legal Researcher/Librarian - Scotland or Birmingham
  Researcher / Librarians (2) to work in EDINBURGH or GLASGOW or BIRMINGHAM. Ideally qualified and with good research and training work experience in the Professional Services field. | Recruiter: Glen Recruitment | Country: United Kingdom. Full listing »

Browse all Jinfo Jobs »

Latest featured events in Jinfo Events:

• Linguamatics Text Mining Summit 2013
  This year's meeting will take place on October 7th to 9th in the beautiful and historic city of Newport, Rhode Island, US | Organiser: Linguamatics | Date: 7 - 9 Oct 2013 | Country: United States
  
  
• Internet Librarian International 2013
  Organiser: Internet Librarian International 2013 | Date: 14 - 16 Oct 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 »

FreePint supports the value of information in the enterprise.

To do so, we publish articles and reports on four FreePint Topics:

• Sources Update: Staying Informed and Aware about Sources
  
• Technology Update: Improving Information Work with Technology
  
• ROI Update: Maximising Value for Information Work and Investment
  
• Compliance Update: Aligning Regulation, Policy and Practice

A FreePint Subscription provides exclusive access to all premium articles, reports and packages. FreePint Features highlights latest content and comment on the information industry.

The FreePint Newsletter serves as a guide to the latest articles and reports, and highlights the value organisations get from a FreePint Subscription. View the FP Newsletter Archive and sign up for free.

To find out more about how your organisation can benefit from a FreePint Subscription, complete our online form, "How can FreePint help?"

Contribute: If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then find out more about contributing »

Sponsorship: Read about the range of offerings through FreePint Vendor Services »

Please note:

• 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.
  
  
• This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers. Contact FreePint Support for more details.
  
  
• Product names used in FreePint are for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners. FreePint disclaims any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved.

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 1997-2013