Research

At Jinfo, we've conducted research on news products and provision of current awareness services for over 10 years.

During the Research Focus, "Content and technology for current awareness", we reinforced our opinion that in current awareness there is no "right way" to deliver the service, and no "one-size-fits-all" product or approach.

But there ARE consistent principles that belong in any current awareness plan if you want to achieve success:

1. Current awareness planning must start with the "why" - start by understanding your users and why they really need this service, NOT by evaluating products
   
   
2. Opting out of current awareness provision - question deeply if these investments of time and money are the best use of your resources
   
   
3. Smart decisions on current awareness require data - base decisions on data you can gather consistently and accurately, without relying on user reporting.

Although these principles apply to most areas of information service provision, not just current awareness, we examined some of the variables making these concepts particularly elusive for this content category:

• Technology evolution: The technology supporting more diversity and specificity in content for current awareness has matured, opening up new (and distracting) possibilities
  
  
• All things to all people: Current awareness covers a broad range of users and stakeholders - a particular challenge when balancing investment and approach
  
  
• Changes in user needs: Today's users are very different to those of ten years ago, or even two years ago, in terms of needs, usage patterns, feature requirements and more.

Request your free copy of our "Insights & actions report on current awareness" for further discussion on those three principles along with a thematic index to all content published in the Research Focus.

Or start with the ideas in this blog item and implement them to create the conditions for success in your service.

Robin Neidorf
Director of Research

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Latest Reports:

• Product review of MarketScape on 19th September
  
  
• Product review of Primo Ex Libris on 6th September

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Latest Articles:

• Q&A with Integreon - flexible 24/7 outsourcing services on 21st September
  
  
• Reflecting on the Jinfo Research Focus "Content and technology for current awareness" on 21st September
  
  
• The impact of private equity ownership on information companies on 19th September
  
  
• The ebbs and flows of outsourcing your information centre on 16th September
  
  
• Mini review of Factiva - recent enhancements on 15th September
  
  
• The slow shift of current awareness to mobile devices on 15th September
  
  
• Is current awareness out of date? on 8th September

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Forthcoming Webinars and Community sessions:

• Create your plan to prepare for data analytics (Webinar) on 11th October
  
  
• Identify - and overcome - the most common data analytics risks (Webinar) on 8th November
  
  
• How information services can best work with the many stakeholders of data analytics (Webinar) on 13th December
  
  
• Together buyers and sellers face up to data analytics (In-Person) (Community Session) on 26th September (New York) or 17th October 2016 (London)
  
  
• Together buyers and sellers face up to data analytics (Community Session) on 25th October
  
  
• Staking your claim - the role of information services within data analytics (Community Session) on 16th November

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Blog

Latest Jinfo Blog items:

• My Favourite Tipples from a website development and analytics expert on 22nd September
  
  
• Insight 1 from Research Focus - current awareness planning should start with the "why" on 21st September
  
  
• Jinfo feedback - what to do when usage decreases on 20th September
  
  
• MarketScape - unifying and personalising information streams on 20th September
  
  
• Factiva's updates attract old and new users on Monday, 19th September
  
  
• Jinfo for content purchasing on 13th September
  
  
• Primo Ex Libris - ideal for discovery on-the-go on 12th September
  
  
• Nexis addresses demand for simpler search on 9th September
  
  
• Research update - how to enhance your information role on 8th September

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