Algorithms - Humans Need Not Apply
12th May 2014

As the European Parliament approves proposals to regulate high frequency algorithmic trading, Tim Buckley Owen reviews other recent developments in software that employs big data analytics to trigger automated responses. The benefits of applications such as ensuring quality control in data scraped from the web or detecting potential credit card fraud may be obvious. But others - such as employing the Internet of Things to exploit fleeting "business moments" as sales opportunities - may not be quite so clear cut. Tim argues that the information profession ought to have a view on when things can safely be done algorithmically and when human intervention is required.

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Source Update for Factiva
9th May 2014

This month's additions and takedowns in Factiva, researched and compiled by Anne Jordan.

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Sharing Knowledge Can Be Very Personal
9th May 2014

Why and how do individuals share knowledge within your organisation? It's a question that many knowledge professionals have asked themselves over the years and will continue to ask. The ways in which individuals can share and save knowledge has changed significantly with the introduction of social tools like enterprise social networks, microblogs and wikis. Does providing users with social tools actually result in them sharing less?

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Source Update for Nexis
8th May 2014

This month's additions and takedowns in Nexis, researched and compiled by Anne Jordan.

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Collecting, Assessing and Organising Data for Competitive Intelligence
7th May 2014

Libby Trudell discusses a range of techniques used in competitive intelligence research to identify the best sources and find relevant content. She considers ways to assess information from various sources for quality and comprehensiveness, and how to organise it for ongoing needs. The article also identifies a range of useful data sources relevant to CI research, from market research reports to media coverage and financial sources.

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FreePint Report: Product Review of RelSci
5th May 2014

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Briefing: Public Data in the Context of Big Data
5th May 2014

The growth in big data techniques and analysis has been driven by the internet giants and has been adopted by many other companies. This article looks at how big data is being applied in commercialising government-sourced data such as public records, land & real estate data and weather data. Author Andrew Lucas identifies key sources and uses of big data. He shows how information professionals can get involved or take the lead in enterprise big data projects, and provide advice and guidance on big data sources as research repositories.

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Follow Us on Twitter... to Oblivion?
2nd May 2014

Plenty of claims are made for Twitter's value in customer relationship management, news distribution and, above all, scale when it comes to big data analytics. But, as Tim Buckley Owen discovers, the value of this social media tool in all of these can be called into question unless we remind ourselves of some pretty fundamental lessons in statistical sampling bias.

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Product Review of RelSci: Value, Competitors, Development & Pricing
2nd May 2014

In the final part of his review of RelSci, Michael Levy explains why professional services "rain makers" and business development professionals that focus on the top echelon of Corporate America will find it of significant value. He also covers the competitor landscape, product maturity and areas for development in this relationship discovery tool.

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Mini Review of CisionPoint: Social Media Capabilities
1st May 2014

Chris Porter's mini review of CisionPoint's social media capabilities includes a test drive of Cision Influence Rating, social influencer search, and a report on how the social media is incorporated into the workflow of a PR professional user. CisionPoint offers media contact data and media monitoring in one platform.

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