Law Firm Intelligence: Working on a Shoestring

Let's face it: Times are tough. Belts are tightening and budgets are being cut. Sadly, professional development and networking expenses seem to be the first on the chopping block when it comes to cost savings. Yet, researchers and analysts must remain on top of new developments in the field so that our firms remain competitive. What's a cash-strapped researcher to do? Luckily, there are many excellent, free or low cost professional development opportunities available. You just have to know where to look.

Blogs, Podcasts and Online Reading

It is essential for CI pros to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in analysis and product development. Given tight budgets, though, trade journals may be out of reach for some. In that instance, or to supplement one's reading, blog, podcasts and articles published online can provide an excellent alternative.

Blogs represent the cutting edge in thought dissemination. SCIP, the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals, has the most comprehensive CI blog aggregator available. Blog editors must contact SCIP to be included in the list or have a tag that is picked up by SCIP's RSS reader, and readers can sign up to be notified by e-mail of new posts. Readers can also go to the News Room section of SCIP's Web site (www.scip.org) to find new posts.

Technorati and Newsgator also search blogs, and thus provide two additional options for finding blogs focused on one's areas of interest. These services are limited, though, to blogs that have been registered with their site. Thus, some of the best blogs might not be found using these search services.

Social Networking

Ning is a social networking site that allows users to create their own networking groups based on user interest. Ning represents “what you can accomplish with unlimited attention span and zero resources,” says Arik Johnson, Founder and Managing Director of the Recon Competitive Intelligence (CI) outsourcing and support bureau at Aurora WDC. According to Johnson, Web 2.0, or the social web, has empowered professionals to collaborate without the necessity of joining an established organization. It can be anything and everything, exactly what members need it to be at any given moment. And, as a platform for such groups, Ning's functionality is impressive: Members can post upcoming events, videos and Webinars, and post questions on the message boards. Member profiles, too, can be quite robust, showing the member's groups, posting history, tweets, professional background, and even musical tastes. In fact, there are over 200 applications that can enrich the profile.

There are two excellent CI-specialized Ning groups. The Competitive Intelligence Ning group is comprised of members who are engaged in the “tactical, operational and strategic analysis of markets, competitors and industries,” according to the group's tag line. The member roster reads like a Who's Who in the CI field, and ideas and opinions are exchanged freely and passionately across industries and geographic markets.

The second CI-specialized Ning group, The Intelligence Collaborative, was created as a platform for collaboration between all professionals involved in the intelligence fields. It is a sub-group of the Competitive Intelligence group above. “People can have conversations about CI that, frankly, they couldn't have before,” says Johnson. Indeed, the member roster isn't limited to CI professionals. Those with backgrounds and positions in all the analytical disciplines are welcome, such as those working in mergers and acquisitions, research and development, market research and intelligence, as well as competitive intelligence professionals. Like all Ning groups, members can be contacted directly with questions, and users are very active in discussing issues affecting intelligence on the message boards.

Formal Training: Seminars And Webinars

Companies and consultants in the information arena have long viewed seminars and Webinars as business development tools. For the researcher and analyst, these events are a goldmine for learning about the latest tools and developments in the field. Global Intelligence Alliance, for example, occasionally hosts free luncheon seminars where major corporations discuss their use of CI. The next one will be on Nov. 10 in Chicago, and will feature the Brady Corporation and the Cintas Corporation. The company also has white papers on its Web site (see the list, right, for the link). Westlaw, Lexis, BNA and other information vendors excel at free product training. Vendor representatives are, generally, more than happy to add CI pros to their e-mail lists for training alerts.

Webinars are yet another option for formal training. The simplest way to locate free Webinars is a YouTube search (see the list, right, for the link) or a search for relevant Webcasts on BrightTalk. The latter offers a wealth of learning ' all free for users ' although it does require a free subscription to its Web site and to “channels” tailored to the interest. Although a search did not locate a CI-only channel, there are several channels and presentations that would further a CI professional's knowledge. Finally, Webinars can be found on vendor and consultant blogs, as well as on the CI Ning groups mentioned above.

Conclusion

A tight budget does not mean a stagnant mind. With the advent of Web 2.0, free professional development and networking opportunities are never more than a click away. The resourceful CI professional can remain up-to-date on the latest and greatest developments in the field, without breaking the bank. From Webinars to networking to reading material, the social web has got it covered, as long as the CI pro knows where to look.

Check Out These Great Sites

Competitive Intelligence Ning Group

http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/

Competitive Collaboration Ning Group

http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/group/intelligencecollaborative

Global Intelligence White Papers

http://www.globalintelligence.com/insights-analysis/white-papers/

YouTube CI Search

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=competitive+intelligence&search_type=&aq=f

Bright Talk

http://www.brighttalk.com/

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Shannon Sankstone, a member of this newsletters Board of Editors, is the Marketing Research Analyst at Quarles & Brady, where she is responsible for the marketing and competitive intelligence research function. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 312-715-5251.

Let's face it: Times are tough. Belts are tightening and budgets are being cut. Sadly, professional development and networking expenses seem to be the first on the chopping block when it comes to cost savings. Yet, researchers and analysts must remain on top of new developments in the field so that our firms remain competitive. What's a cash-strapped researcher to do? Luckily, there are many excellent, free or low cost professional development opportunities available. You just have to know where to look.

Blogs, Podcasts and Online Reading

It is essential for CI pros to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in analysis and product development. Given tight budgets, though, trade journals may be out of reach for some. In that instance, or to supplement one's reading, blog, podcasts and articles published online can provide an excellent alternative.

Blogs represent the cutting edge in thought dissemination. SCIP, the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals, has the most comprehensive CI blog aggregator available. Blog editors must contact SCIP to be included in the list or have a tag that is picked up by SCIP's RSS reader, and readers can sign up to be notified by e-mail of new posts. Readers can also go to the News Room section of SCIP's Web site (www.scip.org) to find new posts.

Technorati and Newsgator also search blogs, and thus provide two additional options for finding blogs focused on one's areas of interest. These services are limited, though, to blogs that have been registered with their site. Thus, some of the best blogs might not be found using these search services.

Social Networking

Ning is a social networking site that allows users to create their own networking groups based on user interest. Ning represents “what you can accomplish with unlimited attention span and zero resources,” says Arik Johnson, Founder and Managing Director of the Recon Competitive Intelligence (CI) outsourcing and support bureau at Aurora WDC. According to Johnson, Web 2.0, or the social web, has empowered professionals to collaborate without the necessity of joining an established organization. It can be anything and everything, exactly what members need it to be at any given moment. And, as a platform for such groups, Ning's functionality is impressive: Members can post upcoming events, videos and Webinars, and post questions on the message boards. Member profiles, too, can be quite robust, showing the member's groups, posting history, tweets, professional background, and even musical tastes. In fact, there are over 200 applications that can enrich the profile.

There are two excellent CI-specialized Ning groups. The Competitive Intelligence Ning group is comprised of members who are engaged in the “tactical, operational and strategic analysis of markets, competitors and industries,” according to the group's tag line. The member roster reads like a Who's Who in the CI field, and ideas and opinions are exchanged freely and passionately across industries and geographic markets.

The second CI-specialized Ning group, The Intelligence Collaborative, was created as a platform for collaboration between all professionals involved in the intelligence fields. It is a sub-group of the Competitive Intelligence group above. “People can have conversations about CI that, frankly, they couldn't have before,” says Johnson. Indeed, the member roster isn't limited to CI professionals. Those with backgrounds and positions in all the analytical disciplines are welcome, such as those working in mergers and acquisitions, research and development, market research and intelligence, as well as competitive intelligence professionals. Like all Ning groups, members can be contacted directly with questions, and users are very active in discussing issues affecting intelligence on the message boards.

Formal Training: Seminars And Webinars

Companies and consultants in the information arena have long viewed seminars and Webinars as business development tools. For the researcher and analyst, these events are a goldmine for learning about the latest tools and developments in the field. Global Intelligence Alliance, for example, occasionally hosts free luncheon seminars where major corporations discuss their use of CI. The next one will be on Nov. 10 in Chicago, and will feature the Brady Corporation and the Cintas Corporation. The company also has white papers on its Web site (see the list, right, for the link). Westlaw, Lexis, BNA and other information vendors excel at free product training. Vendor representatives are, generally, more than happy to add CI pros to their e-mail lists for training alerts.

Webinars are yet another option for formal training. The simplest way to locate free Webinars is a YouTube search (see the list, right, for the link) or a search for relevant Webcasts on BrightTalk. The latter offers a wealth of learning ' all free for users ' although it does require a free subscription to its Web site and to “channels” tailored to the interest. Although a search did not locate a CI-only channel, there are several channels and presentations that would further a CI professional's knowledge. Finally, Webinars can be found on vendor and consultant blogs, as well as on the CI Ning groups mentioned above.

Conclusion

A tight budget does not mean a stagnant mind. With the advent of Web 2.0, free professional development and networking opportunities are never more than a click away. The resourceful CI professional can remain up-to-date on the latest and greatest developments in the field, without breaking the bank. From Webinars to networking to reading material, the social web has got it covered, as long as the CI pro knows where to look.

Check Out These Great Sites

Competitive Intelligence Ning Group

http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/

Competitive Collaboration Ning Group

http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/group/intelligencecollaborative

Global Intelligence White Papers

http://www.globalintelligence.com/insights-analysis/white-papers/

YouTube CI Search

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=competitive+intelligence&search_type=&aq=f

Bright Talk

http://www.brighttalk.com/

[IMGCAP(1)]

Shannon Sankstone, a member of this newsletters Board of Editors, is the Marketing Research Analyst at Quarles & Brady, where she is responsible for the marketing and competitive intelligence research function. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 312-715-5251.