Twitter analytics tool

Twitter has announced the imminent launch of Twitter Web Analytics, a tool designed to help users monitor the flow of traffic from Twitter to their websites.

The tool will help website owners assess website traffic driven by Twitter, as well as the level of content sharing across the Twitter user network.

Twitter Web Analytics is currently being tested by a pilot group, and should be rolled later this year.

When David met Victoria: Forging a strong family brand

SAGE Insight | September 13, 2011 at 8:00 am | Tags: branding, entertainment industry, familiness, qualitative analysis, The Beckhams | Categories: Business & Management | URL: http://wp.me/pUKDm-s8

See a fascinating piece of research on understanding the features that make a family brand work for free. This article seeks to understand how distinctive family brands are created. Recent studies in family business have focused on the benefits for a firm to be known as family owned or family controlled. And if you're interested in developing your personal brand, look at BIR,2010, 27/1 for Rob Brown/s article on reputation management.

Great tips for using RSS

Sheila O'Flynn's article on how to use RSS feeds effectively is full of helpful advice and suggestions (BIR, June 2011).

The article focuses on how Sheila uses RSS feeds to help her carry out competitor intelligence for a client but the tips and guidelines are valuable irrespective of why you are using feeds and readers. Sheila explains how to customise your reader to help you effectively organise the information you are gathering.

Lapses in information security

Confidential pay details of staff working at RBS have been inadvertently leaked by the recruitment firm Hays (as reported in the Financial Times today).

The lapse in the management of confidential data is embarrassing to both Hays and to RBS. RBS is shedding many permanent roles and the data makes public the pay rates of temporary staff.

Such lapses impact not only on organisational/brand reputation, but can also have direct financial consequences.

A recent report by Symantec suggests the top 'social media incidents' for organisations are employees sharing too much information in a public forum and loss/exposure of confidential data.

The future for LIS research is bright : DREaM launched

Business Information Review was privileged to be given a place at the launch of the DREaM project at the British Library’s Conference Centre this week.

DREaM (Developing Research and Excellence and Methods) intends to build research capacity and capability, raise the quality and standards of research through training, and attract LIS practitioners to undertake research and to collaborate with academic researchers. Watch out for the three training events that will take place in the next few months - October, January and April.

You can click on this link to access to the story of the day. The most impressive speaker for me was Blaise Cronin, the Rudy Professor of Information Science at Illinois – informative, entertaining and accessible. Blaise told the story of LIS research with a wealth of information. I was struck by many of his points. Has LIS research over many years actually created a consolidated body of accepted knowledge on which new research builds? Can the field be precisely defined? The questionable quality of much past research - which backs the need for DREaM); and the recent increase in citations to LIS research being made by non-LIS researchers. This suggests changes in the definition of ‘our’ subject area as well as useful opportunities for cross- discipline collaboration – and the need to identify where we are major players with influence and should be creating waves.

One minute madness sessions demonstrated the impact possible from very quick stories of new research – and certainly stimulated active networking in networking breaks. Two that particularly struck me were Frank Huysman, University of Amsterdam reporting on a survey sampling an entire community on the value of public libraries and Simon Burnett, Robert Gordon University, exploring whether storytelling and blogging can be used to transfer knowledge in the police service. An appropriate topic for this week in the UK!

Sandra Ward

SAGE journals go mobile!

Sage, the publisher of Business Information Review, has announced that its entire journal list is being optimised for mobile usage.

People accessing the journals from a mobile device will be directed automatically to the mobile version.

BIR participates in EBLIP6

The sixth Evidence-Based Library and Information Practice Conference (EBLIP6) takes place 27-30 June 2011 at the University of Salford.

As part of a LISRC sponsored session, Val Skelton will take part in a panel session entitled 'Meet the Editors' on 30 June. Other journals featuring alongside BIR on the panel include Education for Information and Journal of Documentation.

The session aims to encourage as may professionals as possible to write, contribute or act as a peer reviewer for professioanl publications.

More details of the conference are available here.