Competitive Intelligence and the Web 2.0

Competitive Intelligence and the Web 2.0 Vivian Cohen-Leisorek, CI Focus Israeli Forum of Competitive Intelligence / FIMAT July 2, 2006 About this presentation In the next hour, our goal is to  Become more familiar with (more) Web 2.0 elements  Raise issues on how this phenomenon is affecting the competitive intelligence cycle  Generate a collaborative discussion This presentation is not  An exhaustive look at Web 2.0  A look at the technologies that make 2.0 possible (no mention of AJAX beyond this point)  A hands-on workshop with tricks of the trade Contents    A brief definition of Web 2.0 The intersection of CI and Web 2.0 Some Web 2.0 elements changing our sphere  Blogs, Text Syndication, Podcasts, Social Networks, Wikis, Tagging/Folksonomy, sample search tools     Where is this all heading? Competitive intelligence and information practitioners comment on Web 2.0 Conclusion Appendix: More Web 2.0 resources What is Web 2.0? Web 1.0 DoubleClick Ofoto mp3.com ** (Modified from Tim O’Reilly’s definition) Web 2.0 --> --> --> Google AdSense Flickr Napster Britannica Online personal websites page views publishing content management systems --> --> --> --> Wikipedia blogging cost per click participation --> wikis tagging ("folksonomy") syndication directories (taxonomy) stickiness --> --> Web 2.0 in a nutshell 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Empowerment of individuals Truly global Even more information, and easier access to it Interaction and collaboration New business models, profound shifts in several existing industries – but changes to the business world as we know it It’s a different world… 1. Gartner analyst David Mitchell Smith: What happens when a product that cost hundreds of millions, took 15 years to refine and roll out globally is mimicked by a four-person team who makes it available on line, for free, in less than 1 year? (MS Word vs. Writely) 2. And on that note… MS Excel vs. Google Spreadsheets 3. 75-year old Murdoch buying… MySpace.com Where is CI in all of this? •Shifting needs • Combating Information overload Definition •Greater variety Distribution •New possibilities for dissemination of intelligence •Protecting information •Push vs. pull Collection • Ease of use vs. specialization • Primary sources Analysis The big differentiator 2.0 Tools: Blogs      Online journals of “individuals” that read more like conversations, since they allow feedback 50 million regular readers of blogs worldwide (about 11% of people using the internet) 1.2 million posts – daily! Indexed by search engines. Do you know who’s out there? Who is blogging in your competitive space? Executives, industry analysts, employees, suppliers, customers. Industry trade shows – official and unofficial blogs   Search? Technorati, Google Blog Search, Feedster, etc. Blog? Blogger, Typepad, Serendipity, etc. One Israeli Blog 2.0 Tools: Syndication Stop searching. Information automatically delivered to your inbox or “news aggregator” e.g. Google Reader, Newsgator, Bloglines  2.0 Tools: Podcasts     Multimedia files distributed over the web for playback on computers or mobile devices. iPod + broadcast. (A misnomer) One year on: Over 60 K shows and 1 million downloads (Apple iTunes) Uses today: education, TV/Movie commentary, unofficial guides to museums, advocacy, and interviews with top executives of companies (especially in tech-oriented podcasts) Use Podzinger or Podscope to search for podcasts (the former even provides text search!) 2.0 Tools: Wikis     The ultimate collaboration tool Most well known? Wikipedia Helping “replace” email (together with IM) in companies like Eastman Kodak and Disney CI process – some uses    Gathering of information from a geographically disbanded CI unit Analysis “beta” – working copies of documents you can share with your team in real-time Changes the face of dissemination 2.0 Tools: Social Networking   Are primary resources really the pillar of information gathering in the CI process? Or do we tend to hide behind our desks (and computer screens)? Can online social networking help us reverse this?  And more social networking: Flickr (pictures), Digg (sites, links), Skobee (calendar), OpenBC (business network), Spoke (salespeople) Web 2.0 Tools: Tags Mark a photo, blog post, web page, email, etc. with your own category or subject  Visualize: Tag clouds, tag groups. Search and share.  Tag cloud: “Weighed list” in visual design  From Taxonomy to Folksonomy Tag cloud: “weighed list” in visual design 2.0 Tools: Four Sample Search Tools   Google Notebook (Remember NetSnippets?), Google Alerts (track new pages on any topic) Search 1: "vivian cohen-leisorek" - tracking top 50 of about 230 results CI Focus – Business Intelligence and Strategic Marketing CI Focus is led by Vivian Cohen-Leisorek. She combines her background in business and journalism to help companies understand their information needs, ... Rank 13 - cached * * * Vivian - Cohen (Leisorek). Exalumna del Colegio Interamericano, complete mi licenciatura en Mexico y un MBA en la Universidad de Haifa. ... Rank 23 - cached * * * Guatemala - Chapines Online - Resultados de Búsqueda Firefox Extensions  Google Trends  Where is Web 2.0 Headed? Source: Gartner, 2005 Remember CI? Empowerment of individuals Truly global Even more information, and easier access to it Interaction and collaboration New business models, profound shifts in several existing industries – but changes to the business world as we know it Definit.    Distribution Collection Analysis   Perceived boundaries between information science and CI becoming blurred. What is your differentiator? CI and Info Pros Comment on Web 2.0    Several info and independent CI consultants reported at least 1 client project directly related to the subject. Growing interest mixed with healthy dose of skepticism Sample everyday use:     Human sources located through LinkedIn Reputation management through blog monitoring VCs and startups looking to enter the field Anybody protecting information out there?  The bottom line: “This guy gladly do your job – for $5 an hour” (outsourced CI in India a reality) Conclusions 1. 2. 3. Web 2.0 tools are impacting the definition, collection and dissemination of CI – but there is still much more untapped potential. CI professionals must (again) redefine their roles in terms of strategic analysis. Bargaining power of “substitutes” and “customers” rising, and if all you do is information management, barriers to entry have never been lower. Regardless of whether you show enthusiasm or skepticism in the face of the “New Internet Revolution,” there is no excuse to be uninformed. Thank You Questions? Comments? Vivian Cohen-Leisorek CI Focus :: Business Intelligence and Strategic Marketing www.ci-focus.com Appendix: More Resources 1. WEB 2.0 - General  O’Reilly’s article on Web 2.0  Paul Graham’s more sober view at Web 2.0  Weekly Globes columns by Professor Sheizaf Rafaeli (scroll down his site to view PDF – archives available, free)  MIT Technology Review “Social Networking 3.0” November 2005  BusinessWeek’s technology guide with Web 2.0 articles and tips 2. Sample Blogs and Podcasts  The Co.ils –Israeli 2.0 scene by two veteran tech journalists  Podcasts of Information Professional Ed Vawter  TechCrunch, Michael Eisenberg’s blog  Blog search: Technorati, Feedster, Google Blog readers: Bloglines, Newsgator, More Resources Continued 3. Other sites mentioned today:  Flickr – Yahoo-owned photo sharing/tagging  Del.icio.us – Yahoo-owned social bookmarking  Friendster – popular with 20-somethings  MySpace.com – popular with teens and young adults  LinkedIn – one of the most popular social networking sites  VisiblePath –social networking (fee-based)  The New PR Wiki: lists blogging executives and business podcasts, white papers, articles and more  Google Trends: www.google.com/trends  Google Spreadsheets  Firefox download  Search podcasts: Podzinger and Podscope  Wikipedia