I love lists of directional resources...

I love lists of free/cheap directional resources [sites/approaches] because they expedite my secondary searching, allowing me to more effectively move on to  whatever combination of primary research / humint / synthesis / analysis / recommendations etcetera a project calls for.  I listed a few more foundational/functional ones already, but wonder what areas readers would more be most interested in seeing uploaded / maintained...

It's not like there aren't lists for many of these out there -- but they each have their own spin, and miss pieces... [Not that I would claim to be all inclusive, either..] And some are out of date.  BUT... many lists focus on the "category" of the information like newspaper or directory -- as opposed to the need the source fills. Today, what originally would have be classified as a newspaper site now also offers shopping, or interest group communities, etc. The old boxes don't really provide adequate boundaries to capture what's out there.

Here are some I have planned -- albeit not all at once.  I have the basics, but I want to update them...

• Company rumor / employee venting
• Patents / intellectual property
• Other [non-IP] legal / regulatory information
• Reputation / brand / advertising etc
• Country-specific information
• Industry/Product -specific information
• Indentifying HUMINT sources & biographical background on same
• Private companies / subsidiaries / NGOs
• Specialized & meta-search engines, also consolidators
• Sources of free or inexpensive market research or extracts
• Web site monitors
• Publicly available data collected by government organizations -- which is not the same thing as government information.  Ditto data from NGOs.
• Great widgets
• Financial information
• Ratings / Rankings
• Benchmarks & best practices
• User-generated content that actually has business applications
• Demographic data
• Statistics, not elsewhere classified -- especially when times series / trending available...

Big caveat though -- as much as I love the web, it drives me nuts when people think everything they need to know can be found free on the web.  1)  Just because it's there, doesn't mean it's authoritative or even true.  2)  Even if it is to some extent, it needs to be taken in context.  How dated is it?  What does / doesn't it include? Does the source have an agenda, and who financed it all? How complete is it?  3) Just because you pass 1 and most of 2 -- that doesn't mean your most needed pieces will be free.  Some teasers, yes.  But sometimes the most current / detailed / searchable / reportable info will require some $$$$.

Maybe I'm a bibliographer at heart...  But really, what  really comes to mind is that old perfume commercial.  My version would go something like this....

I can find all the info...
Synthesize it concise ....
Add analysis & insights so nice...


'Cause I rock research -- hire me!

Teaching some virtual classes

Last year, I taught two modules of SLA's Click University's CI Certification program. I have been asked to do so again. Both relate to Published Source Collection -- Parts 1 and 2.

Part 1 covers "key techniques and resources, as well as trends in intelligence, content and technology that affect intelligence research. Topics covered include: devising research strategies, research to support human intelligence gathering and intelligence analysis, traditional and non-traditional resources types and selection, Web monitoring tools and more. This course includes an exercise and discussions involving intelligence research to support analysis."
 

Part 2 "builds on Part 1 by examining advanced topics that include 1) international intelligence research for business, industry, and people 2) intellectual property research 3) conducting research for common analytical frameworks 4) designing and managing effective monitoring efforts 5) intelligence research software. Topics will build from general business research by focusing on and highlighting creative techniques and sources used in intelligence collection. This online course includes an exercise and discussions involving an intelligence monitoring effort."

It's an excellent program. Other offerings include:
•    Knowledge Management for CI [October 4-22, 2010]
•    Introduction to Financial Intelligence (Analysis Elective) [November 4, 2010]
•    Scenarios Analysis and Futures Techniques [November 5, 2010]
•    Introduction to CI [typically January]
•    CI Project Cycles and Project Management [typically February]
•    CI Published Source Collection: Managing the Function [typically March]
•    CI Analysis: Fundamental Frameworks [typically April]
•    Establishing and Managing the Intelligence Program [typically May]
•    Human Source Collection [typically June]
•    CI Analysis: Intermediate Frameworks [typically June]
•    Management Analysis [typically June]

The nature of things

I expect that going forward, this blog, like life, will be a mix of philosophical musings and applied knowledge sharing.

Today is my first day home, after more than three weeks away.  Granted -- the nature of my work the last 5 years or so has enabled me to be highly mobile, but this was different.  Lots more packed into the time -- long solo car drives, plane trips, high visibility business settings, and some large non-business social events.  All on top of ramping my consulting back up and trying to sell my home in today's less than booming market.  But such is nature of the busy lives we all lead today.  I admire those who do all that and more, while also having responsibilities for others -- be those "dependents" -- for lack of a better term -- be family, employees etc.

But I have to admit, I'm still a bit drained -- even with my "less complex" single childless person working as a free-standing consultant life.  But I look forward eagerly to being fully back into the swing of things this week.

But on to today's topic...

For a very long time, I've been pondering the nature of how we all treat each other -- in business and other settings, and wondering why the zero sum game seems to be the model of choice.  It's something one sees in reality TV and in much of business. Cooperation and support can be a more short-term approach toward ultimately being THE winner.  Like they used to say in the Highlander -- "There can be only one..."

Yet ironically, unlike when I was in school -- longer ago than I care to admit -- we didn't have medals for everyone, every kid wins etc.  It's like there's this disconnect, or perhaps that has reinforced the need to constantly feel like THE winner and the whole culture of celebrity. 

Now I have nothing against winning -- I'm as vain and competitive as the next person.  And I want that for others -- be they business associates, friends, family etc.  And in many cases -- that's my personal value prop. Driving the success of clients/colleagues, nurturing/supporting friends/family.

A few days ago I had an interesting conversation with someone I met recently in a business setting, and we were following up on that interaction.  I'll gloss over most of it, not really capturing its true essence, but certain ideas really energized me.  Thoughts around taking intellectual cooperatives to optimize practices/processes while still turning that into a profit stream.  While making the world a better place for us all, yet moving with changes taking place in society.  Idealistic?  Yes. But that's not a bad thing. 

But where should the boundaries be?  When does sharing your intellectual / emotional capital move from being a high ideals, team player to becoming a weak doormat?  Over my life I have swung all over on that topic -- from Ayn Rand at one end, to assorted philosophers at the other.  And obviously, while one may have a narrow range of variance one tends to stick to, each situation is its own case.  It's a particular challenge in the intelligence field, where getting a leg up over the competition is [at least perceptionally] inherent in its definition.

What do you think? Since this is a new blog, not highly publicized yet -- it may be a bit before there's much volume of comments, but hopefully over time -- this is one of the discussions that will be ongoing here...

Long after initially setting this up, I finally post.

Independence Day 2010.  As I begin blogging, I wonder if I am losing some -- independence, that is...

What is TMI?  What is just plain boring? What adds value to the blogosphere?

How redundant & incestuous are all the communication tools I leverage?  Like Twitter, Linked-in, Ning, Facebook, etc -- with all the cross-posting? 

It's all subjective of course...  Also, if I keep waiting for something brilliant to share for my first post, I may never jump in the pool.  I've often been that, dip my toe in -- ooh it's too cold -- person.  But every time I have plunged -- something eventful has come out it.  Sometimes good, sometimes not -- but always a learning experience.  

Which is the one promise I will make -- with the right attitude, we'll all learn something... I can't guarantee it will make us wiser -- or even less opinionated.  

But at least we've exchanged ideas constructively and listened to each other with respect.