Resources of the Week: Consumers...around the corner and around the world
Consumers...around the corner and around the world
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor
One of the most popular items in any library is Consumer Reports magazine. In our library, we keep it on the shelves next to the circulation desk, within sight of the staff, rather than back in the reading area with the rest of the magazines. I don't think I need to explain why. The annual auto issue is kept behind the desk, along with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and a few other items that seem to sprout legs and walk out of our library.
For better or for worse, shopping makes the world go 'round. Literally. If you're a retailer these days, your customers may well be scattered across the planet. And if you're a consumer...well, you're certainly not limited to what you can find in the stores in your neck of the woods. Anyone with an Internet connection can easily buy and sell online. With a unique idea and some practical knowledge, moms and pops the world over can compete successfully in a given niche with The Big Boys.
This week, we're going to point you in the direction of some resources that will contribute to your understanding of consumers around the world. Even if you're not doing business globally, most of us find it interesting to see how folks in other countries feel about some of the same things that we consider when we're about to open our wallets.
+ Anhold Nation Brands Index "is the first analytical ranking of the world’s nation brands. Released quarterly, the Index surveys and analyzes 25,900 consumers in 35 nations to determine how countries are perceived by others in terms of cultural appeal, political stability, investment potential and more." Register (free), and you can download the executive summaries of their quarterly reports.
+ Consumers International "is the only independent global campaigning voice for consumers. With over 220 member organisations in 115 countries, we are building a powerful international consumer movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere." Browsing through this site -- which offers news, educational materials, and various publications -- provides some insights into a number of issues of worldwide concern, such as food, health, intellectual property and corporate social responsibility. You can download or subscribe to the organization's free newsletter, which is available in English, French and Spanish.
trendwatching.com is an independent and opinionated trend firm, scanning the globe for the most promising consumer trends, insights and related hands-on business ideas. For the latest and greatest, we rely on our network of 8,000+ spotters in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Each of its free monthly trend briefings is focused on a single theme. View all past briefings via the Trend Database. More extensive or customized research is available for purchase.
A family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success. Read more »
Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
