October 2, 2007, Vol 1, Issue 22

It’s 4th quarter already.

So here we are. Where’d the time go?

For many of us, this time of year starts off like a sweet little lamb and turns into a wolverine before we force ourselves to stop and enjoy the holidays.

So kick back and enjoy this quiet time – and we’ll tell you a few tricks that will save you some time along the way.

007.

Looking for inside information? Hoping to find your competitor’s presentation or a market share analysis that someone else worked day and night putting together?

Some people will put anything on the web thinking you won’t find it.

In Google Advanced Search, why not try limiting your search to pdfs or ppts? Chances are, you’ll find some presentations.

For instance, we searched “ice cream” “market share” filetype:ppt (you can just fill in the blanks on the form!) and we found a fascinating Starbucks market report discussing ice cream. Hmmm.

Intermezzo.

TripIt, the web-based service that automates much of your trip planning details, officially launched last week.

Why should you care? Haven’t we all seen enough trip planning sites by now?

This one is different. It automatically organizes all your travel plans into one master online itinerary with everything you need for your trip – including travel confirmations, daily weather, local maps, city guides and more.

You send your itineraries to the service. It will incorporate

* Google maps and directions
* NOAA weather
* SeatGuru airplane seat advice
* Wikipedia city information
* Eventful current events
* Flickr city photos

You have to admit. That’s pretty sweet.

You’re in good company.

We get asked to do company profiles all the time. Hoovers is a great source, but it’s gotten quite expensive. (We do subscribe, if you wondered!)

How about checking Reuter’s company profiles first? They have 9,000 listed and they are yours for the asking.

I need data. Stat!

Internet Research Reports can be hard to come by. The information is out there, but not many put it together in usable form. Try Security Space’s site for:

* Web Servers by Domain
* Web Server Market Share
* SSL Servers by Domain
* Technology Penetration
* Web Authoring Tools
* Market Share Theft and Upgrade
* Cookie Usage
* ISP Market Share
* Distribution by Telephone Area Code
* Mail Server Survey

And lots more geeky stuff. If you like this sort of thing, you won’t be disappointed.

Stump the Researcher.

A loyal reader asks: I try reading over my daughter’s shoulder when she’s texting (when did THAT become a verb?) and I have to plead ignorance. I don’t know what she’s writing. Why does she care about Point of Sale materials? Is she working for an ad agency behind my back?

LOL! You have some things to learn. Read on.

And submit your own question – send an email!
Click here for the answer. It’ll just take a minute.

Whew, what a ton of great information. We hope your fourth quarter is a prosperous one and that we’ve helped you off too a good start. Happy researching!

See you in two weeks!