Confirming what you know and finding what you don't
Where to start? That’s one of the first questions investigators and researchers ask when faced with a research question. Sometimes we’re researching the same topics as usual, and sometimes we’re researching something new, but we always need some starting points. In the first case, when faced with a known topic, we have our standard sources, […]
In investigations and research, we often need information about companies and their owners, and one of the best places to look is in business registration records. Required by law, private and public companies register and file periodic reports that include names, addresses, dates, partnerships, and more. Registering a business adds legitimacy, protects the business name, […]
When you’re conducting research and investigations, it’s easy to get sidetracked by opinions, expectations, and wishful thinking. Sometimes we hope for or have too much invested in a particular outcome. Other times, we rely on our usual tools and techniques and don’t consider their limitations. The technical term is cognitive bias, and it means that […]
Happy New Year to all! As we roll into 2023, most of us do what people seem to do at this time of year. We start fresh and set new resolutions, make new goals, and vow to do better.. If your plans include some self-improvement or professional development, you might consider working on your information […]
As many of you know, I’m a former librarian–although, once a librarian, always a librarian. I still use the information skills I learned on the job and in grad school on a daily basis, and I still teach them through this blog and through my social media, presentations, and online courses. When I say “information […]
When I first started in business, my research focused on market trends, the competitive landscape, and buyer preferences. I had little need for public records searching, especially online court documents, and chose to refer that kind of work to the experts. Fast forward several years and, after transitioning from market intelligence to background investigations and […]
As someone who specializes in gathering and analyzing online information, I’ll be the first to admit that you can’t find everything on the web. When you’re digging deep for hard-to-find answers to client questions, relying on just online research may leave gaps, which–in our business–can be costly. That’s why it’s important for researchers and investigators […]
We’re drowning in information. It pours into our email inbox, and, thanks to Google and other DIY search tools, the answers to our questions are just a few clicks away. Or are they? What happens after we finish our search? Sometimes a collection of “answers” isn’t what we need. What we really crave is meaning […]
This is one of my favorite information-related quotes, because it describes so well why I love my job. I’m on a never-ending hunt for new and exciting ways to improve my reports and make the information I deliver irresistible. Yes, I need to stay up-to-date on all the latest and greatest tools and techniques for […]
Since I’ve been tied up with work and vacation planning, here’s one I posted on the old blog in October 2014. I still get so annoyed with this Google-Is-To-Blame mentality: An article on Salon.com, Google makes us all dumber: The neuroscience of search engines, really caught my interest. In my research and investigations, Google is […]