11.3.15

data mining: striking gold through diversification

Software, sensors and connectivity are fuelling our thirst for information. In some ways, it’s never been easier to be a journalist – open platforms and social media mean you don’t have to look too far to curate a story.

This rise in curation is an interesting one. Demand is growing for choice-editing, precisely because there is so much information out there. A defined audience generally only wants access to knowledge that is relevant to them. On the flipside, curation is a lazier way of gathering news … there is no exclusivity, no unique material, just a mash-up of what’s gone before.

The lovely thing about being a freelance journalist is that you tend to sell yourself on being exclusive. It’s a harder, hungrier gig, for sure. You have to work your contacts, network constantly and be creative with both what you pitch and what you deliver. But boy, are you proud of the end results. My best work is right here, right now (to quote Fatboy Slim).

The intention is to build on this, and add even more value to my media proposition. I have decided to start generating my own data intelligence, through market-led research and briefing papers. The research will be quite focused, and while it won’t be extensive (I don’t have vast databases to tap into), it will certainly provide timely, informative ‘snapshots’ of the key trends going down. Each briefing paper will also be made publicly available.

The first piece of research I am undertaking is around circular economy communication strategies. It’s an area that hasn’t really been scrutinised yet – thinking is still emerging in this field, but businesses are becoming aware of the importance of attaching messaging to it. Communications also neatly ties into what I’m about. A journalist is a story teller. And people love to hear good stories.

The survey is now live and running for the next four weeks. If you have an interest in the circular economy, I’d be delighted if you would take a few moments to complete it (the link is below). There are only eight questions – it’s short and sweet. But please answer them all. Data needs to be reliable, so in the interests of transparency, I will only be mining from complete responses.

COMMUNICATING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: TAKE THE SURVEY

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