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Can Factiva.com Follow the Major Steps it Made in 2011?
Wednesday, 12th December 2012

By Andrew Grave

Abstract:

2011 saw a significant step forward in the evolution of Factiva.com including the launch of an iPad application and the addition of 19 million company profiles. Andrew Grave investigates whether Factiva has been able to maintain the momentum in 2012.

Article:

2011 saw a major step forward in the evolution of Factiva.com. 19 million company profiles, 5,000 websites, content in Arabic, and Middle Eastern content were all added alongside the launch of an iPad application

In my review of Factiva.com, I learnt that Factiva’s description of the product has evolved from "The Intelligence Engine" to the less daunting "Easy Intelligence". This might suggest a focus on less intense users but I did not find this to be the case. Search Builder remains a cornerstone of the product together with the Factiva Field Tags and Dow Jones Intelligent Indexing. There have been several enhancements. A beta tool called Concepts Explorer has been introduced which suggests associated terms you may wish to incorporate into your search. The page also stores your last 100 searches.

There is also the ability to search for “newly added social media”. How many blogs and message boards does this search? 20 million! It’s not a typo. When conducting a search or setting up an alert, a user just needs to tick a box and Factiva.com spiders out from its own database to seek content from around 20 million selected blogs and message boards on the web.

Factiva has also added an edited selection of Twitter feeds. Investment in premium content continues and two more languages have been added, bringing the total to 28.

The Simple Search page now provides access to SnapShots and various improvements have been made to enhance their look and feel and usability.

In my review of the product, I found a few areas where I felt Factiva could do better and discovered some of its less well-known tools. I discuss these in my in-depth review.

Whilst 2011 was a big year for Factiva.com, the addition of the vast array of new media content this year is a genuinely big step forward for the platform and a very welcome one for 2012.

FreePint Subscribers can log in to access the FreePint Report: Product Review of Factiva.com now.

By Andrew Grave

Andrew has 15 years' business research and knowledge experience.

He began his information career at London business support agency Business Link before joining the UK's sixth largest accountancy firm, BDO, where he worked for 11 years.

After a period of travel, he is currently freelancing. Andrew is currently working on a number of research and knowledge projects for the examination board The Association of Business Executives whilst seeking a more permanent role.

Andrew can be reached on Twitter, LinkedIn and at andrewgrave@gmail.com

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