This week, the Republican National Convention is going down here in St. Paul – right next door to us, in fact. It’s an exciting time to be working downtown, what with all the nicely-dressed media, nicely-dressed politicians, and nicely-dressed police officers. So we could hardly let it all go by unmentioned. But we are, of course, a staunchly a-political organization so you won’t read any ravings here. Instead, we’d like to keep the conversation above party lines and focus on the higher ideal of “research for all.”

Which brings me to that great tool for small “d” democracy, the Internet. In today’s post, and in celebration of the RNC, we’ll point out some great online resources for political research, including ways to learn about Americans’ political views, public policy feelings, voter turnout, and even politically-segmented technology use.

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Insight into consumer thought processes is highly valuable to B2C businesses. But short of haling folks down on the street, how can you learn more about what they’re thinking?

These Global Consumer Reports from the Nielsen research firm provide statistics and commentary on consumer issues ranging from consumer confidence during a recession to environmental packaging to online shopping to trust in advertising.

So please, leave that man on the street alone; he’s just trying to get to work. For easier access to consumer insight, check out this site. 

The Hill Library Trends Newsletter looks at what’s new in libraries, business, and technology by highlighting relevant reports, articles, and blog entries. It saves you time by bringing to light issues affecting these industries today and issues that may affect them tomorrow.

In the August 2008 edition, find stories on business library best practices, a new online networking site for librarians from OCLC, a run-down of the trouble with social media, and breaking coverage of two new business terms: “Generation V” and “IT Everywhere.”

The location of your business remains one of the most important decisions you’ll make when starting or growing an organization – even if you’re one of those outfits that provides a bulk of their services online. Where you are physically plays into what customers you’ll attract, what competitors you’ll engage with, the partners you may find, the economies you’ll thrive in, and much more. Today we’ll look at some resources for identifying promising locations, comparing potential locations, and finding very detailed research on specific places.

If you’re working on selecting a site for a new business, thinking of relocating a current one, or just curious about what you can learn about your business community, consider the following sources to put you in the context of a place.

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When someone hunkers down to do “market research” they can be embarking on about a thousand different journeys. They may focus on customers, competitors, industry data, or any number of other options – so having a guide to those options can help.

The Rutgers University Library offers one such guide, with their market research pathfinder. From commercial reports to government data and research centers, this collection (which focuses on consumer income, consumption, and demographics) highlights some of the best market research the Internet has to offer.

While a couple of the links within the guide don’t go exactly where they intend to, the resource as a whole is an excellent intro to this multi-faceted research task.
 

Note: Rutgers isn’t alone in pointing researchers to good market research online. There’s another library that you may have heard of parsing this stuff for you. Check out the Hill Library’s Guide to Market Research and our collection of the best free market research Web sites via the BizToolkit.

As a follow-up to Allen's recent run-down of our blog building experiment I wanted to drop a few quick notes about some of the specific social media tools we used, and talk a bit about some of the online networking tactics we employed. We are – as is readily apparent – novices in this field, so if this report doesn’t convince you to replicate our tactics directly, perhaps it’ll inspire you to go further with this than we have.

In any event, here’s what happened with social media and online networking…

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Straight from our news department: SEC Announces Successor to EDGAR Database. As we’ve talked about before, EDGAR is currently the best way to get highly detailed information about public companies directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission. But just because it’s the best way, doesn’t mean it’s much good. The site is convoluted, the search process is idiosyncratic, and the steps involved are multiple. Apparently, though, that’s all going to change. Details are fuzzy, but the new IDEA database (Interactive Data Electronic Applications) will be more interactive and may allow for pulling specific data (down to balance sheet lines) from multiple companies and comparing it online. Whatever this ends up being, it’s a sign that this particular government office is responding to how people use the Web.

In related news, a recent study from Princeton researchers suggests that the government give up creating their own Web sites altogether and instead focus on creating data feeds of government information to third party site creators. Interesting, in that this would surely result in better-designed sites, troubling in that it may bring agendas into the mix of public data. We’ll keep a keen eye on the developments.

Trade shows are a tried and true way of reaching out to and interacting with numerous potential customers in a short period of time. But they can take some finesse to do right.

The Trade Show Handbook can help you put together that “just right” show. The site offers guides and tutorials for choosing and maximizing a trade show presence, links to directories of trade shows by industry, and a listing of convention centers by state. You’ll also find lists of event planners and suppliers for help bringing it all together.

Trade shows, as with any form of marketing, should be entered into with forethought and a solid plan. Formulate that plan with the Trade Show Handbook. 

The Communications Workers of America has released its 2nd Annual Report on Internet Speeds in All 50 States, and while it’s certainly not without an agenda --- see Matt’s earlier post on this topic --- it does include some interesting insights, and some data on the subject down to the local level. You can get an idea of connection speeds in your state, county and zip code by using the site’s interactive map, or you can download the full report on all 50 states (.pdf).

The aging of America is one of the top ten risks to business, according to a recent report. But, remain calm. As you know, better understanding the risks facing your business can help you to better overcome them.

Perhaps the best place to learn more about older Americans is through the Social Security Administration. But it might also be the most confusing. So, start here: “Congressional Statistics” provides 2007 stats on retired and disabled workers (scroll down for state-by-state reports). “Income of the Population 55 or Older” looks at income sources, and provides demographic breakdowns. And “Expenditures of the Aged” provides all sorts of info on how older consumers spend money.

The more you know about the older consumers and workers in your area or industry, the better you’ll be able to determine how their aging will affect your business.