| WELCOME to the October 2006 edition of The Information Advisor's BestBizWeb Eletter! Here is our monthly review of the best business research sites we've come across: |
SITE: Reference for Business
URL: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com
CATEGORY: Reference Site/Industry Information/Company Directories
PURPOSE: This site provides access to the content found in a handful of key Gale business reference directories: Encyclopedia of Small Business , Encyclopedia of Business , Business Biographies , Business Plans , Encyclopedia of American Industries , Encyclopedia of Management , Company Histories , and Leading American Businesses.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: All of the directories included in this site are created and published by Gale Research, a Thomson Research firm renowned for its detailed and quality print and online business, educational, and popular reference works. The site itself is run by a curiously reclusive Illinois-based firm by the name of Advemag, which has a one-time license to use this information from Gale.
OUR VIEW: We were pleasantly surprised to discover that these expensive print-based directories are freely searchable and browsable on the Web. You don’t even need to register. You can use these directories to locate executive names, find SIC descriptions of industries, get histories and timelines of major companies, and much more. It’s a gold mine of credible substantive business information. There’s only one price to pay: You need to put up with some relatively unobtrusive textual ads. Also, according to a spokesperson at Advemag, the data (which is from 2005) will not be updated, so its usefulness is somewhat limited. Consider this site if you want to obtain some basic business reference information from a reliable source at no cost.SITE: Morgan Stanley: Technology Research
URL: http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch
CATEGORY: Research Reports/High Technology
PURPOSE: This site provides access to dozens of technology-related research reports. These are created by research analysts at Morgan Stanley.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: Morgan Stanley is considered to be one of the premier financial services and investment firms around the globe; it is known for its equities research.
OUR VIEW: It’s pretty rare to find free research from any of the major investment research firms, so we think this site is worth your attention. The reports are limited to technology topics only. Recent report titles include “Internet Trends”; “Internet Trends Presentation from Web 2.0 Conference”; “China Internet”; “Internet Advertising Trends”; “CIO Survey”; and “The Interactive Entertainment Report.” The studies are timely. They are not “fluff” reports; they contain detailed specific data on companies, revenues, product lines, and competitive positioning. Consider this site when you are researching companies, industries, and trends in high technology markets, particularly those related to the Internet, and when you want an authoritative market study.| Books from Information Today, Inc. |
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SITE: Manta
URL: http://www.manta.com
CATEGORY: Company Directory
PURPOSE: Manta provides basic company directory information for more than 45 million firms. Its data may include company address, ticker symbol, location type, URLs, NAICS and SIC codes, line of business, and (for registered users) year started, state of incorporation, stock exchange, estimated annual sales, estimated employees, and executive name(s) and title(s).
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: The data is provided by D&B and is updated monthly. The site itself is a creation of ECNext. Founded in 1996, ECNext is an Ohio-based e-commerce firm that has been active in the business information industry for several years. It redistributes and repackages market research and other premium business information.
OUR VIEW: We were surprised to discover just how much detailed company data on so many firms was available at no cost from this site. It includes private firms and companies outside the U.S. (32 million are non-U.S.). You can search by company name, ticker, and location as well as by headquarters or single location. And it’s worth doing the quick and easy free registration too, as you can then get additional company data. Manta looks like a competitor to the leading free company directory, Hoover’s, though Hoover’s offers the long and interesting narrative about a company’s history, background, and reputation. Our only caution here is to be careful when using the “estimated sales” and “estimated employees” counts—for private firms, these are often not reliable. Consider this site if you quickly need some basic data on a public or private company.| CLICK HERE to view the BestBizWeb archive! |
SITE: Blogs Directory: Analyst Blogs
URL: http://analystblogs.tekrati.com
CATEGORY: Analysts/Weblogs
PURPOSE: This is a directory of blogs written by individual Wall Street and other IT investment analysts. A total of 167 blogs are listed; for each one the directory lists the name of the blogger, a link to the blog, and a one-sentence blurb from the blog that describes its scope.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: This directory is a creation of Tekrati, a San Francisco-based firm founded in 2000 by Barbara French. Tekrati calls itself “the leading news source for high tech industry analyst research and firms.” It publishes the Industry Analyst Reporter newsletter, editorials on the industry, and a variety of Web-based directories.
OUR VIEW: The rise of analyst blogs is changing the way high-tech research analysts do their business—there are more opinions, commentaries, and analyses available for free from leading industry analysts on their blogs. The good thing about this directory is that although there is a screening criteria to make sure only legitimate blogs are included, there is no fee to be listed. The directory is also updated frequently. Our only gripe is that it is neither searchable nor browsable (other than alphabetically). Note that Tekrati also makes available its full Analyst Directory (called “Analyst Profiles”) for $379. Consider this site if you are looking for analysis and commentary on the high technology industry, particularly from an investment and market perspective.SITE: Wikipedia: Brands by Company
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Brands_by_company
CATEGORY: Company Information/Market Research
PURPOSE: This page on Wikipedia allows users to browse pages devoted to specific company brands, ranging from Armani’s Jeans to Starkist’s (Del Monte) Charlie the Tuna character to Vick’s (P&G) NyQuil.
FEE/FREE: FREE
SOURCE CHECK: Wikipedia is a user-created encyclopedia. Over time, it has proven itself to be a good—and sometimes outstanding—information source, but be aware that some entries are more complete than others and that errors and inaccuracies can slip in unchecked. The information you find in Wikipedia may be considered a good lead for doing additional research.
OUR VIEW: One of Wikipedia’s strengths is that it can provide coverage on topics that are too narrow or niche to be covered anywhere else. And this is true when it comes to learning about specific brands. You are likely to discover details on some of the more obscure brands here that are unavailable anywhere else. You do need to be careful how you use the data you glean here, but it should not be ignored as an alternative source. Consider this site if you need to get detailed information on a particular company’s brand, even if it is obscure and lesser known.| The publisher of The BestBizWeb Eletter also publishes The Information Advisor |
 The Information Advisor newsletter specializes in reviews and side-by-side comparisons of key information vendors, databases, and business sites such as Dialog, LexisNexis, D&B, Hoover's, Standard & Poor's, Investext, Euromonitor, ProQuest, Disclosure, and others. Request your FREE print or PDF sample issue today: Send an e-mail to custserv@infotoday.com or fax your request to (609) 654-4309. If you are pleased with the FREE issue, simply process the invoice when it arrives, or write Cancel on the invoice and return it to us. |
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