Using the Web to find an expert to assist small businesses can be
similar to finding a needle in a haystack. With so many individuals that
have the capability of having their Website and writing articles, it is
becoming difficult to find the right expert with the right
qualifications. Given this situation, what are your options?
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A. Consult your local yellow pages
B. Have a friend recommend someone
C. Use the Web effectively to track a desired expert
All of the choices stated above are viable options; however, your
local yellow pages will limit your search for obvious reasons. Utilizing
a friend's recommendation may not pan out since your friend might not
have a clear idea of your needs. As a result of the process of
elimination, using the Web is a most effective tool to obtain recent
information regarding experts.
This article will direct you to the appropriate sources to locate and
track experts of your choice. The following sources will allow you to
familiarize with the various experts in the leading industries:
Associations
Industry and profession-specific associations are the central home of
the leading top experts in the world. Associations often attract the
best people to represent the organization; however, keep in mind they do
not screen every member. Well-established associations have a Web
presence where they disseminate information to their members. In
addition, they will make it easier for members to contact other members
via online directory. Access to directories is usually restricted to
full association members. Given this circumstance, you may:
- Become a member of the association
- Make inquiries at the head office of association
Becoming a member of the association might be costly and may not
warrant the investment to get access to the directory. A cost-effective
strategy is to attend a local chapter meeting of the association. The
cost to attend is minimal and provides you with an excellent opportunity
to scout the experts in the local area and cross-reference their names
on the Web.
Relying on a recommendation by the head office may seem excellent;
however, associations may have a tendency to play favorites and refer a
"select few" of the top experts. If this is the case, you may
want to search the Web for biographies of the individuals.
Example: If you are in need of an online research specialist, you may
want to turn to The Association of Independent Information Professionals
(AIIP) Website. The AIIP provides free access to their database of
members which allows you to find information professionals by:
- Location
- Subject or industry
- Services (i.e., news clipping, archiving, etc.)
- Company description
Books
Experts utilize books to showcase their knowledge on their subject.
Given the amount of online books stores and publishing houses with a
home on the Web, individuals are furnished with search tools to finding
experts on very specific subjects. Here are some tools that you may have
not thought about using:
Amazon.com - The world famous bookstore can provide the following
leads on any published expert:
- Scope of knowledge on a particular topic
- A brief bio
- A record of the past book published
- Past and present co-authors
- Other experts in the same field
Barns and Nobles
Barns and Nobles provide a resource to search for current e-books in
.PDF. A .PDF friendly book allows people to take an in-depth look at the
expert's views and opinions on their specialty without waiting for the
book to be delivered.
Example: If you are in a bind to find a person who is in tune with
the current practices of knowledge management, conduct a search on
Amazon. As you browse through the results, pay careful attention to the
year the books were published. You may want to track authors with books
published in late 2000 and 2001. When you have made your choice of which
expert you wish to contact, conduct a search on Google and cross your
fingers. Chances are you will able to find a valid e-mail address for
the individual. Try it with the authors of the book, "Working
Knowledge".
Conferences
Events such as conferences and symposiums are one of the key places
to find and track experts. For marketing purposes, organizers are
prompted to design a Website to inform their target audience regarding
the individuals scheduled to present. If the site is well planned out,
it will offer:
- A current bio of the expert
- A detail description of the expert's presentation
- A list of past conferences where the expert has presented
After gathering all the information stated above, individuals can
create a profile of experts that they would like to approach in the
future. Here are a few sources that can be consulted to find present and
future business conference around the world.
- Trade Show Central - A comprehensive guide to seminars and
conferences listing over 200,000 seminars and conferences for
businesses and individuals.
- ScheduleEarth.com - A resource for conference schedules, personal
and professional development events, continuing education courses
and trade shows.
- Business 2.0- Conferences & Events: By Industry - A directory
of conferences filed by industry.
While conducting a search on the Web with Google, using the expert's
name and title of a conference, lucky individuals may stumble upon old
pages from past conferences with old biographies and past
presentations.
Also, in a conference, do not forget that not only the speakers are
experts: check also the organizer (who had to call several experts to
invite the right ones and probably still has all the contacts), the
conference chair and sometimes the exhibitors.
Example: Finding an expert within information industry is pretty easy
given the number of annual conferences which are held around the world.
The Google Directory offers a list of past knowledge management events
with some of events' site still intact. The KM World 2000 conference
site is still complete with the full program, list of presenters, and
exhibitors.
Online
Communities
Online communities such as Competia are havens for industry experts.
Experts are usually accessible via articles, discussion groups, and the
"brains behind the community."
- Articles - Some authors who contribute articles to publications
that are read by community members may allow their contact
information to be published.
- Discussion Groups - Depending upon the traffic of the community's
discussion forum, call for an expert might be noticed and be
followed up by an interested individual. Once again, consider doing
a quick search on the individual to check the person's credibility.
Check the archives for the relevant conversations authors, go to the
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and check who wrote them. Look for
people who challenge others, those who consistently help others,
those who bring new facts to a discussion.
- Brains Behind The Community - The organization behind the
community is an excellent source to find leads for experts. Through
formal or informal networks, the people such as community
coordinators and editors are willing to put individuals together as
a value-added service to community members and clear sign of
goodwill by the organization.
Example: Danny Sullivan, author of the excellent monthly newsletter
Search Engine Watch knows more than anybody in the world about Search
Engines.
Newspaper
& Magazine Articles
Newspaper and magazine articles are the most popular sources to find
and track experts. On a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, individuals
can discover a vast amount of people through local, national, and
international publications.
- To find individuals who are knowledgeable about local issues,
daily newspapers are the best sources for leads. Special features
written by columnists are a good indication of expertise.
- Articles in national and international publications are authored
by individuals who are screened by editors - who are always
concerned with the credibility of the contributing authors.
Given the power of the Web to place newspapers and magazines online,
archives are easily accessible to read past articles. Past articles can
provide a sense of how knowledgeable the authors are on specific aspects
in the industry.
Example: National newspapers such as USA Today, The Globe and Mail in
Canada, The Times in the United Kingdom and The Australian in Australia
provide a fairly extensive list of their regular contributors along with
their e-mails addresses. It is important to follow up an e-mail with a
telephone call. Due to deadlines and breaking news stories, these
contributors do not have much time to reply to e-mails.
If you do not have access to the large databases, use Northern Light
to identify the author of the articles: · Search for a term · Click on
special collection · Click on the article you want, usually the author
will be given to you
Expert
Sites
You will have to be very careful when you go to so-called
"expert sites" on the Internet. Many are very commercial and
it is sometimes difficult to find the right ones. Here are some
examples:
- Yahoo launched six months ago its Yahoo! Experts service. Experts
have to provide credentials (CV, background etc...) so we find the
site quite good.
- The Virtual Library is by far the best site for experts. Built by
academics and governments to share best resources, it is not
commercial. We particularly like the fact that the author of each
page is identified at the bottom of each section, and that you can
contact him/her by email. The search capability of the site is
really confusing, so use it as a directory and surf to your selected
subject. Not all subject is represented, but if you find your
industry, it is a great starting point.
- Guru offers over 120,000 experts, and Freelance is very
similar.
- Use Google and type experts associated with the keyword you are
looking for, the result can be quite useful.
- Journalist.net also provides you with additional sources and
references.
- Looksmart Live offers you the ability to have your question
answered by an expert. For your Friday afternoon fun, check out the
real time box which gives you the questions people are asking at the
time...
- Business Wire: ExpertSource enables the news media to quickly and
easily secure authoritative analysis, insights and commentary for
news and feature stories from leading academic and industry experts.
- ProfNet is a collaborative of information officers linked by
Internet to give journalists free, convenient access to expert
sources. This is a PR Newswire service.
- Year Book.com is a search tool to find experts, authorities and
spokespersons.
- ProSavvy is a tool to begin scouting for consultants.
- Beware of sites such as askanexpert.com or asktheexpert.com, they
are rarely validated.
Conclusion
Thumbing through yellow pages, referrals from friends and a
two-minute search of the Web should not limit a search to find a quality
expert for your needs. This article has presented a number of resources
that you can utilize to expand the possibility of finding and tracking
the best possible individuals based on a predefined criteria. The
resources will provide sufficient information to evaluate the
individuals' qualifications that should be the number one criteria in
your selection process. In fact, searching for the experts if the best
way to lower your frustration level with the Internet. If you understand
you have to find the experts first, and not the information, you solves
80% of Internet complexity.
Want to know more? The following books are available at Amazon.com:
Online Articles:
- Prospecting for Experts by Bruce Cuthbertson
- Finding Experts and Sources Online by Paul Grabowicz
- Asking an Expert on the Web by ResearchBuz
Join fellow practitioners at Competia International Symposium 2002,
the forum to share, debate, and learn from corporate practitioners of
strategic intelligence. May 13-15, 2002, Cape Cod, U.S.A.
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