It came as a sad surprise for me when I logged into my Wotnews account earlier this week to setup another feed. I was notified that after three years since its launch, Wotnews has decided to close down their operations. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Wotnews is a customisable news aggregation site. Sound a bit like Google News? Well, yes and no. What’s unique about their service is that it’s free to use for individuals!...

Due to popular demand from my last post on the effective use of MindMapping software for sourcing, I’ve decided to provide the MindMap template I was using available for download. I’ve exported the template into two flavours: MindMeister Mindjet’s MindManager Let me know how it...

A Ninja’s Sourcer’s Toolbelt is never full – there are always cool new tools to help make our lives as Sourcers and Researchers easier. I thought I’d indulge in a bit of an ego trip like a hedonistic Quasimodo (who reads this blog anyway?) by compiling a list of my most prized tools (*my precious*) I currently use. As always, I’m on the hunt for something better… HARDWARE: Computer/Laptop Let me begin by saying I...

Don’t you hate it when a particular website you want to visit is down? Or worse yet, when it’s only down for you! Here’s a tool I’ve been using that helps me find out if the website I’m trying to access is down, or if it’s just me… instead of having to ask a colleague. http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com For the times when the site is just affecting me I try using one of these methods to get it working: Ping the site...

Here’s a nifty little tool to do some deepweb research on individuals. The minimalist interface is easy to use with the ability to search by location but the inability to limit your results using keywords is a major set back in my opinion… As a platform, it’s not good for building profiles, but definitely a good place to start mapping their online presence. Results are categorised under: Personal Profiles Professional &...

Here’s a great tool to find old webpages from specific websites in the deep web. The interface is simple enough, just type in the URL you want to search from the archive and away you go! Let’s take a trip down memory lane – remember how Altavista looked like back in 2001? Or better yet, during its infancy in 1996? I suppose a more productive way to use this powerful tool is for sourcers to find historical data about business...