Business researchers have long valued analyst reports as high-quality sources of in-depth, detailed information and insights on companies, industries, technologies, and emerging trends. At times, analysts may have conflicts of interest.
As questions over the independence of analyst firms continue, some have turned to the Internet and alternative sources for industry analysis to at least supplement the analysts' advice.
Blogs
An increasing number of people have set up their own Web blogs to offer up their own views and commentary on a particular industry, IT solutions, technology, etc. While bloggers should not be viewed as a wholesale replacement for industry analysts, they can provide a much faster take on industry developments, as well as the "passionate buzz" on a company or product, as opposed to the analysts' more formal reports.
Find access to a wide range of blogs published by industry analysts in:
1. From the Guided Search area, [What are you interested in?]. highlight News.
2. In the next box, [Search in all News for:], type your industry For example, toy industry
3. In the next box, [..Choose date range], use the down arrow and highlight: One year. (anything more than a year gets to be pretty overwhelming.)
4. In the results page, use the column on the left to Narrow your results further.
5. Under Timeline, drag the arrow to the right until the chart displays the time frame you need.
6. Under Publication Type, select: Blogs.
7. Continue using other segments to narrow further.
The following sites vary in their depth of analysis. Some may prove more helpful than others.