Bits, Bytes and Barks — Uplink Archive

ProfNet, an academic expert research tool, has faced reporter concerns after being sold to PR Newswire, which sells queries to paying clients and potentially compromises confidentiality. ProfNet management has responded by introducing query segmentation by institution type and launching an experts database to address privacy and targeting concerns.

Bits, Bytes and Barks

ProfNet response

Reporters who have used ProfNet, a valuable on-line research tool for locating academic experts on numerous subjects, have been concerned about ProfNet's recent sale to PR Newswire. That commercial outfit sells ProfNet queries to other paying clients, compromising the confidentiality of reporters' queries and sometimes resulting in a deluge of unwanted commercial appeals mixed in with sought after academic responses. PR Newswire has little incentive to keep queries quiet because the greater their distribution, the more money the company makes.

Here's what ProfNet sysop Dan Forbush has had to say about the issue:

"Two recent developments at ProfNet are relevant.

"First, we'll soon be able to give reporters the ability to segment queries by type of institution. The more narrowly we can pinpoint the delivery of queries, the smaller the opportunity for off-target responses.

"By the end of this month, you'll be able send a query to the entire list or to any combination of the following:

academe nonprofit organizations government corporations PR agencies

"For example, if you want leads only on experts who can discuss the educational and First Amendment implications of filtering Internet content in the schools, we'll suggest you direct your query only to our academic list.

"If, on the other hand, your story is focused on the latest filtering products, we'll recommend a distribution that goes only to corporate and agency members. The larger and more diverse the ProfNet membership, the more powerful the resource. Segmentation is key, though, which is why we've spent the last six months developing this new distribution system.

"The second piece of relevant news is that we've created an on-line database providing bios and contact information for 2,000 leading experts across all disciplines - a utility that is proving particularly helpful to reporters either who are in immediate need of experts or who, for whatever reason, prefer not to conduct a sweep via ProfNet Search. Capable of full-text searches and 'relevance-ranking' of sources, ProfNet's Experts Database is up and running at www.vyne.com/profnet/ped"

Despite Forbush's reassurances, some reporters remain concerned about the changes in ProfNet, and wonder whether widely broadcasted queries could tip off competitors or subjects of investigations, or even whether they could be used in libel suits.

To raise these issues with ProfNet, call (800) PROFNET, or send e-mail to profnet@vyne.com