About Us

...instead, welcome to a new form of communications our CMO has nicknamed a "Blog Release." What better way to announce the new suite of blog tools by HighBeam Research than to blog this press release? Getting official stuff out of the way – the dateline is Chicago, IL, and here's the top of the ol' inverted pyramid for you purists:

Resource or rumor mill? The burgeoning blogosphere, designed to share opinions and information, can be both – often containing links to sources readers don't know. But with the first-ever suite of blogging tools launched by an online publisher, HighBeam Research™ (www.highbeam.com) is giving millions of bloggers a more trustworthy voice and blog readers a more credible resource.

BTW, go here for a definition of blog (otherwise know as "web log"). And, if you want to read the more traditional press release we posted on Business Wire, it's here.

Our research indicates that many individual researchers want to comment on and share information they find online. We think it's important that the estimated 8 million blogs in existence today be able to include links to credible premium information – unavailable elsewhere on the Web – as easily as they link to any other information. And yes, there's an ulterior motive. By letting our members blog 33 million premium articles from quality publications, including 3,000 respected newspaper, magazine, book, journal and transcript publishers, we introduce blog readers to the HighBeam Research online research environment and expand our reach.

For more on my unified theory of online information, see my guest blog at paidContent.org.

We first launched our blog tools in a beta program last December. Our 20 "beta bloggers" really helped us understand what worked and what didn't. In particular, Chris Locke has been testing our blogging tools at www.ChiefBloggingOfficer.com and giving us tremendous feedback. In addition, people like Frank Paynter, Jeneane Sessum and Michelle Goodrich have provided invaluable input as well. The HighBeam Blog Enhancer and HighBeam RSS tools we launched today reflect the insight from these folks on how to help bloggers build better blogs faster. Thank you to our brave set of beta bloggers!

Here is how HighBeam Blog Enhancer works. When you've found an article you want to share, just click the "Blog this Article" link found on previews and articles on HighBeam Research. If you prefer, create a custom welcome message, add an excerpt from the article and even include your own notes about the article. HighBeam Research then provides the HTML code ready for pasting into a blog for a robust citation for the article - and a link to your own personalized page on HighBeam Research that includes the article preview or full-text article.

For your reference, an overview of our Blogging Tools.

Example: imagine that you want to refer to a recent AP article that discusses issues of credibility and accountability of blogs (which also mentions that 27 percent of adults who go online in the United States read blogs). Here's what you'd get with HighBeam Blog Enhancer when you paste into your blog the HTML that our tool provides:

The growing influence of blogs such as his is raising questions about whether they are becoming a new form of journalism and in need of more formal ethical guidelines or codes of conduct. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 27 percent of adults who go online in the United States read blogs. And blogs have greater impact because their readers tend to be policy makers and other influencers of public opinion, media experts say.

from: Blogger Influence Raises Ethical Questions by ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer
source: AP Online, January 21, 2005.
via: HighBeam™ Research

One of the more interesting features of the HighBeam Blog Enhancer is its ability to create a professional looking citation within a blog. Take a look at how Chris Locke used this feature. In addition, a blogger can create a customized landing page that his or her readers will land on when they click on the HighBeam article citation.

Bloggers who are HighBeam Full Members (our paying subscribers) can share full-text articles with their readers – even with readers who are not members of HighBeam Research. Readers can access full text for seven days from the time of posting, after which blog readers will still see the citation and article abstract, which do not expire.

Bloggers who are HighBeam Basic Members (free membership) have the ability to share article previews.

By comparison, if you were reading a journal article or book with footnotes – all you would get is the bibliographic information. In this case you are getting the full text for seven days. After seven days you get more than just a bibliographic citation. You get an annotated citation w/ an abstract. And that enhanced citation is permanent!

Nothing's worse than finding an article online that you want to share with someone, linking to it from an email or blog post and then finding out that people trying to click through hit a wall – be it subscription or registration based. The cool thing about digital pass along is the almost immediate gratification factor. HighBeam Research not only gets the idea that sharing is caring, they are maximizing the power of viral marketing by allowing any blogger to include links to previews of articles at no charge. And, better still, Full Members of HighBeam Research can link to full text articles that actually allow readers of their blogs to read the entire article referenced, whether they are paid HighBeam members or not. Not only does this support the power of pass-along readership, it provides a real-time demonstration of the HighBeam Research library and will develop some real feel-good following in the blogosphere.

Check this out. The HighBeam Research Blog Enhancer allows me to tap into an incredible wealth of targeted and relevant information specifically suited to my niche topic. I especially appreciate the entire arsenal of articles and research tools in one location that covers every subject imaginable.