Learning Objectives

• Explain the role and main steps of the monitoring process.

• Identify reliable information sources based on a specific need.

• Use a digital tool to organize their monitoring.

• Produce a short and clear monitoring report or presentation.

Targeted Skills

• Searching for and selecting relevant information.

• Critically analyzing and sorting sources.

• Working collaboratively online (shared monitoring work).

• Thinking critically about misinformation and algorithmic bias.

Introduction

Opening discussion: “How do you stay informed in your field?”

Basics of Monitoring (Information Watch)

• Definition: distinguish between information, technological, competitive, and regulatory monitoring.

• Goal: anticipate changes, detect opportunities, and avoid becoming outdated.

• Monitoring cycle:
  1. Identify the information need
  2. Collect data (sources, tools)
  3. Sort
  4. Analyze
  5. Share results
  6. Keep information updated continuously

Different Types of Monitoring

Methods and Tools

1. Define the type of monitoring and your specific information needs by asking clear questions.

2. Search for information sources: tech blogs, reference websites, newsletters, open data, academic publications.

3. Tools:
   • Aggregators: Feedly, Inoreader, Flipboard
   • Alerts: Google Alerts, Talkwalker Alerts
   • Curation: Wakelet, Notion, Raindrop.io, Zotero
   • Social monitoring: LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Reddit, Mastodon, Discord
   • Collaborative monitoring: Slack, shared Notion, Teams

4. Build a database of sources.

5. Set up a process for sorting and analyzing collected information.

Method

Collecting Information

• Advanced Search Engines
  • Google / Qwant / Bing – teach how to use:
    • search operators (site:, filetype:, intitle:…)
    • news search, PDF reports, and recent pages
  • Google Alerts — automatic notifications for a keyword (e.g., “independent bookstore trends”).
  • Talkwalker Alerts — alternative to Google Alerts, more privacy-friendly.

• RSS Feed Readers (news streams)
  • Feedly – simple interface to follow websites, blogs, magazines.
  • Inoreader – more advanced for sorting and filtering content.

Organizing and Analyzing

• Curation / Bookmarking Tools
  • Raindrop.io — save links with tags and images.
  • Wakelet — create themed collections (easy to present in class).
  • Notion — database for monitoring: columns like title / link / source type / insight.
  • Google Sheets — simpler option: shared table with Date / Source / Summary / Interest.

• Note-Taking / Analysis Tools
  • Zotero — for academic or research-based sources.
  • Miro — to create a visual “trend map” of your monitoring topic.

• Sharing and Collaboration
  • Padlet — each group posts their links and comments.
  • Canva Docs or Slides — create a visual summary of trends.
  • Shared Notion Page — one space for all monitoring work (economic / legal / competitive).

Organization and Communication

• How to classify and archive information (labels, tags, categories).

• Write a short monitoring report:
  • Summary of what was found
  • Relevance of the sources
  • Main insight or trend identified

• Present results through a newsletter, Notion board, summary slides, shared document, or blog.

• Work on source reliability and misinformation awareness:
  • What makes a source reliable?
  • How to avoid confirmation bias?

Avoiding Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias means we tend to look for, believe, and remember only what confirms what we already think.

In monitoring, this is common — we end up reading only sources that agree with us.

To avoid it:

• Ask neutral questions.

  Not “why are independent bookstores better than Amazon?” but “what are the economic differences between independent bookstores and major platforms?”

• Diversify sources.

  Mix professional press, blogs, public reports, and even company statements.

• Search for opposite views.

  Add keywords like limitations, criticism, risks, drawbacks.

• Cross-check data.

  Compare several figures or studies before concluding.

• Work in groups.

  Peers can spot your bias faster than you can.

• Be careful with algorithms.

  Personalized feeds reinforce opinions — sometimes you need to search manually.

How to Automate and Maintain Monitoring Over Time

• Automate Collection
  • Automatic alerts:
    • Google Alerts or Talkwalker Alerts → weekly email for chosen keywords.

      e.g., independent bookstores, audiobook market, bookstore trends.

  • RSS feeds in Feedly or Inoreader — new articles appear automatically in a dashboard.
  • Follow hashtags or keywords on social media —

    X / LinkedIn / Mastodon (e.g., #bookindustry, #publishing, #reading).

  • Specialized newsletters —

    Subscribe to Livres Hebdo, CNL, Publishers Weekly, or book industry blogs.

• Organize the Monitoring
  • Gather all feeds in one tool (Feedly, Notion, Raindrop, Wakelet).
  • Sort by topic: economy, technology, competition, regulation.
  • Tag sources based on reliability and usefulness.
  • Archive or delete outdated feeds every few months.

• Summarize Regularly
  • Write a monthly note: 5 lines on the key takeaways.
  • Create a class newsletter (e.g., “Bookstore Monitoring – October 2025”).
  • Keep a trend table in Notion or Google Sheets updated by the group.

• Reevaluate the Strategy (every 2–3 months)
  • Are the keywords still relevant?
  • Are some sources becoming repetitive?
  • Should new angles be added (e.g., AI, circular economy)?

• Integrate Monitoring into a Routine
  • Spend 10–15 minutes each week reading and classifying.
  • One hour per month to summarize findings.
  • Shared habit: at the start of class, each student presents one key source.

Ethical and Professional Attitude

• Keep an ethical and critical mindset — don’t accept information blindly.

• Value curiosity, doubt, and serendipity (finding useful things by accident).

• Make monitoring a professional habit — 15 minutes a day is enough to stay informed.

Example of Economic Monitoring Map

Monitoring Map — Bookstores: Economic Focus

Main Goal

Understand how the book market is evolving and identify new economic models for bookstores (independent, online, or hybrid).

Scope of the Topic

Key Actors to Follow

Data Sources

Emerging Topics Identified

• Revival of printed books after COVID.

• Rising transport costs and smaller profit margins.

• Growth of audiobooks and self-publishing.

• New loyalty models (subscriptions, events, customer experience).

• Increasing ecological awareness in publishing and distribution.

Example Monitoring Questions

• What economic strategies help independent bookstores compete with Amazon?

• Which hybrid models (bookstore cafés, reading clubs, local e-commerce sites) are successful?

• How is the balance between physical and digital sales changing?

• What is the impact of public policies supporting the book sector?