What exactly is a “topic”?
Topics are a way of grouping information on any given subject/issue.
They are the step up from keywords because topics can encompass multiple different ways of saying something. This allows us to take an issue and find its history based on all of the discussions that relate to it.
Why are topics an important way to categorize data?
By grouping discussions into topics, we are able to narrow in on specific issues which may be more important to a user at any given time. This also gives us the ability to track higher-level trends of discussions surrounding a topic more accurately.
In the past we could look for each keyword in isolation. Let's take as an example: ‘COVID-19’. We could pull each discussion that used the exact term “COVID-19. This search could be limiting, as you would miss out on the larger picture of Covid. Other terms, such as ‘coronavirus’ and ‘emergency declaration’ may have been captured, but by looking at all three of them as contributing to the overall COVID topic, we are able to see a more robust view of the issue.
Likewise, there are keywords that are so broad that they span multiple topics like ‘water’. This can point to infrastructure projects, flooding issues, water quality, policy, and more. By creating multiple topics surrounding a broad keyword like ‘water’ we can become more specific in the data that we pass along to our customers
What topics are available?
Here at Curate, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We have curated topics available by industry, based on our customer needs and best practices. We understand the fine line between being in the know, and being overwhelmed with data overload.
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