Company
Date Published
Author
Aviv Tal
Word count
1040
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

Pre-collected datasets are increasingly favored over traditional web crawling due to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, allowing businesses to quickly access up-to-date information without the need for extensive maintenance or IT infrastructure. These datasets provide flexibility and agility as companies can order data specific to their needs without ongoing commitments, thus supporting various industries such as finance, insurance, and social media by offering insights into customer behaviors and market trends. In finance, for example, lenders use alternative datasets to better assess risk by analyzing social media profiles and other non-traditional data points. Similarly, venture capitalists leverage datasets to identify promising startups early by scrutinizing growth indicators like job postings or app performance metrics. In the realm of social media, companies in sectors like fitness and health tracking utilize datasets to understand consumer interests and behaviors, thereby informing marketing strategies and product development. The move towards pre-collected datasets reflects a shift in business data strategies, emphasizing streamlined access to data that enhances decision-making without the burdens of traditional data collection methods.