Background

I'd already been casually surfing the web for a few years when,  in 1995, I became an information researcher at the BBC. 

The corporation is known for its impartiality and reliability and the information used in programme making has a large part to play in maintaining that reputation. 

My department used newspaper cuttings, reference books and databases to find information for any production team that needed it.

In those days the web had a reputation for being the domain of "geeks and perverts" and was frowned upon by researchers for being too amateurish and difficult to use.

However, as the 90's progressed and more mainstream sources developed a web presence, it became seen as a more viable alternative to traditional avenues of research. Consequently, professional researchers found themselves having to acquire new online skills. 

When I joined BBC Training & Development I had the opportunity to develop a methodology enabling professional researchers to fully exploit all that the Net had to offer. 

I built training courses that teaches all the tips, tricks, short cuts and hidden features, as well as all the technical tools which journalists need to exploit.

Since then I have worked with countless BBC news and current affairs programmes, as well as teams working for areas as diverse as children's TV, religion, world affairs, music and just about any area that needs to use the Net for professional research.

It has also been my pleasure to share these techniques with production companies and universities across the world.    

Paul Myers
BBC Training & Development