In our fast paced world, it pays to keep alert to trends. As good qualitative researchers, we’re always alert to this and will point relevant observations out to our clients. Sometimes, however, clients want more specific exploration. We’ve examined the trends towards Internet usage on behalf of a magazine publishing body, we’ve looked at mobile phone usage for a network carrier, we’ve explored the impact of homeopathy and natural healing for a pharmaceutical company and we’ve explored the trend towards short break holidays for a tour operator. We speak to whoever’s most useful to our thinking, including trend setters, journalists, kids, entrepreneurs….anyone, in fact, who’s on the pulse of things. We also of course regularly monitor what's being said in blogs and chat rooms.