How to build a news-tracking profile

Write one working brief

Complete this sentence: “Keep me informed about ___ so I can ___.” A policy analyst might write, “Keep me informed about federal housing policy so I can prepare clients for changes to financing and construction.” A university researcher might track a field so they can catch new results, funding decisions, and regulatory action.

Enter that brief in the profile builder. Review every proposed topic before saving it. The text gives Hivewire context, while the visible topic list lets you decide what belongs in the feed.

Choose a small topic map

Start with the central subject, then add the actors that can change it and the consequences that would reveal the change. A housing-policy profile might include Housing, Mortgages, the Federal Reserve, the relevant regulator, homebuilders, and the region where the work is concentrated.

Basic accounts can save three topics. Pick the subject, the most important decision-maker, and the clearest consequence. Hivewire+ members can add the surrounding context, but a longer list still needs a reason for every topic.

Assign weights with a test

Hivewire+ members can ask one question for each topic. Would missing a major development here create a real problem? If yes, use Focus. Use More for recurring context, Less when only a strong connection makes the topic useful, and Avoid when coverage reliably distracts from the brief.

Keep Focus scarce. Two Focus topics and four More topics create a clearer instruction than six Focus topics. Less and Avoid can also protect a narrow brief from broad subjects that otherwise dominate the results.

Set geography, publishers, and freshness

Use Geographic Focus when the same subject produces too much coverage from the wrong place. It prioritizes a country or region without forcing you to add a location to every topic.

Hivewire+ members can prefer outlets they want to see more often and avoid outlets that are not useful to them. Story Freshness controls how long important events stay near the top. Choose Breaking if you check throughout the day, Daily if you check once or twice, or Relaxed if several days may pass between visits.

Tune with explicit feedback

Give the first version several days. Use thumbs up when an event belongs and thumbs down when it does not. Hivewire stores that explicit feedback. It does not learn from reading history, clicks, or time on page.

Before changing the profile, name the cause. Adjust a topic when the subject is wrong, a publisher preference when the source mix is wrong, Geographic Focus when the location is wrong, or Story Freshness when older events linger too long. Change one or two controls, then inspect the next few days.

Know when the profile is the wrong tool

Use an RSS reader when you must see every post from a fixed list of laboratories, regulators, company blogs, or newsletters. Use a keyword or Boolean monitor when an exact name or phrase defines the requirement. Hivewire does not import RSS or OPML, run Boolean rules, or alert you when a webpage changes.

Hivewire is built for a broader question: what is changing around this subject, and which developments deserve attention? A source reader and Hivewire can work together when both questions matter.

Next steps

• Build or edit your profile
• Find available topics
• How Hivewire works
• When an RSS reader is the better tool