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Sara Thomson
Digital Archivist at The University of Edinburgh
Professional Background
Sara Day Thomson is a dedicated and highly skilled Digital Archivist at the prestigious University of Edinburgh, where she operates from the Centre for Research Collections. As a key player in the field of digital preservation, Sara brings a wealth of experience and expertise that sets her apart in the realms of archival science and information management. Among her notable contributions, she sits on the Steering Committee for the Digital Preservation Coalition's Web Archiving & Preservation Working Group, emphasizing her proactive involvement in addressing the challenges of digital preservation on a broader scale.
Sara's passion for digital preservation is evident in her previous role with the Digital Preservation Coalition, where she held significant positions as a Research Officer and Project Officer. Her time at DPC was characterized by her exceptional support for member institutions. Sara has worked tirelessly to develop best practices and methodologies for the archiving of social media platforms and complex data sets—key areas of focus in an increasingly digital world.
In addition to her work at DPC, Sara has taken on the role of Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) for the Wellcome-funded Archive of Tomorrow Project. This innovative initiative aims to establish a comprehensive collection of health-related websites within the UK Web Archive, facilitating critical research on the dissemination and effects of online information from 2019 to the present.
Education and Achievements
Sara Day Thomson's academic journey has been marked by impressive achievements and a commitment to understanding the intricacies of information management and preservation. She earned her Master of Science (MSc) in Information Management and Preservation from the renowned University of Glasgow—an institution respected for its comprehensive approach towards the disciplines of archive management and information science.
Additionally, she pursued an MSc in Literature and Modernity with a focus on English Literature from the University of Edinburgh, where she honed her skills in literary analysis and critical thinking. This interdisciplinary education has undoubtedly enriched her professional endeavors in digital archiving, enabling her to navigate the complex narratives contained within digital resources.
Sara began her academic journey with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English Literature, French Language, and Literature from the esteemed University of Georgia. This diverse educational background has laid a firm foundation for her dual interests in literature and archival science, allowing her to connect literary narratives to the critical field of preservation.
Achievements
Sara Day Thomson’s career is punctuated with invaluable contributions and initiatives in the world of digital archiving. Her ongoing work at the University of Edinburgh includes curating and preserving digital artifacts, encouraging the integration of technological advancements in preservation practices, and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders in the digital preservation community.
Her leadership on the Steering Committee for the Digital Preservation Coalition's Web Archiving & Preservation Working Group reflects her commitment to driving forward initiatives that advance the field. Through collaborative projects and discussions, Sara is at the forefront of developing strategies that ensure the preservation of critical web-based information.
In her tenure at the Digital Preservation Coalition, her project management skills were showcased in her stewardship of the Technology Watch publication series, which serves as an essential resource for institutions navigating the evolving landscape of digital preservation. Her work has had a lasting impact, helping organizations to adapt and thrive in the digital environment.
Sara’s role as an Organizer and Coordinator for the Bitcurator Forum's Python Study Groups exemplifies her dedication to knowledge-sharing and community-building within the digital preservation sector. By fostering learning opportunities in programming and data management, she empowers fellow archivists and practitioners to innovate and enhance their digital workflows.
Through her multifaceted roles and initiatives, Sara Day Thomson continues to make significant strides in the preservation of digital heritage, reflecting her unwavering dedication to the field and her passion for ensuring that digital content remains accessible for future generations.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.