While collaborative in nature, public health agencies and community based organizations often find themselves competing with industry for the public's attention and funding for health concerns. Businesses describe staying informed as competitive intelligence, and like businesses, public health organizations cannot afford to be out-of-date. Staying informed about news and developments in public health is a crucial component of health competencies related to communication. Communication is a two-way street, and public health practitioners need to use the media, advanced technologies, and community networks to gain information as well as communicate it.