Configuring Topics
Topics are the heart of Page's monitoring system. They tell Page what government activities to track for each profile. A well-configured topic helps you catch relevant discussions while filtering out noise.
What Are Topics?
A topic represents a specific area of interest, issue, or keyword phrase that matters to your client. Each topic consists of:
Keywords or phrases - The terms Page looks for in government content
Match type - How strictly Page matches the keywords (Smart or Exact)
Context (Required for Smart Matches) - Explain why this topic matters to your client's business. Include what kind of government activities or discussions you're looking for. This helps Page identify relevant content and write better takeaways.
Sources - Where Page should look (meetings, bills, news, etc.)Governments - Which government levels and jurisdictions to monitor
Creating a New Topic
Navigate to the Company Settings page
Go to your client's profile and click the "Edit Topics" tab on Home, then click "New topic +"
Add keywords or phrases
Topic (Required) - Enter words or phrases you want to monitor. Use the + button on the right to add multiple keywords.You can add multiple related terms:
"artificial intelligence"
"AI regulation"
"machine learning"
Each term should be specific enough to capture relevant content without being too narrow. Use the + to add multiple keywords for a single interest.
Choose a match type
Select either Smart (recommended) or Exact matching.
Add context (required for Smart)
Explain why this topic matters to your client and what kind of activities you're looking for.
Select sources to monitor
Choose where Page should look for this topic (meetings, bills, news, consultations, pressers).
Select governments to monitor
Choose which government levels and jurisdictions to track.
Save your topic
Click "Save topic" to activate monitoring.
Understanding Match Types
Smart Match (Recommended)
Smart matching uses advanced AI to understand context and meaning. It:
Catches related discussions even when exact words aren't used
Understands synonyms and related concepts
Identifies relevant content based on semantic meaning
Works best for broad monitoring and discovering indirect mentions
Is the default option for most use cases
Example: Smart Match for: Carbon Pricing
Keywords:
Carbon Pricing
Context:
"Client operates manufacturing facilities across multiple provinces and needs to track all forms of carbon pricing mechanisms that could affect operating costs and compliance requirements. Interested in policy discussions, rate changes, and exemptions for industrial emitters."
Will catch discussions about:
Carbon tax
Cap and trade
Emissions trading
Price on pollution
Climate levy
Exact Match
Exact matching looks for the specific words or phrases you enter. It:
Matches only when the exact words or phrases appear
Provides more precision but may miss relevant discussions using different terminology
Is best for specific technical terms, proper nouns, or when precision is critical
Useful for tracking specific bill numbers, program names, or technical terminology
Example: Exact Match for "Bill C-10"
Will only catch mentions of "Bill C-10" specifically, not related legislation or the bill's topic.
Writing Effective Context Descriptions
The context field helps Page understand why this topic matters to your client. Good context improves the quality of your takeaways.
What to Include
Why this topic is important to your client's business
What kind of activities or discussions you're looking for
Background that helps Page identify subtle or indirect relevance
Context Examples
Topic: "Carbon tax"
Good context: "Client manufactures industrial equipment and needs to track carbon pricing policies that could impact production costs and customer demand."
Why it works: Explains the business impact and helps Page understand which aspects of carbon tax discussions are most relevant.
Topic: "Telecommunications infrastructure"
Good context: "Client provides fiber optic services in rural areas and is interested in government funding programs and regulatory changes affecting broadband expansion."
Why it works: Clarifies the specific angle (rural broadband) and what to look for (funding, regulations).
Selecting Sources
Choose where Page should look for your topic. Available sources include:
Meetings (Default) - Government meetings and proceedings including committee hearings, legislative sessions, and Question Periods
Pressers - Press conferences and media briefings (available for Canada)
Publications - The Canadian Federal Gazette or Federal Register
News - News articles and media coverage relevant to your topics
Consultations - Public consultation processes
Bills - Legislative bills and amendments
Selecting Governments
Choose which government levels and jurisdictions to monitor:
Select specific federal or provincial/state
Use the "select all" checkbox to quickly choose all governments in a region
You must select at least one government
Best Practices for Effective Topics
Crafting Effective Keywords
Be Specific but Not Too Narrow
✓ Good: "renewable energy subsidies"
✗ Too broad: "energy"
✗ Too narrow: "wind turbine installation tax credit for commercial properties in Ontario"
Use Industry Language
Include both technical terms and common phrases
Example: For healthcare topics, use both "pharmacare" and "prescription drug coverage"
Add Variations and Synonyms
Different terms for the same concept help catch more discussions
Example: "artificial intelligence", "AI", "machine learning"
Consider Abbreviations
Many government discussions use acronyms
Example: "Environmental Assessment" use the plus to add "EA"
Topic Strategy Best Practices
Start with Smart Match
The Smart (contextual) match type works well for most topics. It helps discover relevant discussions you might not have anticipated. Switch to Exact match only when you need precision (e.g., tracking a specific bill number).
Create Separate Topics for Distinct Interests
✓ Better: Two topics - "Carbon pricing" and "Electric vehicle incentives"
✗ Avoid: One topic - "Environmental policy" with many unrelated terms
Layer Broad and Specific Topics
Create both high-level topics (e.g., "healthcare policy") and specific ones (e.g., "long-term care funding"). This ensures you catch both general discussions and specific initiatives.
Use the Name Topic Wisely
Page automatically creates a name topic for your client when the profile is created. This topic catches direct mentions. You don't need to add your client's name to other topics. This is the first topic created. When a takeaway is generated for this topic match, Page will highlight that the name was directly mentioned.
Review and Refine Regularly
Monitor which topics generate the most relevant results
Disable topics that aren't providing value
Refine context descriptions if you're getting too many irrelevant matches
Managing Topics
Editing Topics
Navigate to your client's Topics page
Click on the topic you want to edit
Make your changes
Save the topic
Enabling and Disabling Topics
You can temporarily disable a topic without deleting it. You can do this by selecting the slider to the right of the topic.
Disable: Stops monitoring for new matches but preserves the topic configuration
Enable: Resumes monitoring for the topic
When to Disable vs Delete
Disable topics you might need again (e.g., seasonal issues). Delete topics that are no longer relevant and won't be needed in the future.
Deleting Topics
Navigate to your client's Topics page
Find the topic you want to delete
Click the delete option
Confirm the deletion