September 2006 Archives

Reputation monitoring got a new player with the public launch of BuzzLogic at DEMOfall this week (see their 6-minute presentation). The announcement got me thinking about two ways of looking at online reputation monitoring: macro and micro.

BuzzLogic focuses on identifying trends in the online conversation, identifying the most influential writers (not just blogs), and how influence flows through the conversation as it travels around the Net. It's a macro approach that focuses on identifying and engaging the most influential voices. The influence map below offers one glimpse of the web-based analytical service.

Macro reputation monitoring is important. Tracking buzz around markets, products and companies requires heavy-duty tools as the volume of the conversation grows, especially for highly visible, consumer-oriented businesses that generate a lot of online mentions. The usual poster children for monitoring are Dell and Kryptonite, and the BuzzLogic demo used Microsoft for its example. Companies that sell lots of products to lots of people will need macro monitoring tools that scale to match their exposure. Several companies offer macro monitoring services, and BuzzLogic looks like a solid entrant.

On the other hand, everyone is an influencer online. Big news stories—and big company problems—don't always flow from the most influential bloggers. Part of the beauty of social media is that everyone has a voice. With a sufficiently compelling story, any voice can start the conversation. Call it the Long Tail, call it Chaos, or just call it a really big job to monitor. The problem is that any mention of a company (including products, promotions and people) could be the first appearance of something that's going to be a big problem. (Or, being optimistic, the beginning of a great opportunity, but those tend to be less urgent than the problems.) The macro approach catches the problem as it gains traction in the larger conversation; what's needed is a micro approach to provide early warning, too.

How do you do micro reputation monitoring? You can use the do-it-yourself approach with vanity feeds and a feed reader; the problem is, that doesn't scale. It works for companies who aren't mentioned a lot (which is a lot of companies, just not the household names). Some of the high-end monitoring services may be able to catch the single-post indicator of an approaching storm, but I suspect that this is an area where a human reader is still most effective.

I came across a case this week where a single online mention provided an early warning of what has become a huge problem for a consumer products company. As I'm writing the case study, I plan to talk to the companies who offer high-end buzz-monitoring to understand how their services compare and how they address micro monitoring.

Tags: reputation buzz BuzzLogic

Things you might discover when you monitor social media:

• A happy customer who likes your product.

• An unhappy customer who doesn't. All the more difficult if your company name ends in "ell." Is this a PR problem or a customer service problem? (Both.)

• A blogger who wants to buy your product, but doesn't know if it exists (it does). This example is for a small product. What if it were a big product? Would your sales team like a lead like this?

• A competitor's reaction to your product announcement. If a competitor's CEO blogs, you subscribe and read every post. It's that simple.
  

Tags: reputation buzz

Nathan Gilliatt
nathan (at) net-savvy (dot) com
+1 919 414-1043
Apex, NC

I like the steep part of the adoption curve: the early adopters are using a new technology and the mainstream is just starting to discover it. Today, I focus on emerging Internet media and tools and how mainstream business can apply them.

The Net-Savvy Executive is my business blog focusing on social media and market intelligence for business leaders. The executive in the title is you, by the way. This blog is about helping you find the practical value in emerging technologies.

Social Media Analysis is my industry portal focused on the social media intelligence and analytics business.

Why?
This is my business. My company, Social Target offers research and consulting for businesses who are ready to establish social media intelligence and analytics capabilities (aka "listening"). The Net-Savvy Executive is the executive summary and a tool for exploring new ideas. If your company is ready to move beyond Social Media 101, call me.

Bio
Nathan Gilliatt is the principal of Social Target, a research and consulting firm focused on helping companies establish social media intelligence capabilities and management practices. Nathan is a recognized expert in the social media analysis market and the author of the Guide to Social Media Analysis, the worldwide buyer's guide to tools and services for listening to social media. Nathan specializes in making connections across functional boundaries, taking advantage of a background that includes both technology and business management roles in research, education and corporate environments. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Nathan also holds an M.A. in communications management from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Nathan blogs at The Net-Savvy Executive.

While we're waiting for the dust to clear...

Welcome to the Net-Savvy Executive's new home at net-savvy.com! If you're looking for the archive of old posts, it's still at the old address: net-savvy.blogspot.com. This address is a bit snappier, though, don't you think?

There's much more to come. I'm just a little busy with web stuff this week.