You raise a really intersting point about what “Authority” is. I think that at the moment it’s very, blurred… And having a shit-hot blog is actually fucking things up a bit.

Interesting that both Bucketwatch and MarketSentinel don’t have “free trials”… I can see why they don’t, they essentially peddle google-on-drugs. I don’t want to rubbish your clients but I’ve found that unless you are Ford or Kylie that this stuff is very difficult and given the sheer bloody size of the internet I can see why. I think at last count the internet is bigger than Shropshire (not to scale).

Ultimately that tools available to car manufacturers or drug companies will be available to all of us. It will seriously drive what cars we drive and what drugs we use (perhaps at the same time). “Reputation monitoring” is something being offered to big clients (mine included).

I’m drifting into meaningless drifting thoughts here, but you are here with me, you know what I mean. The internet gives me telepathic abilities, you DO know what I mean, I mean, why else would you even be here?

Identifying and understanding the authority of particular players and what they’re saying in the social media space is becoming big business (it’s been called “Sentimisation” most recently)

Brandwatch (http://www.brandwatch.net/) and Market Sentinel (http://www.marketsentinel.com/) are two companies that we’ve worked with who attempt to do exactly that - who’s talking about you, are they important and is what they are saying positive or negative? A fascinating proposition in the FMCG space, as well as other areas like pharmaceutical and auto.