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Authored by Market Sentinel, Onalytica and immediate future PR, the white paper usesthe example of blogger Jeff JarvisÂ's criticism of the computer retailer, Dell. Itshows first that Dell has sustained long-term damage to its brand image and secondlythat the cheerleaders for the poor reputation of DellÂ's customer services, arebloggers.
 Bloggers have extended their influence from dominating negative perceptions of Dellto dominating perceptions of DellÂ's entire reputation in the customer servicesarea, says Flemming Madsen from Onalytica.
He continues,  Bloggers used Jeff JarvisÂ's shorthand  Dell HellÂ' to collaborativelyspread negative comment about DellÂ's customer service: weakening DellÂ's reputationwhere the company used to be so strong.Â
The white paper uses the science of citation indexing: applying maths to calculate awriter's authority in a particular context and producing an index of dominantauthorities. This is familiar in academic use, but is here applied to the web forthe first time. The analysis demonstrates how bloggers exercise their power and howtheir authority has come at the expense of the conventional media sources such asthe Washington Post and The New York Times.
According to Mark Rogers, CEO at Market Sentinel, measuring the influence ofbloggers is often based on subjective opinion and rough gauges based on comment andGoogle rankings.
He says,  We wanted to take a scientific approach  objectively demonstrating whichbloggers have authority and an ability to affect corporate reputation. Using thescience of citation indexing, and the Dell case study, we are able to quantify andanalysis the impact each blogger has on a companyÂ's brand image and analyse theindirect influence as well as direct impact: proving that blogging has a significantaffect on reputation.Â
The white paper is available for download athttp://www.publicrelationso nline.com/files/MeasuringBlogg erInfluence61205.pdf [7MB]
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Notes to the editorAbout the authors
Market Sentinel Market Sentinel uses proprietary technology to benchmark the reputations of bigcorporations and brands, monitors commentary on those brands in message boards andblogs and shows brand owners how to respond to challenges to their reputation. Simon.rogers [AT] marketsentinel.com; +44 (0)207 7931575
OnalyticaOnalytica provides clients with a precise understanding of who influence theirbrands or issues of their interest. We often publish Stakeholder Analysis Reports awide range of topics. Find them at www.onalytica.com
Immediate future  immediate future Ltd is an independent public relations agency, specialising inonline PR for organisations wanting to maximise their exposure on the web. Fromcorporate blogging to blog relations and search optimised releases to podcasting,immediate future has expertise across the spectrum of online PR tactics. www.immediatefuture.co.uk
Fo r further information, please contact:
Katy Howell Immediate futureTel: 0845 408 2031pressoffice@immediatefutu re.co.uk
