Sentiment Analysis Comes to Free Blog Search: Opinmind

Sentiment Analysis Comes to Free Blog Search: Opinmind: "I got an email today from James Kim, CEO of new blog search site Opinmind. By new, I mean brand new - they are only indexing 1.7 million blogs but they are growing. Their approach is Google-esque simple with few bells or whistles but they've added one very interesting twist - sentiment analysis."

The Consumerist

The Consumerist

Hate paying for shoddy products, inhumane customer support and half-assed service? Then this blog is clearly for you.

Starbucks: Using Confrontational Marketing to Build Brand Awareness in a Saturated Market

Starbucks: Using Confrontational Marketing to Build Brand Awareness in a Saturated Market: "Today as I was crossing the Embarcadero I noticed that this gentleman had left his coffee on the roof of his car. Midway through the cross walk I turned and pointed at him and he just waved at me. I ran back to the other side of the crosswalk and approached his window as he wasn't getting what I was pointing at. When I got close enough to speak to him I told him that his coffee was on his roof. He looked at me and said, 'I know, Happy Holiday's from Starbucks!' "

Data Mining: Google Blog Search Update

Data Mining: Google Blog Search Update: "So what's up with Google? Was blog search a simple me too feature with no real plan to win the market? Are they too distracted by the launch of other tools? Is their acquired blog hosting system falling apart? Given the frantic pace at which others in the space are innovating, why is Google dropping its balls?"

Micro Persuasion: Study: 'Dell Hell' Had a Measurable Impact on the Dell Brand

Micro Persuasion: Study: 'Dell Hell' Had a Measurable Impact on the Dell Brand: "A new white paper unleashed today by Response Source revealed that that blogging has a direct influence on corporate reputation. The white paper (PDF), ?Measuring the Influence of Bloggers on Corporate Reputation? scientifically measured Jeff Jarvis?s criticism this summer of Dell. It found that the rants Jeff started had a lasting, negative impact on Dell's brand."

Micro Persuasion: Cymfony Nails Nail

Micro Persuasion: Cymfony Nails Nail: "Cymfony, a company that mines blogs and the MSM for PR professionals, has hired Forrester's Jim Nail as its first chief marketing and strategy officer. Congrats to Jim. There's a lot of attention paid to the free blog search sites, but don't overlook a dogfight heating up on the high-end as well between the vendors who provide paid services. This group includes Intelliseek, Buzzmetrics and Cymfony."

The Practical Value of Disclosure in Word-of-Mouth Marketing Campaigns

The Practical Value of Disclosure in Word-of-Mouth Marketing Campaigns: "Today BzzAgent has released a white paper (link opens PDF in new window) arguing for the practical value of disclosure in word-of-mouth marketing campaigns."

Automated Sentiment Detection

Automated Sentiment Detection: "Much of this work is still at the university level and the papers published in the area focus on trying to detect the opinions of authors in movie reviews, hotel ratings, etc. The recent interest in monitoring blogs is spurring more discussion in the commercial space."

Apple, Evangelism, and Buzz Building

Apple, Evangelism, and Buzz Building: "What is Consumer Generated Media? Ask, Daphna Kalfon, who's making big waves on the web with her highly evangelistic 'I Love My Mac' song, which has actually been around for quite some time but got 're-discovered' by the blogging community in recent days."

Micro Persuasion: PR Pitching via Blog Comments

Micro Persuasion: PR Pitching via Blog Comments: "I think the short answer here is that PR pros need to take this on a case by case basis depending on the attitude and personality of the blogger and its readers. It's a vast gray area. What do you think?"

The effect of reviews on book sales

The effect of reviews on book sales: "In short, positive reviews boost sales and negative reviews lower sales -- and the effect of the negative reviews is stronger than the effect of the positive reviews."

Have you been buzzed?

Have you been buzzed?: "Shearer works for BzzAgent, Inc., a Boston--based marketing firm that uses 'word of mouth' advertising, also known as 'buzz marketing,' to help companies sell products. BzzAgent says it requires Shearer -- one of 1,000 BzzAgents in Indianapolis and 105,000 throughout the country -- to reveal his commercial ties to friends and family upfront."

Micro Persuasion: Firefox Seeks Consumer Generated Ads with New Campaign

Micro Persuasion: Firefox Seeks Consumer Generated Ads with New Campaign: "Mozilla tonight is launching an innovative customer evangelist marketing campaign called Firefox Flicks that will run on the Spread Firefox web site. The campaign supports the launch of Firefox 1.5, according to Rafael Ebron, product marketing manager. "

Tech PR Gems: WOM = MLM?

Tech PR Gems: WOM = MLM?: "If WOM marketing gets out of control and loses its credibility, it will ultimately collapse--maybe not quite as dramatically as the old Ponzi schemes that still unfortunately haunt MLM's reputation, but collapse it will."

Word-of-mouth marketing abuzz

Word-of-mouth marketing abuzz: "A study from the Canadian Verde Group says half of Canadians won't have anything to do with a store if they've heard something bad about it. Conversely, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. say two-thirds of U.S. consumer-good sales have been influenced by word-of-mouth. "

Apple spends a bundle on iPod ads | CNET News.com

Apple spends a bundle on iPod ads | CNET News.com: "Apple also can depend on word of mouth to sell its products. 'The reason they get such great leverage from their ad campaigns is that they have products that people want to talk about.' "

USATODAY.com - Online rumor mill dogs companies

USATODAY.com - Online rumor mill dogs companies: "The e-mail circulating in Washington last month said a former government lawyer knew a guy whose dog had to be put to sleep because he walked on a floor cleaned with Procter & Gamble's Swiffer WetJet, licked his paws and developed liver disease. Two of the cats owned by the man's maid, who also used the product at home, were said to have died, too. "