Tracking Online

1. Tracking Online BrandWatch, StockWatch and Crisis Tracking Poppe Tyson Public Relations

2. Why Track • Increasingly: • Individuals use online to communicate • Groups form and pressure companies through online media • Inaccurate and false information and rumors sweep through online environments Poppe Tyson Public Relations

3. Examples • Intel: News of Pentium chip defect was online months before company acknowledged the defect. • Ford Motor Company: Pressure group opened Web site called “FlamingFord” accusing Ford Motor of manufacturing defective trucks Poppe Tyson Public Relations

4. Examples • Toshiba: Group on “unofficial Infinia owners Web site” began planning class action suit over alleged failures to deliver promised product. • Pharmaceutical companies: Users of products and medicines for diseases band together online to share information Poppe Tyson Public Relations

5. Examples • Iomega: High-tech company the victim of speculators’ on America Online’s “Motley Fool” • UltraFem: Feminine product company victim of rumors about fiscal health • SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission has expressed concern about online stock manipulation Poppe Tyson Public Relations

6. Online Tracking • Huge need to track what people say about you online • The challenge: It is difficult. • Technology not there to watch all online media -- Web, Internet newsgroups, America online, CompuServe, Prodigy, etc. • Even if you do find forums, there is often too much information to make sense of it Poppe Tyson Public Relations

7. Online Tracking • Choices • Track only what you find and forget the rest, OR • Try to find and track all relevant forums • Provide clients with raw data, OR • Interpret data and counsel clients on how to respond. Poppe Tyson Public Relations

8. Online Tracking • Step 1: Finding the data • The hardest step. Requires careful searching and is slow and difficult • Use more than on search method • Select search terms carefully • Rule of thumb: Start narrowly then broaden. • E.g.: “Toshiba” will give you hundreds of hits in newsgroups, too many to cover. “Toshiba laptops” gives you less. • Identify productive newsgroups, forums, sites Poppe Tyson Public Relations

9. Online Tracking • Step 1: Finding the data • Use a search engine or agent to watch productive groups • Store terms in advance • Engine or agent downloads responses based on terms • Speeds data capture Poppe Tyson Public Relations

10. Online Tracking • Use agents to sort large amounts of information according to relevance • Agents use fuzzy logic and other tools to weight responses • Based on response weighting, agents highlight important data. Poppe Tyson Public Relations

11. Online Tracking • Example: Toshiba on news forums • Used “Dejanews” newsgroup tracker • Stored key terms and checked daily • Checked “Camelot” Web site daily • Downloaded responses and sent to client by e-mail Poppe Tyson Public Relations

12. Online Tracking • Step 2: Interpreting data • Where did it come from? Look at forum/e-mail addresses • Forum can tell you if participants are knowledgeable • E.g., a moderated forum often is comprised of professionals while an unmoderated forum can be anyone • E-mail addresses can tell you where individuals are from and how many there are • E.g., On “Unofficial Infinia Owners Site,” four people posted most responses. They were the “ringleaders.” Poppe Tyson Public Relations

13. Online Tracking • Step 2: Interpreting data • What does it say? Classify postings. • Are most postings about one defect or a range of defects? • Are postings about rumors or personal experience? E.g., Does the person write, “My computer crashed,” or “Thousands are complaining about XX’s bad service?” • Are defenders rebutting complaints? • Are defenders from the company or private? Poppe Tyson Public Relations

14. Online Tracking • Step 2: Interpreting data • When was it said? Note the timing of postings • Are complaints recent or from a time past? • Has the volume of complaints increased or diminished over time? • Are postings in response to a company action or statement? Poppe Tyson Public Relations

15. Online Tracking • Step 2: Interpreting data • How are participants reacting? • Are they planning legal action? • Are they planning to flame across multiple sites? • Are they starting a letter writing/phone calling campaign? Poppe Tyson Public Relations

16. Online Tracking • Step 2: Interpreting data • Why are participants reacting the way they are? (Give your best estimate.) • Is action based on fact or rumor? • Is action one of pique or is there a good cause? • Is action inspired by competitors or others who want to harm the company for economic or other gain? Poppe Tyson Public Relations

17. Online Tracking • Step Three: Reporting to the client • List: • most frequent participants • summaries of topics discussed • topic frequency counts • participants’ proposed actions • Provide analysis and recommendations Poppe Tyson Public Relations

18. Online Tracking • Step Three: Reporting to the client • Online tracking form, page 2. • List each posting • Give date of posting • Give summary of posting • Note whether you have attached the posting to the report. Poppe Tyson Public Relations

19. Online Tracking • The value of online tracking • Early warning to client • Understanding of how client’s customers think • Definition of the PR task that the client faces • Ideas for us of how to respond to customers’ needs • Better feel for what is going on in the marketplace Poppe Tyson Public Relations

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