Question

Topic: Research/Metrics

Value Of Public Sentiment Data

Posted by liv.main on 8/21/2012 at 4:45 AM ET 250 Points
My question is in response to the recent launching of Twindex (by Twitter) to track public sentiment as it relates to the Presidential election. (They've partnered with Topsy and a couple of political research & strategy firms.)

My company collects user data for advertising purposes (we are a niche within digital media with a focus on politics). If we were to aggregate our data in a similar fashion as Twindex, we could slice and dice it in ways they could only dream about. Our audience is much smaller, but more targeted. Additionally, we collect more user data than Twitter does.

Does this data translate into significant revenue for Twitter? Do strategy firms really pay that much for it when there is already so much polling?

Or, does Twitter just see it as a way to engage the user during an election?

To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 8/21/2012 at 12:45 PM Accepted
    Hard to say why Twitter is doing it. They are in a much different business state than your business sounds. Quite possible they are doing it for publicity or user interaction reasons, not direct cash flow.

    But it sounds like your real question is whether your data is worth anything. And the answer to that is yes. The candidates and media are spending a lot of money on polling, and if your data can provide that information and save them some of that polling money, they may be willing to pay a portion of the savings for it.
  • Posted by liv.main on 8/22/2012 at 12:11 AM Author
    Peter, thanks for your response. However, I'm not sure how hard it is to say why Twitter is engaging in these activities for people that are involved in the buying and selling of public sentiment data. Yes, their business is different than mine, but I'm asserting that my data is competitive with, perhaps even more valuable than, their data.

    I'm also not sure the value of my data is to save anyone money otherwise spent on polling. Time will tell, but I don't see Twindex replacing much polling. Rather, I'm inclined to think Twitter is attempting to add insight, or a new angle to, this field. Not offer a less expensive product.

    You're exactly right about what the real question is - I'm trying to figure out what kind of monetary value I can get out of what I have.
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Research/Metrics)