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Google, MSN, Yahoo! and other search engines troll the web for the latest information and, in their own unique ways, rank them in terms of relevance, importance and timeliness. However, beyond these search engines, there are others that track only specific areas of the web. They include:
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Blog search engines
As blogs are updated, search engines like Technorati, Google Blog Search and Bloglines, to name a few, are pinged by the blogs and almost immediately updated. Searching on these sites will give you the most recent mentions of the topic you’re interested in, ranked by the blog’s overall authority. Here’s where you’ll find passionate opinions about your brand.
Wikis (such as Wikipedia)
A Wiki is a platform that allows anyone to create and edit documents or upload files. As such, it’s important to keep on eye out on the pages created for your brand. If the information isn’t accurate, you’ll want to correct it and make sure it stays true.
Message boards/forums
Around since the early days of the web, these boards are an active hub of opinion, insight and peer-to-peer help. Monitoring these forums for your brand and becoming part of the conversation can be a powerful way for you to connect with some of your most passionate consumers and brand advocates, or reach out to your most vocal critics.
Video/photo sharing website (such as Flickr and YouTube)
Millions of videos and pictures are being uploaded every day to sharing sites. Many of them mention brands specifically in different and unique ways. With the ability for other viewers to comment on each posted item, it’s key to know what’s out there and what the reaction to it is.
Mainstream media blogs (such as the New York Times blogs)
News outlets often give their writers the ability to blog, in addition to their daily writing responsibilities for the site or printed edition. With natural credibility and influence, it’s important to know what their thoughts and opinions are, so you gauge brand sentiment and join the conversation when need be.
Microblogs (such as Twitter, Pownce, Friendfeed, and Plurk)
A microblog is a social network where people post 140-character thoughts. What’s key about these platforms is that they often become hubs for immediate sentiment on an issue. Search your keywords here and you’ll quickly see what people are thinking about your brand right then and there.
Social networks
For those networks that are open to search engines – not all are, you see – it’s important to keep an eye on the information being shared, uploaded and discussed here. Either through groups, forums, fan pages, shared links and so forth, lots of pertinent information about your brand may exist in these venues as well.
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