Labour would win a landslide victory at the next election based on their influence in the Twittersphere
But Sarah Brown more Trusted than Gordon
Global PR Agency Edelman unveils ‘TweetLevel’ to measure your importance on Twitter
London – Labour MPs would win a landslide victory at the next election if their influence in the Twittersphere is anything to go by, according to Edelman’s TweetLevel index launched today.
Labour MPs make up 58.2% of the most influential MPs using social media tool Twitter, compared to 19.7% of Lib Dems and 15.3% of Tories.
Based on the UK Polling Report’s swing calculator which benchmarks opinion poll data against results at the last General Election, the tweet numbers would give Labour a majority of 450 – a veritable Tweetatorship. Labour would hold 550 seats, the Liberal Democrats 63 seats and the Tories a poor third with 14 seats.
It is not all good news for the Labour party. Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown, is an enthusiastic Twitter user and her glimpses of day to day life at number 10 have clearly struck a chord with the nation in a way that her husband has not. With a trust ranking of 68%, she is more trusted in the Twittersphere than the Prime Minister at 63.9% points.
TweetLevel has been developed by Edelman, one of the world’s leading PR agencies, using a unique algorithm which takes into account the quality and quantity of someone’s tweets, how engaged and trusted a tweeter is, as well as how popular they are.
By entering their Twitter details into Edelman’s free online tool individuals can measure their own importance and rank themselves against a range of factors including influence, engagement, trust and popularity.
TweetLevel allows individuals the opportunity to compare their own importance in the Twittersphere to that of their friends, colleagues and others they choose to ‘follow’.
“This may seem like a bit of fun but there is a really serious side to it. Too often people think that mere popularity is important but influence and ultimately engagement are what matters. Barack Obama showed that the use of social media can be an extremely powerful tool in reaching grassroots and motivating local voter groups. Just signing up isn’t enough – the power of Twitter lies in genuine engagement” said Robert Phillips, UK CEO of Edelman.
Jonny Bentwood, Edelman’s Head of Strategic Analysis, created the algorithm at the heart of the TweetLevel.
“We used over 30 metrics to create the algorithm behind the index. Unlike most rankings that look merely at the number of followers someone has, TweetLevel gives you a really clear picture of who is important within this increasingly influential forum.”
There are four result metrics:
- Influence – what you say is interesting and many people listen to it. This is the primary ranking metric.
- Popularity – how many people follow you.
- Engagement – how actively you participate within your community
- Trust – do people believe what you say.
Each score is rated out of 100 – in other words, the higher your score, the more important you are.
Among the most influential tweeters are show biz blogger Perez Hilton, Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher and Social media blog Mashable.
The above rankings and scores were taken on Tuesday 10 November 2009. TweetLevel is a dynamic tool and the statistics will vary based on individuals’ levels of activity on Twitter.
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For further information contact:
Emma Dennis
T: 0203 047 2076
emma.dennis@edelman.com
Notes to Editor:
For information on TweetLevel and the algorithm please visit our microsite.