While media pundits haggle over whether the Internet is a communications or publishing medium, millions continue to use it as they always have for communicating and publishing. But for companies trying to keep a watchful eye on what's being said about them, all this muddled interaction can become a major headache. James Alexander and eWatch can help.
EWatch, the first clipping service on the Net, trolls newsgroups, mailing lists, and proprietary online services in much the same way that companies like Burrelle's or Bacon's keep tabs on traditional print media, combing newspapers, magazines, and wire services for articles written about its clients. Alexander, managing partner of eWorks!, the Minneapolis-based startup that created eWatch, believes that customers crave a filter for the Net.
Subscribers who sign up for eWatch's basic service at US$295 per month can specify 10 search terms they want to monitor. EWatch then tracks usage of the search terms in all newsgroups and mailing lists and returns one report a day to the customer. For an additional $95, eWatch will also search proprietary services such as America Online or CompuServe.
Kristina Jonell, webmaster for U S West, thinks eWatch clippings are much more valuable than those delivered by a print media clipping service. "It's not a reporter making these comments about us," she says. "You're hearing it straight from the customer's mouth."
Alexander says his business has been going like "gangbusters" since it was picked up by PRNewswire, Luce Online, and RTV Reports last year. Thus far, eWatch has garnered more than 200 clients, over half of which are Fortune 500 firms.
More will surely follow soon, if any lesson is to be learned from the Intel debacle that took place in 1994. Back then, the credibility of the world's largest manufacturer of microprocessors was damaged by newsgroup postings about flaws in the Pentium processor a near-catastrophe that might have been avoided if Intel had paid attention to what people were saying and then moved quickly to address the problem. A word to the wise keep your eye on the E.
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