Buzzlogic introduces on-demand software service to help companies identify key online influencers.

From Buzzlogic:

. . . BuzzLogic calculates and surfaces the influencers who are shaping and driving specific conversations in social media with algorithms that analyze relationships, such as who connects to whom, about what is happening and who is listening.

. . . A key feature of the service is the ability to draw social maps of influencers in a conversation, essentially a critical path of the relationships between key influencers.

BuzzLogic also enables marketers to engage with key influencers through the service, and to monitor and track the results of their actions.

SVW take: It is an interesting service to find influential bloggers and others. However, shouldn't every company already know who is influential in their space?

I'd be interested to find out if mainstream media journalists are as influential as PR companies think they are. Quite often a lot of work goes into influencing a publication such as BusinessWeek to write about a company or product, yet that effort can produce small returns in terms of influence and sales. Yet some journalist bloggers can weave a much more influential network.

Once the key influencers are identified what is the course of action? To smother them with love and presents?

In another context, a repressive government could use this technology to smother dissidents . . .  

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Please see SVW: The metrics of influence - The mania for measuring and identifying top bloggers