Hi - I've gotten some requests from vendors to be added to the brand monitoring product catalog.  If you'd like to be included, you can submit your information to us directly.  If you need to update your listing, let me know.  By the way - you can get a copy of the current VPC by registering as a guest on the site.

Currently the vendors listed include:

• 1st2c
• Biz360
• BrandIntel
• BuzzLogic
• CIC
• Collective Intellect
• Converseon
• CoreX Technologies
• Crawdad Technologies
• CustomScoop
• Echo Research
• Envisional
• Factiva
• Kaava
• Market Sentinel
• MotiveQuest
• NameProtect
• New Media Strategies
• Nielsen Buzzmetrics
• Onalytica
• Radian6 Technologies
• RelevantNoise
• TNS Cymfony
• Umbria
• VeriSign
• Visible Technologies
• Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

We will aggregate submissions and update in Q1 2008.  Thanks!

I shan't translate today's Japanese blog entry into English. I think that my "subway series" metaphor for the Rudy vs. Hillary battle might not impress you English speakers...

But I will make my observation that Social Computing has grown tremendously in significance since the "Deaniacs" of 2003/2004 used online networks to get young people engaged with a political campaign, raising funds and assembling like-minded people behind their candidate.

Fast foward to 2007 --Today, you only need to Google the name of a candidate currently vying for the Republican or Democratic nomination to find a gamut of Facebook pages, MySpace pages, Twitter feeds and other Social Computing tools. To an outsider like me (I'm British) it appears that the US candidates cannot ignore the power of online communities of interested voters.

By contrast, I think that Japan's electoral machines are still stuck in the era of the stump speech. If you visit Japan during a pre-election period, you will see trucks with loud speakers outside all major stations, from which the political candidates deliver their amplified message toward the commuters and passers-by. I can't believe that it's an effective strategy for motivating voters.

The first time I used Web analytics, I mean "really" used Web analytics, was to end an argument. I was running the technical and eCommerce department for an online retailer, a really amazing online gadgets Web site, and the creative director and managing director were near to shedding blood over the following business-critical issue: Should a button on the home page be blue or purple, or maybe it should blue plus purple (blurple), as opposed to purple + blue (purue)? Two hours had gone by, and eight people sat in the room while the two worked themselves further and further away from rational thought and principles of civilized behaviour. I feared for the health, safety and sanity of my work colleagues.

So, I think it's safe to say that I used Web analytics for the first time as an act of sheer desperation. I used to it end the argument once and for all -- I logged in to our new Web analytics software while the two fought, and was able to show them that not only did the customers not care what colour the button was, but in fact, not a single customer had used the button in 6 months.

[Guest post by Mary Pilecki, Senior Analyst, Financial Services]

This morning, Mats Torstendahl, CEO of Danske Bank Sweden spoke about the bank's efforts to stand out among many competitors and grow market share.  Over the past ten years the bank has redefined its branch strategy to focus it on advice, rather than transactions.  Over 65% of the bank's customers perform transactions through e-banking, and are turning to the branches for face to face advice on their finances.  Danske Bank is targeting entrepreneurial type people to manage their branches, and empower them to price products as needed -- as long as they meet overall financial goals.  They've also resized branches to be smaller and more boutique-like, placing them in less expensive real estate such as the second floor of buildings, and on the outskirts of cities, rather than in prime commercial space.  Customers have embraced the new approach, preferring the better parking facilities in outlying areas, and the VIP feeling when they have to be "buzzed through" the locked doors of branches.