Plaxo is a great little program that benefits from the network effects of the internet. Weblogs are influencing adoption and it’s placement in importance on Google searches shows how valuable Google can be. John Robb writes:
“Here's an example of how weblogs can have influence on corporations. Plaxo is a start-up with substantial investment capital. A quick look at Google shows how weblogs are influencing the information flow on the product they sell (both pro and con reviews). What is the value of a highly ranked review on a product keyword in Google? A couple years ago, I was talking to PR insiders (off the record) and the consensus estimate was that a positive product mention in the WSJ or NYT would cost $100,000 (what is worth depends on how well the company can monitize it). Positive mentions in other publications scale down from that. What is the third and fourth link on a product name in Google worth using this benchmark? Given that it has a high level of persistance (and that people often use Google as a means to find the company/product site), it could easily be worth $40-$50 k. Given that, why aren't PR agencies all over webloggers that do product reviews to ensure that the reviewer gets all the relevant information needed to make an objective review? I guess they are too busy sending out press releases that nobody reads.”
[John Robb's Weblog]
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