Includes bibliographical references and index.

Understanding online word of mouth -- The need for word of mouth information -- Trust in media -- The rise of social media -- Online word of mouth -- The Web advantage -- The power line -- The Dell turnaround -- Thoughts on AOL -- Hoboken online -- Transportation Security Administration (TSA) hears the laughing squid -- The frozen pea fund -- Helping earthquake victims -- Tsunami wikis -- Finding networking agents -- How to find networking agents -- Assessing online influence reach -- Relevance -- Authority -- Advocacy -- Comments -- Offline roles -- Tapping into the power of networking agents -- Screening for networking agents -- Building conversation forums -- Joining conversation forums -- Earning networking agents' trust -- Accepting reviews and suggestions -- Being responsive -- Providing conversation materials -- Addressing problems head on -- Being available -- Communicating with networking agents -- Crafting messages for networking agents -- Telling a newsworthy story -- We can blend Chuck Norris and your shoes -- One in six of us do not have water -- Creating an engaging process -- Downloading and touching applications -- Running : for the love of it -- Creating an image online -- Monkeying around at work -- Offering value --

Share your knowledge -- Let networking agents take the stage -- Appeal with a cause -- Reading the message environment -- Tapping into the public sentiment -- Revealing the unknown -- Challenging status quo -- Infiltrating networks -- Following the audience -- Making it easy to pass along and share -- Keeping in touch with networking agents -- Need for relationship platforms -- Sampling through word of mouth panels -- Product development through online communities -- Fueling word of mouth on popular social networks -- Creating multiple touch points -- Networking on the go -- Guidelines for long-term engagement -- Ask for permission and create a contact list -- Communicate with your networking agents on a regular basis -- Solicit feedback -- Encourage peer-to-peer activity -- Celebrate wins and success stories that emerge from the community -- Bring utility and deliver value -- Commit to a long-term plan -- Delivering on promises to networking agents -- Turning negative buzz into positive buzz -- Comcast cares -- Norton brand advocates -- Online reviews propel sales -- Probe, fix, and communicate -- Creating online word of mouth campaigns --

Helping networking agents spread your messages -- Building online communities -- Who to recruit? -- How many members to recruit? -- How to engage? -- What does engagement yield -- Customer loyalty and incremental revenue -- New products, services, and partnerships -- Conversation and connectivity -- How to maintain online communities -- What should the incentive be? -- How to quantify success -- Building a social media campaign -- Set up shop and create a base in social media -- Understand what matters to people and acknowledge current events -- Update your content regularly -- Stick to your topic of expertise -- Inform networks and lead them to action -- Measuring reach and impact of online word of mouth -- Designing a measurement plan -- Before the campaign -- After the campaign -- Methods -- Desktop key word searches -- Online monitoring analyses -- Audience surveys -- Web activity reports -- Measures -- Reach -- Relevance -- Outcome -- Metrics -- Reach metrics -- Relevance metrics -- Outcome metrics -- The future -- An assessment worksheet -- Stating your mission -- Conducting your research -- Preparing your message -- Delivering your message -- Managing online relations -- Measuring impact.

"This book will be a guide to any company or organization who wants to understand the dynamics of online word of mouth and leverage the power of online advocates to pass along stories, deliver recommendations and draw people to purchasing points. Specifically, the book will coach its readers to identify their own set of online influencers, craft stories that will resonate with these consumers and spread messages through cybercitizens who are social media experts. The book will include case studies, research, check lists and easy-to-adopt paradigms to create and manage online word of mouth"--Provided by publisher.