which may lead to new connections and ultimately new business.

The question is , how do we know it is working ?

If you have a website then you can monitor traffic and discover visitor numbers and other useful information .

But what about all your twittering , facebooking and linkedining (?) , is that really having any effect ?

You may have a 'gut' feeling , but what would help is some metrics ..

You probably have already heard of several systems which can help , here I will outline my favourite three , with all of them the higher your score the better you are performing

http://twittergrader.com/

There are reviews of the software http://oneforty.com/item/twitter-grader

It is a good indicator of how your internet presence is going , and the faq explains how your score is calculated.

The results relate only to your account on Twitter

http://klout.com/

Reviews are here http://oneforty.com/item/klout?sort=newest#item-reviews

Klout links to your Twitter account and your Facebook account.

In addition to an overall Klout score , there is information on reach ,amplification and network.

True Reach

True Reach is the size of your engaged audience. We eliminate inactive and spam accounts, and only include accounts that you influence. To do this we calculate influence for each individual relationship taking into account factors such as whether an individual has shared or acted upon your content and the likelihood that they saw it.

Amplification Probability

Amplification Probability is a measurement from 0 to 100 that indicates the likelihood that your content will be acted upon (i.e retweeted, commented upon, replied to, or liked). The ability to create content that compels others to respond and high-velocity content that spreads into networks beyond your own is a key component of influence. Amplification probability takes into account engagement, the velocity of your content, as well as your activity level and effectiveness.

Network Influence

The Network Score is a measurement of the influence level of the people who interact with you. Scores range from 0 to 100. Interaction types include:

@ messages ,Retweets ,Follows and Lists

Network Influence indicates how influential your engaged audience is and is on a scale from 1 to 100. Engagement is measured based on actions such as retweets, @messages, follows, lists, comments, and likes.

Each time a person performs one of these actions it is a testament to the authority and the quality of your content. Capturing the attention of influencers is no easy task, and those who are able to do so are typically creating spectacular content.

Website http://www.peerindex.net/

Reviews are here http://oneforty.com/item/peerindex

PeerIndex links to Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn

How does it work ?

This is without doubt the one question we get asked the most!

We believe web authority is established when we participate in meaningful exchanges of information online. These exchanges take place all over the social web, whether it'd be a shared link on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. We also believe that the type of information we share reveals a lot about who we are, whom we know, and what we know - after all, we tend to talk about the things we care about, are most knowledgeable in, and with people interested in similar subjects.

The PeerIndex algorithm recognizes the importance of speed and quantity by which we spot, share (and thus approve) content on any specific topic. Our choice of content recommendations can thus be used as a proxy to measure our knowledge, or authority, in a specific subject area.

We also take into account the relationships we build on various social media platforms. The impact of those relationships also affects our authority exhibited on the web. Your authority on a subject is affirmed when the content you share is approved - i.e. Retweeted or commented on, by someone else that is an authority on the subject.

To help measure authority Peerindex currently tracks 40 topics , the more effectively you tweet about those topics , the higher your score. http://www.peerindex.net/topics

By working this way @PeerIndex ignores tweets which are just noise or chit chat.

Not that chit chat is wholly bad , it is targeted discussion that build your reputation though.

Each of the three systems above has strengths and weaknesses , all give an insight into the effectiveness of your online presence.

So if you want to know how your online presence is developing use any or all of the three.

I generally check them out once a month , just to be sure I am on the right track.

My personal preference at the moment is @PeerIndex .

Whilst chatting to @NikkiPilkington today about the site , @azeem (the founder of @Peerindex) helpfully answered our questions with remarkable speed.

If you have favorite metric sites , I would love to hear about them

Steven