EWatch

eWatch, acquired by PR Newswire in 2000, was founded in 1995 as an automated service to monitor Web sites, chat rooms, Usenet groups, Web publications, online service forums and investor message boards for mentions of a specific organization, issue, product or service. eWatch also monitors for mentions of an organization’s peers and/or competition, and includes audience numbers to help communications professionals determine the impact of their media relations campaigns.

Today, eWatch monitors more than 11,000 print and 12,000 online news outlets, including blogs, for company mentions.

According to The Observer:

The monitoring of internet-friendly activists has, in recent years, taken on an alarming momentum. The Big Brother of internet investigation agencies, America's eWatch, helps more than 800 of the world's largest corporations keep track of their reputations across cyberspace. A watchful eye on the antics of corporate protesters, naturally, is a priority. eWatch clients include the H. J. Heinz company and Northwest Airlines. 'You'll hear rumours before they start to spread,' assures its website. 'You'll be among the first to find out about negative or inaccurate information - instead of the last.'^[1]

External links

• PR Newswire
• PR Newswire for Journalists
• eWatch

Notes

1. ^ Burhan Wazir, Eating The Greens Electronics Giants Such As Sony Are Using The Internet To Hit Back At Troublesome Eco-Warriors Published on Sunday, October 1, 2000 in the London Observer
2. James M. Alexander, Co-founder, eWatch, Inc. and James E. Lukaszewski, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chairman 'Counteracting Anti-Corporate Activism On the Web, in the Streets, Against Individuals', prepared for PRSA World Congress 2000, October 23, 2000 • 10:30 a.m.
3. James M. Alexander, 'Armchair Activists: The New Journalism on the Internet'.Executive Speeches, October, 1999.