Webmasterweek 2013

Justin Poncet was invited at the 2013 Webmaster Week organized by Lille-3 University to discuss and explain online public opinion monitoring strategies. Speaking at a conference on new internet-related jobs and techniques, he told the audience about the historical and sociological transformations of the concept of public opinion.

Other participants included entrepreneurs, like Emmanuel Duvette (Coworking Lille), and scholars, such as Professor Joachim Schöpfel from Lille-3 and Professor Nicholas Barber from UCL. Justin Poncet went through the changes in public opinion research since the beginning of the internet and the increasing attention paid to online forums and blogs by businesses as part of their marketing strategy. He then mentioned the shift in perception of the internet, which was once seen as “a breeding ground for rumours, anonymous comments and nonsense” and is now considered a barometer of public opinion (comments displayed on online conversation spaces, users’ reactions to current news…) that can be consulted to conduct long-term studies, real-time monitoring, crisis management… His presentation allowed the audience to get a first-hand look at online public opinion monitoring in general and the expertise of Antidox in particular.