The timing of the blog coincided nicely with the launch of the Sunday Times Social List (a spin off of the Rich List)-which determines your wealth, not by how much money you make but by how rich you are socially. It does this by taking a look at your social networking activity and how much interest it generates amongst your friends and colleagues. It then uses this information to work out your worth and your place on the list.

Like Linda, I couldn’t help but think of the well used phrase “Lies, damned lies, and statistics”. For many social media users, volume has come to out weight quality- a sign that so called ‘social media evangelists’ are relying on artificially stimulating their social media networks as opposed to creating organic growth. 
Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with such practices the trouble with a largely automated following is a tendency for low levels of engagement - seemingly the whole point behind social media networks.

The obvious reason why individuals/businesses and even communities would chose to spend £X to purchase hundreds and in some cases thousands, of followers is to appear more popular and to increase
potential distribution- the reality though is that you can’t buy genuine affection.  As Linda concludes, spending cold hard cash is obviously the most literal way that you can attempt to buy influence but it’s
doubtful this will ever buy engagement.

We all want and need measurements...but no matter how many variables, measurements are statistics... and lies?!