Name: MatterMeter
Quick Pitch: MatterMeter.com is the world's first social opinion network.
Genius Idea: There are plenty of ways to measure influence, especially in social media – number of connections, number of blog subscribers, Twitter followers, etc, but MatterMeter really gets to the heart of the issue with the question it poses to users: “If [insert person, place, or brand] no longer existed, would it matter?”
This is a somewhat morbidly intriguing way of getting to the heart of the issue regarding influence. Users of the site fill in the blank to start a vote and discussion of how much a given object matters. For example, 100 percent of the votes say that Mashable matters (granted, only 4 people have voted so far!), 92 percent think EZ-Pass matters, and 87 percent would be lost if Ikea disappeared tomorrow.
For each issue, there is also a discussion area to debate the merits of each object. Each user gets their own profile, and you can follow individual users to get updates as they vote and post new items. Unfortunately, the site requires registration to do much. Given the very niche nature of MatterMeter, it would be far stickier – and likely attract far more votes - as a Facebook Connect application as opposed to trying to make a go as a standalone social site.
As it stands, MatterMeter probably isn’t a site you’re going to use every day. But if you ever were curious if anyone would miss you, your company, or something a bit less personal if it disappeared, it’s an interesting and very frank way to find out.
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.