What claims to be the world's first system to measure an
individual's digital status was launched today.
Garlik, an online identity service, has undertaken an analysis
of the nation's digital profiles to create a rating system called
QDOS, which measures an individual's digital status - the way in
which each of us is perceived in the online world.
Protecting digital identities from identity fraud is just half
the story, it says, as digital status increasingly opens up
opportunities and influences decisions made about each of us.
Garlik CEO Tom Ilube said, "As the
HMRC events of the last week have graphically demonstrated,
everyone has a digital identity whether they like it or not, and
these identities are valuable and worth protecting.
"But this is just one side of the digital coin - the other is
your digital status, which is a valuable and positive asset that
determines how we are perceived and the opportunities available to
each of us."
According to research from Garlik, Britons are increasingly
making decisions based on digital status.
Already, 16% have chosen their new home based on how their
prospective neighbours appear online, and 12% have researched
potential dates prior to meeting them. And one in ten parents (11%)
have decided where to send their children to school based on the
digital status of prospective teachers.
The findings also reveal that individuals are making employment
and hiring decisions based on information sourced online.
Garlik says 20% of Brits have researched a prospective boss
before accepting a job, and 32% have searched online to find out
more about tradespeople and professionals, from plumbers to
lawyers, before hiring them to do a job.
Celebrity web ratings
Garlik says the status of digitally savvy musician
Lilly Allen (Q8850)
dwarfs rock legend Mick
Jagger (Q6338).
At the same time, the ratings of leading politicians Gordon
Brown (Q6580) and David
Cameron (Q5397) are trounced by the likes of US presidential
hopeful Barak
Obama (Q10614).
In the world of religion, the net-savvy
Dalai Lama (Q5590) is
comfortably ahead of the
Archbishop
of Canterbury (Q4618).
Garlik says an individual's status in the digital world is made
up of four key components: popularity, impact, activity and
individuality.
QDOS scores are ranked as follows:
Low = c.500
Medium = c.1,000
High = 2,000 plus
Digital Celebrity = 5,000 plus
A QDOS score is comprised of four main components - popularity,
impact, activity and individuality. Each component is scored
separately and these are combined to form a total QDOS score.
Popularity measures the number of people one engages with online
and the size of their personal network. Impact is based on the
number of people who listen when an individual blogs/posts online.
Activity comprises the total of one's digital activity including
shopping, blogging, banking, chatting etc, and individuality is how
unique one is in the digital world based on their name, age and
lifestyle.