Steve Rubel wants to see an impartial third party collect auditing and marketing data from the big blog networks...

Auditing keeps publishers humble. With social media networks, however, the game is more than just about numbers. It's about reaching influencers. This means that marketers need auditing that goes beyond reach and explores influence metrics. So far, Nielsen BuzzMetrics is best positioned to develop the kind of syndicated research marketers crave...

So when does the new media become more like the old media? My concern here is that this reinforces the a-list and their claim to be "proper" bloggers, (because they're listed / tracked / rated) and would make it harder for a breakout blog from the long tail to be recognised as influential... (Not tracked by X? Must not be consequential....)