Amazon has come out on top in a report about brands perception online. How has the online retailer managed it? Katie Wright finds out

THE inaugural Digital Brand Risk Index report has found the technology sector dominates when it comes to positive mentions online, in an analysis of 100 leading global companies. The research, by brand protection and domain name firm NetNames, analysed the sentiments in mentions of brands and ranked them, with seven of the top ten firms, seven in the tech, computing or electronics sector.

The results plot negative versus positive sentiments, giving an overall score by subtracting the former from the latter. While every brand has more favourable mentions than unfavourable, the results vary widely. Amazon is way out in front with 18.2 overall; its positive sentiment score of 20.4 only tempered by 2.2 on the negative scale.

Given the so-called "Everything Store" has been widely criticised for its less than enthusiastic approach to paying tax, and a 6,000 word takedown in the New York Times in August that described shocking working conditions for staff at the retailer, isn't it surprising Amazon is still so highly regarded?

"I am not surprised," says Haydn Simpson, commercial director, Western Europe at NetNames, explaining how the transactional experience affects a brand's reputation more than the media: "Amazon is an extremely popular online destination which serves millions of customers per day and its ecommerce environment generally receives positive comment."

Facebook, meanwhile, came in third after Sony and has a similarly high approval rating of 18. A 5.6 disapproval score brings it down to 12.3 overall.

The social network suffered Simpson believes, because unscrupulous people use it for their own nefarious enterprises: "For Facebook to ensure it remains an online powerhouse, it needs to address the issues of brand infringement and the distribution of counterfeit goods - both of which heavily contribute to negative experiences of its users."

Google faired even worse, its 13.5 positivity score dragged down to just 8.6 overall, putting it in eighth place. Like Facebook, the search engine's score was stunted because it's a portal people use to reach millions of websites, and not all of those are reputable.

"While the content is not provided by Google itself, there is inevitably negativity by association, despite the measures put in place by Google to eliminate these infringers," says Simpson.

The research suggests companies like these will have to do more if they want to curb the tide of reputational damage. Amazon, on the other hand, can carry on regardless. It looks like the bad press has barely chinked its armour, proving that as long as you look after your customers, you don't have to worry nearly as much about your staff.

NO MEAN TWEETS

A judge in Spain was evidently following the axiom "let the punishment fit the crime" when he doled out a rather unusual sentence recently, ordering defendant Luis Pineda to post his court sentence on Twitter every day for a month. Pineda was found guilty of sending "humiliating and insulting" messages on the social site last year, targeting Ruben Sanchez, a spokesman for a consumer rights group. At four paragraphs long - it specifies the deletion of other tweets and a 4,000 euro fine - the sentence surpasses Twitter's 140-character limit, but the judge had already thought of that, insisting that Pineda use a tool like TwitLonger to fit the full text in.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SNAPCHAT

So-called "ephemeral" messaging app Snapchat just got a bit less, well, ephemeral, with the introduction of paid replays. Previously, pictures disappeared after one view, but now US users can pay to view a snap once more, but it'll cost them 99 cents for three replays. Rolled out globally at the same time is Lenses, a feature that lets you enhance (or distort) selfies with one of seven filters. Fast forward through time with the aging lens or add animations and sound. Download the latest Snapchat update to access the new tool.

PRIMER TIME

Google is a useful source of information if you're launching a start-up or looking to grow your company, but did you know the search giant has created its own platform dedicated to teaching business acumen? Called Primer, the app features short marketing lessons on a variety of topics, with more being added every week. A bit like the bitesize language learning tool, Duolingo, it promises quick, on-the-go learning that's jargon-free. Obviously, the app is also a handy way to promote Google's business products (like ads and data analysis), but as free software goes, it's pretty impressive. Initially unveiled a year ago, a new redesign has just launched - get it at yourprimer.com.