We use an action based scale to avoid bias

Measuring the sentiment of online buzz is complex. Conversations are often intricate and unstructured. You have to deal with multiple languages, slang, irony and sarcasm, amongst other things. For more about the challenge of measuring online sentiment go here.

The WaveMetrix normative scale +2/-2

At WaveMetrix we classify all buzz using our own scale which registers scores from +2 to -2:

The scale is normative, so it enables comparison and benchmarking.

All sentiment, positive and negative, is graded based on action, rather than the perceived emotion of the wording of a particular piece of text. This is essential in allowing sentiment to be identified correctly regardless of language or writing style.

• +2 on the WaveMetrix scale is a positive sentiment with associated action. It is used when an expressed opinion is positive and indicates that a poster took a positive action, such as buying a product or service. A good example would be “I chose to watch Harry Potter because I loved the book and wanted to see what the movie would be like”
• +1 is used for opinions which are positive, but not supported by any positive action. Continuing the example above, “I loved the kiss scene in Harry Potter” is a +1. It’s the same point, but it is not as strong, as there is no action because the person did not give a reason for going to see the Harry Potter movie. The same statement in different, arguably more emphatic words, for example “Harry Potter is a fantastic film because you finally get to see Ron and Hermione kiss; I loved it” would also score +1, as would the same statement in a different language
• -1 is just like +1, but expresses a negative opinion, such as “I don’t think Harry Potter will be a good representation of the book”
• -2 is just like +2, but now the sentiment is negative and the action is typically an explicit decision not to do something. We call this a negative action. For example “I won’t go and see this because it will make a mockery of the book” results in a -2
• 0 is used for neutral comments. In practice there are few truly neutral comments online once you separate positive and negative statements and look at each separately. For example, the post “I love the haunting mood of Harry Potter, but I hated that they changed the ending” actually contains two opinions. One is about the atmosphere of the movie (+1, mood) and one about the storyline (-1, plot). We generally resist the temptation to group separate opinions together, classifying them as neutral, because this makes it very difficult to isolate and analyse attitudes to specific issues (in this case, to detach opinions on the movie’s plot from attitudes towards its mood)

Interactive diagram to indicate sentiment scale: