Nielsen BuzzMetrics reviewed 8,000 discussion forums, 45,000 Usenet forums and more than 135 million blogs to gauge consumers’ thoughts on this law, with particular focus on the following issues:

• How are consumers reacting?
• How are card companies communicating changes?
• What actions do consumers plan to take?
• Who is to blame?
• Which companies are being implicated?

Online buzz spiked at the end of May 2009 as Congress passed the Credit CARD Act, and then tapered off until the end of February 2010, when the law went into effect.  Overall, however, this discussion about this issue paled in comparison to the rancorous health care reform debate, which took center stage for much of 2009.

Almost immediately upon the President’s signing the bill into law, online sentiment began to turn against it.  A USA Today post on the law received more than 600 comments – most of them quite negative.  Many people thought that the legislation did not go far enough in protecting consumers, while others felt the new law penalized those who were responsible credit users.  Meanwhile, there was widespread belief that card issuers would find loopholes for raising fees and interest rates prior to the law’s enactment.

Overall, consumers seem concerned about how the law changes the use and availability of credit.  They said that their credit issuers communicated with them primarily through statements or via a web site.  A fair number of people went online to search for information about the law and how it might affect them.  Financial and political web sites were the top destinations for online discussions, and searches on Google and other engines are being actively used by consumers to learn more about the law.  So what actions might consumers take in response to this law? Switching to cash or debit cards was the top action, followed by canceling credit cards.

“It was a little surprising to see the widespread negative or ambivalent consumer sentiment towards the credit card reform law.  What was initially hailed as an important step in protecting consumer rights quickly turned into an exercise of public mistrust of both financial service companies and the government.  As we have seen with the health care reform debate, many Americans think that companies will find ways around the law and find new sources of revenue,” said Ron Coyle, Lead Analyst at Nielsen BuzzMetrics.  “Now that the law is in effect, buzz about the topic will likely quiet down.  But it will be interesting to see how consumer sentiment about this law changes.”

The 2009 flu season is fast approaching (or has already arrived) and this year, swine flu is expected to figure prominently, but online consumers aren’t yet paying attention.

In fact, online discussions about the swine flu have held relatively steady since a spike in April, when federal and world health officials first warned of the spread of H1N1 or “swine flu.” Even now, amid news that 97% of early September’s flu cases were related to the H1N1 virus and as recommendations roll out about swine flu vaccines, Internet buzz a about the phenomenon remains at less than .5% of all online discussions, down from a peak of 2.5% of all buzz in April, according to Nielsen’s BuzzMetrics service.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control’s weekly FluView report (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/) notes that more than 90% of flu cases currently being reported are H1N1 cases, though the total H1N1 diagnoses per week has dropped over the past two months. The 2009-10 flu season officially begins Oct. 4.

Slight increases in Internet discussion occurred in late August and early September, fueled by flu outbreaks on college campuses and in schools, warnings about possible business absenteeism this flu season, and ongoing news about the swine flu vaccine – including continued tests of the vaccine, news about vaccine availability and production rate, and even by skepticism about safety of the vaccine and confusion about vaccine recommendations for children.

“We saw really significant volume of discussion about H1N1 after the first alerts were issued in April, and although buzz is relatively low now, I expect that we will continue to see the discussion pick up over the next several weeks,” says Melissa Davies, research director of Nielsen’s healthcare practice. “We may see a convergence of events driving this – with school back in session, the start of traditional flu season, and the H1N1 vaccine becoming available later this fall, people will be hungry for good information about swine flu and how to keep themselves and their families safe.”

A scouring of blogs and message boards across Australia found that Aussies were surprised how much they enjoyed New Zealand, particularly its scenery and adventure activities.  And despite a few gripes about insects and gentle mocking of Kiwis’ “eccents,” Australians have taken to New Zealand with gusto.

“This goes to show that despite the traditional ribbing of New Zealand by Australians, they’re coming around to what we have to offer as a destination.  We seem to be winning in the all-important category of word-of-mouth advertising,” said Tony Boyte, research director for Nielsen’s New Zealand online division.

Queenstown was by far the most talked-about tourist destination among Australian bloggers, followed by Milford Sound and Fiordland.  Skiing and snowboarding were the most popular activities in terms of blogs and message boards, followed by surfing and windsurfing, hiking, visiting wineries and bungee jumping.

On September 3, Palin will speak before the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.  While her blog buzz continues to dominate Biden’s, TV ratings for her speech will be analyzed tomorrow against night three viewership of the Democratic National Convention when both Senator Biden and former President Clinton spoke.