Who's more influential?: A popular blogger with lots of Twitter followers or a Gartner analyst?

I think I would like to have technology discussion with industry analyst than lady Ga Ga. But I am sure she has a unique perspective on cloud computing and I'll be interested to listen :-)

Decision makers will definitely trust the Gartner analyst more. Everyone else will trust the popular blogger (which explains why (s)he's so popular :)

Tough to give a general answer - if we're talking about Gartner we're generally talking about B2B buyers - so the answer is whoever has built the most reach into that buyer community and trust and credibility with the specific buyers. It's not necessarily about Twitter followers although that should have some correlation with reach.

Assuming that we are talking about a blogger and analyst who both focus around the same general topic, that we are trying to influence a target audience, and that influence is the ability to factor into how someone else thinks, feels or acts...

While each case needs to be looked at individually, in general a reputable blogger researches the stories and industry he or she blogs about. It is likely that the analyst has published research that influenced the blogger and this would likely come through in his or her blog. It is unlikely that the blogger has had as much influence on the analysts research. This being the case the analyst sphere of influence extends to the bloggers audience. Additionally, the analysts research likely influenced multiple bloggers.

The answer depends on reach and credibility. I don't see the two as mutually exclusive, each has a role in the equation. I, however, disagree with Andrew. A blogger that can't think on their own feet but has to parrot an analyst won't have much credibility in the blogsphere. Yes there are many out there that do that but are they the ones that people point out as thought leaders - no. And bloggers do have influence on analysts; I have personal stories of analysts 'leveraging' my work (without attribution).

The bottomline is that both need to be fed information and a relationship nurtured. How you leverage them in a sales opportunity or market launch are however quite different.

The Gartner analyst has more influence, because corporations pay his company for his insights and analysis. The blogger, on the other hand, has more Klout ;-)

Influence is measured by reach, engagement and action ie which "Influencer" engagement delivers measurable results?

If its a apple to apple comparison meaning both are " trusted experts on same topic" and the "twitter follower" has a larger audience than the "Gartner analyst" Tweeter it is.

Because, twitter is typically not the sole outlet utilized by "influencers" but may be a signal to influence and active community engagement.

I have heard numerous times, I've spoken to Gartner about your company and they said.... I have yet to hear, I read @Bloggers tweet and related story about your company. I am sure the Bloggers, myself included, have influence. It just isn't readily apparent in the conversations with customers.