Web site measures most influential Twitter

SAN DIEGO, March 26 (UPI) -- A Web site based in California said Brazilian comedian Rafinha Bastos is the top scorer in its Influence Index, which measures the impact of a Twitter user.

Web site Twitalyzer said the Influence Index is a more accurate representation of someone's impact on the Web site than follower totals because accounts with several followers can fall into disuse without losing followers, The New York Times Magazine reported.

Twitalyzer said the Influence Index measures the amount of times someone's name is used by other users, including retweets, a term for reposts of messages put on Twitter by the original user.

The index assigns a 0-to-100 value for the influence of a Twitter account.

The Web site said the list of the most influential Twitter users is dominated by celebrities in the United States, Britain, Brazil and Canada because those are the countries where the Web site is most popular.

Bastos posted an Influence Index score of 90. He was followed by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco with 89, U.S. TV host Conan O'Brien with 88, British actor Stephen Fry with an index score of 87 and "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest with a score of 86.