In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method, in a computer network, for generating social index scores associated with key terms within web-based social network sites. Generally, the method comprises the steps of receiving an input of the key terms from a user, generating search queries from the key terms, providing the generated search queries to the web-based social network sites, capturing search results received from the web-based social network sites in response to the provided search queries, generating, from the captured search results, the social index scores using a processing algorithm, storing the generated social index scores in at least one database, and, providing at least one representation of the generated social index scores to the user in one or more of numerical, visual, and printed form.