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IBM Announces "Blog-Spotting" Software

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the keeping-tabs-on-public-opinion dept.

notesdude writes to tell us InternetNews is reporting that IBM has announced new "Blog-Spotting" software that will allow the monitoring of blogs, wikis, news feeds, consumer review sites, newsgroups, and other community-generated content. From the article: "People can share and spread opinions faster than ever before and that's accelerated the impact of public opinion on businesses"

8 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Oh boy... by antarctican · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Let the lawsuits begin....

    Yes, you too can now easily track all those slamming your product, no matter how much it might deserve public scorn. Have your lawyer on speed dial, because it's time to stop that pesky public from interfering with your business model by commenting on such silly things as "quality."

    1. Re:Oh boy... by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Insightful

      OK, then try flipping the coin over. People with a vested interest in any topic or movement/entity/organization would want to leverage something like this. Want to see what the dev community thinks about some new twist in GPL v.X? How about watching all of the religious crazies chat boards for misinformation about "intelligent design" and how they're talking about using it in an upcoming election? Or, how about using it to spot the frequency of a given keywork collection to help spot how often (and where) people are bitching enough about something to make it worth your time to provide a service, product, or fix to address it.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  2. Oh joy.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you can spot it, you can spam it.

    i.e Ikea uses Blogspotter (or it's open-source alternative Spogblotter), finds any blog that mentions Ikea, and likkity-split everyone who visits these blogs can read about the best deals on ottoman's "only at Ikea SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY".

  3. Re:Evolution of software and the web by IAmTheDave · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yup - but it's funny, since blogging is much more a mob mentality than forums are. Blogs are quick to pick up a negative opinion and trackback the sh*t out of it, but then as quickly as it hits, it is forgotten. This software will not only have to consider huge swings in chatter about a brand, but huge swings in opinion as well.

    --
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    Making The Bar Project
  4. But public opinion should be important, !censored by Xepherys2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, public opinion can affect business more rapidly than ever. That should be motivation for companies to improve, not for developers to create products to PREVENT public opinion. Man, this world is getting sad, sad, sad!

  5. Re:How is this new? by Kelson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Umm... because they're analyzing it?

    Aggregating RSS feeds based on keywords is easy. Separating them into positive and negative comments, and separating useful feedback from random spouting off, is a lot harder, especially in software.

  6. Re:Better use for the technology? by garcia · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Either way, I know that there'd be a ton of people such as myself who would use it to avoid the glut of crappy fake-journalist blogs.

    Why? Depending what you were searching for (especially local establishments that aren't chains) you might come across personal websites or blogs that offer far more informative listings for various businesses than you would find anywhere else.

    Yeah, you may not want to hear my comments about a particular location, but you can at least be safe in the knowledge that regardless of the lack of a Google search presence for a particular location, you will likely find the link (if it exists) for any number of local places.

    I believe that when you search for a local pizza place in my area (Carbone's Pizza Lakeville) you will find me first (with a link to their URL) and then 19 spots down you will find them, sorta...

    Me? I'm all for those results showing up.

  7. Donning my tinfoil hat ... by kitzilla · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Surely I'm not the only one wearing tinfoil here.

    This isn't a consumer "time saver." It's a weapon for corporations to police the internet.

    Plug in this sort of technology and you can keep track of your blogging employeees. Are they bad-mouthing the boss? Obviously engaged in something that the company could claim as intellectual policy? Organizing a union? Busted.

    This will automate the troll for IP and trademark infringments. More amusingly, though: now corporations can keep a sharp eye peeled for misbehaving customers. Bitch abour Mega-Mart's pricing or shoddy products, and you might get a Cease and Desist. Or a slander suit.

    Ah, technology in the service of the powerful! How it warms the hearts of lawyers everywhere.

    Damn, this aluminum beanie gets warm fast.

    --
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