Saturday, August 21, 2004

Big Brother Is Watching

How Orwellian: Market intelligence firm Intelliseek just announced its release of a new technology that searches millions of blogs for "buzzwords" or mention of product or corporation news.

So if you're a Coca-Cola exec and want to know what folks in the big wide Net world are saying about you, you can hire Intelliseek to find out. Here's the press release about it.

An excerpt: "The new blog analytics capability is designed to help marketers and brand managers track, measure and analyze information from nearly two million blogs a day .... Its state-of-the-art text-mining technologies locate active discussion and analyze it for volume, issues, trends, potential trouble spots, corporate reputation, depth of pass-along,sentiment and polarity."

"Blog writers serve as leading indicators and creators of news, and they use publishing platforms, photo and video to spread their influence,"explained Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek's CMO. "Understanding a blog writer's depth of emotion can help brands anticipate the spread and velocity of good and bad news."

So watch what you say.

Boo-hoo hoooo: The Washington Post ran a funny story today about the tear-stricken losers at the "American Idol" auditions this past week here in da Capital. Apparently more than 9,500 people sang for Simon Cowell and the other judges, but only 117 made it to the third round, which takes place today. And only handful of those will make it to the show.

"She wouldn't shut up," [Cowell says of one contestant] in the pursed British accent that makes his insults sound so much more devastating. "They all believe that they're fantastic."

Someone pass the Kleenex.

Summer? What summer?!: It's a blustery, cloudy day here in Washington. No one got a tan in June, July, nor August, as the sun has been very coy, hiding behind clouds and only gracing us with his presence a few times. That's why I'm flying home to California next week for some needed Vitamin D, damn it.

I'm also going for a six-mile run early tomorrow, so the rains better hold off. For any sado-masochists out there, you're welcome to join us. We'll start on Capitol Hill at 8 a.m. We'll run past the Capitol and House buildings, head down Constitution and Pennsylvania Aves., NW, by the White House, to Georgetown and back. Should be a nice little gut-buster.


4 comments:

  1. I still don't understand how the technology will help them, considering from my wealth of research, the biggest buzzwords in the blogosphere are such lofty phrases as "Lindsay Lohan's nipple" or "free Creed Mp3z."

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  2. So you're heading back home, eh? Lucky you! Give my regards to Claremont for me! :-)

    American Idol is a bunch of crap. Except for William Hung. Call me crazy, but I think he is so frickin' funny. Other than that, it's a waste of time. I would like to audition if they ever came to Vegas, though, so I can tell Simon to stick it where the sun don't shine. LOL!

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  3. There are certainly pros and cons about the Intelliseek. It's definitely like a "big brother", no doubt. I am sure big powerhouse companies will sue bloggers to shut them up -- unfairly so at times. We'll see new cases arise -- which will bite -- BIG TIME.

    On the other hand, I hope these big-ass companies take notice about what people say!! I had a huge window company deliver me a product that wasn't what I ordered and they denied it. It was majorly sub-standard and pathetic. It was a clear case of fraud yet I couldn't get the DA to move forward. I pressured them with the Internet, and I was close to going on a national radio show when they finally settled out of court. I did all my own legal research, got my windows for free, and money to boot for the shit they put me through!! I'm happy now, thankfully.

    I hope it is sunny for you in CA. It's been yucky here in the Midwest too -- 20 degrees below average and lots of gloomy weather. It's been the year without a summer!! There is nothing better than wonderful sunshine beating down on you! Yesterday we were blessed...today not so much.

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  4. Did you ever see Simon's episode of Cribs?

    It was grim. He lives in a pristine white paradise, with soulless modern furniture and paintings that mean nothing to him. No wife, no kids, with no trace of sentiment or human feeling anywhere.

    It's like living in an Ikea showroom.

    If I had to spend my life living in a place like that, I would be a bitter old bastard, too. Spend all day crushing the dreams of talentless rednecks, then retire to your Fortress of Solitude to read fashion magazines and eat Indian food, tiptoeing around glass tables and couches that have never touched ass.

    He may have millions of dollars, but if this was my life, I would kill myself.

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