IDG Debuts Social Media Listening Tool

US technology media, events, and research company International Data Group (IDG) has launched a tool to track social media conversations around topics and brands to measure sentiment and engagement over time.

The new IDG Social Scout, which is powered by Networked Insights technology, uses proprietary analytics to help marketers 'filter out the noise' of the social web.

The tool automatically identifies relevant topics and measures the intensity of online conversations to gain an understanding of what is most important to a company's prospects and customers.

'Brand listening is a critical first step in understanding what is important to a company's marketplace,' stated Deidra Bodkin, VP of Client Services at IDG Strategic Marketing Services (SMS).

Networked Insights technology uses both text modeling and pattern recognition to sift through the social web and find information most relevant to a marketer's target audiences.

Web sites: www.idg.com and www.networkedinsights.com .