go-Digital Blog on Digital Marketing

9 Unusual Ways Social Media Is Being Used To Predict The Future

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/9-ways-social-media-data-is-being-used-2012-3

Companies are getting smarter in how they use social media.

Instead of just using it for brand monitoring, one company called Gnip has been working with the likes of Twitter, WordPress, and other social media publishers to do all kinds of things, from tracking diseases to stopping wildfires.

While Gnip can’t reveal which companies it works with, it told us some interesting ways in which social data is being used.

Helping hedge funds.

Gnip works with 12 hedge funds that use social media information to analyze sentiment about certain kinds of investments.

Fighting a wildfire.

Gnip worked with a company called VisionLink to track a wildfire in Boulder, Colorado. They tracked tweets and posted photos in real-time to see what areas were cut off and see where the evacuation routes were.

Gnip told us:

By layering the geo-tagged Tweets and Flickr shots they got from Gnip onto a Google map of the area, VisionLink was able to provide emergency workers with a realtime view of what was happening on the ground.  With this information emergency workers were able to see where they needed more resources to respond to needs in the local community.

Reporting crimes.

Instead of calling police, people in Mexico are reporting crimes via Twitter. As the New York Times reported:

Anonieta Salazar Loftin, a doctoral student in Mexican history at the University of Texas at Dallas, said this is how her relatives back home use social media. She said that anonymous crime-focused Twitter accounts like @balaceramty — which is based in Monterrey and has more than 40,000 followers — provide a needed public service.        

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

See Also:

• You Don’t Have To Have An Idea To Apply To Y Combinator
• Silicon Valley Geeks Are Talking Up This Watch That Alerts You When You Get Email
• Bill Draper Was One Of The First Silicon Valley VCs — Here’s What We Learned From Him

 J. Lo’s love may not cost a thing — but she’s probably not your Valentine.

In our latest infographic, we break down the dollars behind Valentine’s Day romance: how much are people spending on flowers, candy, greeting cards and sparkly baubles? What should you buy for your Valentine this year? And what’s going on with Virginia Beach?

Pre-order a bouquet, chill a bottle of champers and start building your candy stash. VDay is on its way.

Click image to see a larger version.

This post originally appeared at HR Block’s Block Talk Blog.

Please follow Your Money on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Here Are 8 Inexpensive Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day
• 7 Ways To Find Traditional Valentine’s Day Gifts At Great Prices
• ROBERT REICH: Obama Has Handed The Election Over To The Super Rich