Social analytics startup, Viralheat, has just developed a software application that it claims can isolate tweets on Twitter that are potential sales leads. It’s called Human Intent – and it aims to simplify lead generation by helping businesses identify social media users who are on the edge of making purchasing decisions. All the business has to do is set up a keyword search and Human Intent automatically sorts through social media updates to pinpoint those who’re expressing an intent to buy something.

So how does the algorithm work?

Viralheat says it’s a combination of sentiment analysis, language processing and predictive analytics. It identifies people looking to buy something, people complaining about an existing product they own or perhaps looking for a replacement, or anyone who may have an issue with a service they currently use. The algorithm also has built-in filters for intent actions by verticals. Viralheat’s CTO  co-founder Vishal Sankhla notes, “Auto leads are not the same as finance leads, insurance leads, electronic leads, software services leads, etc.”

For higher accuracy, Human Intent includes a spam filter, which removes retweets and mentions that are not relevant. Finally, the algorithm learns through human curation. If it makes a mistake, users can mark tweets that should or should not be identified as leads. As more feedback rolls in, the algorithm improves.

All of Human Intent’s data can be viewed in a dashboard, and can be exported to programs like Excel or Salesforce. Also, since it links directly to consumers’ social updates, businesses using the program can respond to those updates right on the spot.

This is a brilliant idea – as it eliminates the dreary marketing duty of sifting through thousands of tweets and other social updates to determine potential narrow sales leads – which, by the way, I thought was next to impossible on Twitter.

I thought wrong.

Launching in beta next week, Human Intent will only be available to existing Viralheat customers at no additional cost (for now). Once the program launches in full, pricing and availability will be announced, and beta users will receive a discount.

I can think of two instances in the past few months when I had problems with my services at a local athletic club and at Starwood Hotels. At the club, I had been trying to book a birthday party for my daughter but the party planner was not returning my calls. Two weeks after leaving numerous messages and emails, I finally sent a tweet directly to the athletic club’s account. And, not a direct message either. I sent a public tweet via @reply which EVERYONE could read. Low and behold, I received a call back that very day.

My correspondence with Starwood Hotels played out very similar. I had an issue with my preferred guest points and when I couldn’t get someone on the line, I took to Twitter and – presto – my call was returned and my issues were resolved quickly that very day.

The main goal of customer service is to help someone resolve their issues. While phone conversations can help solve problems, wait times do not. Twitter is a lightning-fast platform that can help sift through and solve problems quickly. And, if they are small issues – like in my cases – a single tweet may be enough.

Sadly, not every person, nor company, is ready to use Twitter as a customer care mechanism. My mom, for instance, does a lot of online shopping and has a whole laundry list of customer service complaints for various retail sites – BUT, my mom is not on Twitter. And, if she were, she wouldn’t know the first thing about contacting a company.

Twitter, in my opinion, is used only by the Twitter savvy. Think about it. It’s not used by the mom and pop who own that convenient store down the road. And, it’s certainly not used by older Americans who, in general, seem to have a lot to complain about. Those are the people who need Twitter most – with regard to customer service, that is.

The bottom line: Great customer service is active, transparent, and fast. And that’s what you’ll find on Twitter – not on the phone talking to an automated machine.

So what that 70% of tweets are ignored? Who has time to wade all that mess anyway? If you have something to say, say it directly to a Twitter user. Your message will be read, your voice will be heard – eventually.

You know, the one about the power of social media and the influence it had on the dissemination of crucial, otherwise censored information following Ahmandinejad’s brutal win?

Well, it turns out the social media-driven revolution that was unfolding on Twitter didn’t have the impact we thought it did.

Charles Leadbeater, a British writer and analyst, and Annika Wong, his fellow researcher, decided to empirically explore Twitter’s role during that time. Making use of data provided by media analytics company, Sysomos, Leadbeater and Wong found that Twitter’s impact was negligible – at best.

And why not?

After all, a mere .027% of Iranians are registered to use Twitter – and of that minuscule figure includes some Westerners who changed their Twitter address to Iran as a show of solidarity.

Duh!

Given that only a third of Iranians have Internet access – these findings make complete sense.

I – like so many others who spent countless hours pondering the powerful link between Twitter and Iran’s potential regime change – was dead wrong.

Perhaps, Twitter isn’t has effective as we thought.

Or, perhaps, I was naive enough to get caught up in, what I thought, was a “big” event unfolding before my eyes.

Fool me once, but not twice.

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of hatred being spewed on Twitter about Microsoft. Even before its tanked Q2 2009 earnings were revealed –  negative tweets were swirling about everything, from Bing to Windows 7.

Windows especially.

Put it this way. People are not very excited about MS Windows 7.

Case in point.

Read what some anonymous Twitter followers have said recently about Windows 7:

Microsoft recommends XP users buy a new computer to get Windows 7 over upgrading. http://is.gd/1Is6H You’ve got to be kidding me!

Microsoft Corp says Windows 7 will be generally available to ppl around the world on October 22. this DOESNT mean ppl will want to buy it

Reuters: MSFT says Windows 7 will be generally available to customers on October 22. (RT @BreakingNews) “generally available” – what the hell does that mean?

The first tweet is just plain funny – and so incredibly Microsoft’s style.

But my issue is with the second and third tweets – more specifically the term “generally available”.

On the outside it looks like a shady use of words to cover an unknown release date. But in truth, “generally available” means products are being shipped out to the general public.

From my trusty source, Wikipedia:

General availability (GA) is the point where all necessary commercialization activities have been completed and the software has been made available to the general market either via the web or physical media.

Commercialization activities could include but are not limited to the availability of media world wide via dispersed distribution centers, marketing collateral is completed and available in as many languages as deemed necessary for the target market, etc. The time between RTM and GA can be from a week to months in some cases before a generally available release can be declared because of the time needed to complete all commercialization activities required by GA.

So there you have it.

Generally available is a legit term even if it is coming from Microsoft.

Windows 7 will be made available to everyone on October 22.

I know you and the rest of the world will be waiting on bated breath.

We live in an app-crazed, social networking world folks.

I thought I had heard it all last week when the “drunk dial” app was unveiled for the Apple iPhone. Now comes word of a yet another new app –  one that could really help small businesses.

Introducing “Salesforce CRM for Twitter.”

When people talk about you and your business – Salesforce let’s you know.

Here’s how is works:

Salesforce plugs into the Twitter API, and customer care reps can start Twitter searches from within Salesforce’s service, bypassing search.twitter.com. If a company discovers someone tweeting about them (good or bad), a button click can import the entire Twitter thread into Salesforce’s software. From there the Twitter user is notified via software, giving them the precious opportunity to respond to the original Tweet.

This is a brilliant idea, given that Twitter users can’t possibly monitor what is being said about them in real time and respond to people’s questions. Twitter is just too large now. Too powerful.

Thankfully, Salesforce can help business owners sleep at night by giving them the tool they need to track complaints – and compliments.

This is beyond better customer care. This is could very well be the life jacket that saves many of our small businesses.

Twitter.

What would businesses do without it?

There are too many sites. Too many profiles. Too many friends, followers, and contacts.

In the beginning, MySpace and Facebook were the end of the social media line. Not anymore.

Enter LinkedIn and Twitter.

Both are in a head-to-head fight over popularity and validation, especially in the world of small business.

True both can help generate links, forge relationships, and generate direct sales. But, like in any race, there is only one victor – and this case, I believe it will be Twitter.

Here’s why.

Twitter. It’s all the rage lately. It offers the unique ability to connect with a ton of people you normally wouldn’t have access too – and it all begins with a simple one line update, or tweet.

Here’s a real life example.

A recent Wall Street Journal article featured a woman named Alexa Scordato. When Alexa was looking for a job she didn’t email her LinkedIn contacts about possible openings. Instead, she sent a tweet via Twitter.

Her brief message: “Hey there! Looking for a Social Media job up in Boston. Are you guys doing any entry level hires?”

Within a week, according to WSJ, Alexa had an interview. Within two weeks, she had a job.

Twitter also has the potential to drive some serious traffic to your site. Simply enter the URL into your tweet and your site is golden.

Now Linkedln, on the other hand, is whole different ball game. The site is all about e-mail invitations, connections, and building a professional network.  You build your profile, then invite people (or friends) to join your network. While LinkedIn does have the one line update feature- like those found on Twitter and Facebook – it’s not the driving feature on the site. In my opinion, you really have to know LinkedIn to use it to your advantage. Think of it as a meet and greet arena; users must set up a profile and start introducing themselves around.

Seems to me Twitter can maximize your brand with minimal effort. For LinkedIn users, well, that could take a while.

Go ahead. Give a tweet on Twitter – and see where the next big thing in social media will take you.

Sorry LinkedIn.

I sent an SMS confirmation code message to 40404 (via my Blackberry) and…nothing.

I added twitter@twitter.com to my Google Talk Buddies list and sent the verification code via IM, and…nothing.

I had Twitter scan my Gmail account and pull up 400 contacts.  14 were users of Twitter, so I checked those checkboxes and finished the import process, and…nothing.  They’re not set up as Friends in my account.

The Twitter setup process leaves a lot to be desired.  I’m a technical guy and I’m lost.  Just imagine the countless business folks who are trying to use Twitter but don’t even know where to begin.

I know Twitter wasn’t originally designed for anybody above the legal drinking age, but if they want to make some money they’re going to need to cater to the >30 crowd.