Bitext Cracks the Sentiment Code for Salesforce Cloud Insights
October 22, 2012
Salesforce went social years ago. First, the company hired Steve Gilmore, a widely respected futurist and technology expert. Next, the company added various commenting and collaboration functions to the Salesforce platform. Now the company has taken the next logical step. Sentiment analysis has been added to the Salesforce Cloud Insights system.
The sentiment analysis capability answers such questions as:
- In a licensee’s content pool, what’s hot, what’s a problem, and what’s going right?
- How are customers’ sentiments trending over time or now?
- What customers are unhappy and why?
The Salesforce Marketing Cloud Command Center solution is the next generation of social engagement. By leveraging insights from the Marketing Cloud and more than 25 social analytics leaders, customers will derive deeper meaning from the millions of social conversations happening every day. The industry’s most comprehensive solution for managing social media engagement, the Social Command Center will provide customers with a new level of social media intelligence that will allow them to filter through the noise and quickly analyze large volumes of social data to generate actionable social intelligence and connect with customers in entirely new ways.
The engine for this innovative sentiment capability was developed by Bitext, based in Madrid, Spain. Unlike most companies, Bitext was designed to operate across languages. In one sense, Bitext approached semantic methods to operate without requiring the user to specify what language is being analyzed.
Bitext is a leading provider of OEM text analytics technology. Bitext develops semantic services for major European languages using a data-driven symbolic natural language processing system. Alongside integration into partner solutions including search, business intelligence and analytics, these services are available through two different channels: Bitext Consulting and the Bitext API, which provides a web service to open up the Bitext semantic technology to third-party developers.
As a result, Bitext Sentiment enables customers to harness the power of social intelligence and connect with customers in entirely new ways. Unlike the academic charts and often incomprehensible dashboards of confusing graphics, Bitext’s system outputs data which can be used to answer basic business questions quickly.
Any developer for Salesforce Marketing Cloud Insights or users of the system can tap the power of the unique Bitext innovations. Bitext Sentiment delivers multilingual sentiment analysis. The system is fueled by sophisticated semantic analysis. According to the founder of Bitext, Antonio Valderrabanos:
“We keep the technology behind the simple reports a business person or analyst needs. We focus on usability and delivering real time results, not confusion.”
Bitext’s system uncovers key insights or “info nuggets” from the millions of conversations that take place every day in social media.
He said in Madrid today:
Bitext can deliver information which can transform a company’s future. Our multilingual sentiment analysis in a real-time environment gives companies the opportunity to understand their customers better and faster than ever before.
ArnoldIT’s view is that most of the high profile industry solutions for sentiment analysis that are based on keyword spotting or machine learning. Stephen E Arnold, founder of ArnoldIT, said:
Most of the systems asserting intelligence based sentiment analysis simply fail to handle most of the subtleties of human language. This is especially true of complex languages like Spanish or Portuguese and even more so when the Latin American varieties of these languages are considered. Our research revealed that Bitext Sentiment was built from the ground up using processing techniques designed to handle the complexity of natural language. Bitext represents morphological variation and syntactic analysis via its proprietary rule-based system, Bitext Sentiment capture nuances of meaning more effectively than other systems we have examined.
Bitext Sentiment allows an organization to gauge whether their customers have concerns about the message they are receiving or are reacting positively. Such focused, easily understood information allows users of the Bitext system to act swiftly to engage in the most effective manner.
Selected Features of Bitext Sentiment
Bitext Sentiment is a robust solution. Of particular interest to organizations seeking to leverage their “big data” from customer support and social media are:
Sentiment analysis that works using sophisticated rule-based language analysis to solve challenges such as identification of positive or negative words that do not relate to the brand in question and sentiment words that change their meaning when combined with other words
Entity extraction collects as a single Insight all of the brands, companies, people and so on that people have referred to positively or negatively, making it easy to see which are the most important subjects in a set of online conversations.
Entities context (brands, companies, people etc.) that have the strongest positive and negative sentiments are extracted into separate Insights, making it easy to compare brands, people or products and see the majority of positive or negative comments are directed.
The dictionaries and grammars that power Bitext Sentiment are built specifically for each language and language variety. Sentiment analysis is customized for each different language, not built with a one-size-fits-all technique.
The initial set of languages for Salesforce will be Spanish and Portuguese. All varieties of Spanish (Latin America and European) and Portuguese (Brazilian and European). Upon request, the system can support English, French, Italian, Catalan, Basque, Dutch and German. Other languages can be added as required.
Stephen E Arnold, October 22, 2012
Beyond Search, the “real” beyond search I might add
Third Party ERP Resources Need Proven Search Application
October 22, 2012
The article highlights that companies should weigh the options:
“Third-party ERP support is probably not a good choice for companies that consider it important to have access to a vendor’s current version, patches and updates, Scavo says. However, ‘I think there are plenty of examples of companies that have gone off maintenance and at some point in the future decided to come back to the vendor for an upgrade. It’s very hard to imagine a situation where the vendor will not take that customer’s business back,’ he says. Doing so might save you money.”
Let the Information Analysis Begin With Information Delivery from PolySpot Technologies
October 22, 2012
Another solution presents itself as the answer for enterprise productivity. This time a holistic and all-encompassing approach is taken by data management technology vendor Kapow. The CMS Wire article, “Kapow Katalyst v9.1: Big Data, Social Information Integration” discusses the upgrades that Kapow has made to their Kapow Katalyst platform.
According to the article, the fundamental goal of this technology is to integrate data and applications containing data – including both social and legacy applications – for the use of employees.
We learned:
It is entirely scalable, connecting legacy, cloud and social data to the organization, and in particular to the departments that need that data, such as sales and marketing. We have said in the past that your enterprise data is what gives your enterprise value. Here, it would probably be good to qualify that by saying your managed data is your enterprise value, and with so much Big Data floating around the social and cloud applications that your enterprise is using, anything that can help turn that data into a useable advantage is worth looking at.
Who can deny that a company needs ROI from data and supporting software solutions? Kapow technology is on par with others of its class, but there is no unique offerings that set it apart from the rest. On the other hand, PolySpot does more than manage data, they deliver information to employees that require access. It is with this innovative technology that companies can let the information analysis begin.
Megan Feil, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Tips for Creating a Unique Web Site Experience for Visitors
October 22, 2012
Sticky sites are considered engaging and well-designed so that visitors find it hard to leave the site. In “Making Your Site Sticky for Both Search & Social Users,” Jordan Kasteler discusses the differences between search and social users and how to design a site with both in mind. He points out that search users are keyword based whereas social users begin with a click on a social network. Kasteler shares this tip on creating a unique experience for the user:
Personalized. We’ve come a long way since the days of sales-brochure websites. Your website shouldn’t look like every other site out there; rather, your audience should be able to instantly get a sense of what makes you different from your competitors.
He goes on to add this about in-site search capabilities:
Easy-To-Navigate, Easy-To-Use. For the search crowd, this means having an easy-to-navigate site with prominent menu options and an effective in-site search function. The social crowd should be attracted to these key features on your site: sales, promotions, popular blog posts, etc.
When you’re weighing options for Web site search solutions, consider Mindbreeze InSite to add a powerful and customized search experience for your Web site visitors. InSite is powered by semantic search and is customizable so you can give your site the most intuitive features and add some ‘stickiness’ to your site.
Philip West, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
YouTube Changes Search Rankings Algorithm
October 22, 2012
Slashgear.com recently published an article implying that page rank may be ineffective for some media types and that Google is becoming more like a traditonal TV network. According to “YouTube Search Rankings No Longer Based on Clicks” YouTube will base its search rank algorithm on the amount of time spent on each video instead of on the number of clicks to the video.
While this seems like a pretty accurate way of making sure that high quality content rises to the top of search rankings, it also has a lot of added financial benefits for YouTube.
The article states:
“Keeping people on the site longer means more advertising revenue for YouTube, so it’s a win-win situation, so long as you’re among the content creators who are putting out engaging videos. YouTube has even added a “Time Watched” report to analytics pages, so you can see which of your videos keep people watching and which ones are making people look elsewhere. YouTube says on the Creators Blog that it has “started” to adjust search engine results in this way, so it sounds like this feature will see a gradual roll out over the coming days.”
While this seems like a great idea initially, video creators are bound to find another way around this search algorithm. Perhaps they will start posting shorter videos in order to make sure that people will watch them to completion.
Jasmine Ashton, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Fraud Accounts for Majority of Scientific Study Retractions
October 22, 2012
A recent study regarding fraud in information released from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is puzzling. The study analyzed retracted papers from 1977 onward and the reasons for those retractions. The findings? Fraud, plagiarism, and duplication were the most common reasons for retractions.
The article “Fraud, Not Error, Accounts for Most Scientific Retractions” on The Curious Wavefunction blog tells us that about 67% of the 2047 retracted papers could be traced to misconduct.
The study informs us of the possible solutions to the troubling results:
“But sadly this culture is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. What can we do to curb its worst excesses? The paper points to encouraging solutions like the Office of Research Integrity and regular courses on ethics and data presentation. There are few counterparts to these measures in developing countries and this needs to be taken seriously by their governments. More importantly, researchers, journal editors and referees need to be taught both the value and the methodology of honest research from day one of their careers.”
We wonder how much of an impact ethics courses would have on researchers that are competing for grants, publicity, funding, and resources. Perhaps the answer is in search systems. Are “smart” systems able to detect willful manipulation of information? We think this could potentially be an area ripe for research and innovation.
Andrea Hayden, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IntelTrax Summary: October 12 to October 18
October 22, 2012
This week the IntelTrax advanced intelligence blog posted some informative stories regarding the state of big data analytics technology and its impact on marketers and retailers.
“Big Data Particularly Useful for Marketers” examines businesses can mine data that they are already collecting in order to increase revenue. The pressure to create a marketing strategy that is both customer and market driven is intense, and it has caused many marketers to turn to analytics solutions for aid:
“Marketing analytics used in conjunction with big data will help many organizations properly evaluate their marketing performance, gain insight into their clients’ purchasing habits, market trends and needs and make evidence-based marketing decisions. As one example, look at how politicians are using big data to identify their target audience and reach out to the so-called “silent majority.”
“Using Big Data Analytics to Predict Consumer Behavior” is another article that discusses the impact that big data analytics has on marketers. It examines changes in consumer behavior. Now, instead of marketers running the show, it is the customers who are leading market trends.
The article predicts:
“In the not-too-distant future, you will be able, for example, to change your contact information with many vendors at once, rather than many times, over and over, at many different websites. You will declare your own policies, preferences and terms of engagement—and do it in ways that can be automated both for you and the companies you engage. You will no longer have to “accept” agreements that aren’t worth reading because, as we all know, they cover the other party’s butt but expose yours.
In addition to your personal tool kit, you’ll have software that can knit together your apps with the services offered by companies, saving work for you and creating business for them—all in real time.”
Many smaller companies that are new to the analytics scene are choosing to invest in Google Analytics over some other solutions. “Google Analytics for Dummies” shares an article that provides a step-by-step look at how to use Google Analytics to determine the success of your sight.
However, the author explains:
“Google analytics are meaningless if you can not take the information it gathers and make necessary changes on your web site. Not everyone realizes this, but there are other companies out there that offer even more comprehensive analytics services than Google. Digital Reasoning has spent the past decade creating automated understanding for big data. Its flagship product Synthesys addresses big data challenges in the enterprise market – including Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance Fraud, Electronic Discovery, and Enterprise Risk.”
Digital Reasoning is a company that has been working in the data analysis and management field to create a solution that takes the pressure off employees and automates the process. Synthesys is used by marketers worldwide to understand market trends and gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
Jasmine Ashton, October 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Science Information Breaking Free From Traditional Publishing
October 21, 2012
A couple of Cambridge entrepreneurs are putting forth another effort to break science information free from traditional publishing’s grip. I recently read the article “A Plan to Open Up Science Journals” on The Boston Globe, which informs us of the project that is attempting to bring the iTunes single-purchase sales approach to often costly scientific journal research. The project is dubbed ReadCube Access and would break the trend of purchasing yearlong subscriptions, called site licenses, by instead offering individual articles for sale.
The article tells us more about the implementation of the product:
“So far, the two entrepreneurs, who are founders of a Cambridge company called Labtiva, have sold the ReadCube Access idea to the industry giant Nature Publishing Group and to the University of Utah’s library system, which started implementing it this fall.
Researchers at the University of Utah can get access to individual journal articles in one of Nature’s 80 or so subscription-based publications, many of which Utah cannot afford to buy.”
This effort to change the way scientific research is published could help libraries lower costs over time. Researchers would also benefit from this method, because ultimately their tedious searchers would result in the source document appearing, not a subscription or purchase form.
Andrea Hayden, October 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Google Brain Technology Addresses Artificial Intelligence
October 20, 2012
Another facet of Google’s technical capability is discussed in the article, “Google Puts Its Virtual Brain Technology to Work” on Technology Review. Google is making big strides with new approaches to artificial intelligence which will be used in new Google products, such as self-driving cars and speech recognition technology.
The company is approaching artificial intelligence with learning software that is based on neural networks, or groups of connected brain cells that communicate with each other. This technology is essentially making Google products smarter.
The article continues:
“Google’s work on making neural networks brings us a small step closer to one of the ultimate goals of AI—creating software that can match animal or perhaps even human intelligence, says Yoshua Bengio, a professor at the University of Montreal who works on similar machine-learning techniques. ‘This is the route toward making more general artificial intelligence—there’s no way you will get an intelligent machine if it can’t take in a large volume of knowledge about the world,’ he says.”
Although this new technology is impressive and shows great potential for Google’s goal of a “global brain,” we believe Google could pay more mind to its current products. For example, where does objective search fit in a “global brain?”
Andrea Hayden, October 20, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
FTC Concerned about Some Standard-Essential Google Patents
October 19, 2012
It may be something. It may be nothing. But to Google’s expanding mosquito bites of legal woes, we can now add the issue of Motorola-originated smartphone technology. The New York Times reports on the “Widening Scrutiny of Google’s Smartphone Patents.” The Federal Trade Commission was already investigating the company’s search and search-advertising activities on antitrust grounds. Now, the agency is looking into the possibility that Google’s Motorola Mobility subsidiary is mishandling “standard-essential” patents, patents on technologies crucial for the basic operation of tablets and smartphones. Reporter Steve Lohr explains:
“Standard-essential patents, antitrust experts say, are the modern, high-tech equivalent of certain vital railway lines in the 19th century, like the Eads rail terminal and bridge across the Mississippi in St. Louis, the subject of a historic antitrust decision in 1912. Essential patents, like rail bridges, can become anticompetitive bottlenecks if the corporate owner withholds access to the technology or demands unreasonably high payment.
“In Senate testimony in July, Edith Ramirez, an F.T.C. commissioner, speaking of the potential abuse of standard-essential patents, said, ‘Holdup and the threat of holdup can deter innovation by increasing costs and uncertainty for other industry participants, including other patent holders.'”
Google picked up many of these essential patents when it acquired Motorola Mobility earlier this year, and pledged to license them out fairly and reasonably. The FTC is not too sure about the strength of that pledge. In fact, the agency is nervous about any “patent buildup” by the major players, rightly fearing that such collections can be used to inhibit the growth of newer and smaller companies.
Cynthia Murrell, October 24 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com
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