PR and the Social Web

The digital marketing agency iCrossing has released an iPhone app that allows users to search Twitter, Digg, forums and blogs direct from their phone.  ‘Say What’ scans social media networks and the user inputs keywords for live monitoring of online conversations.  “Our goal was to put one-click social media monitoring in the palm of the user’s hand” said Rachel Pasqua, director of mobile strategy, iCrossing.

Given that a year ago this kind of search was a novelty on a desktop computer and usually only available with paid for web services it represents a real technological leap and what’s more it’s free.

I downloaded the app to an iPod touch and it works. You can build up a history of searches and you can drill down into the source material; be they twitter streams or blogs.  It does however have real limitations.  Free desktop tools now come with various types of analysis built in and a phone screen is really too small for any meaningful monitoring.  What ‘So What’ really is, is a fantastic marketing tool for iCrossing.  It demonstrates that they really understand social media and they are at the forefront of the business sifting through the social web.  It also puts a reminder of that fact literally in the hands of their target audience.