During some research today on the topic of market intelligence, I learned about UMBRIA who pioneered the mining of data in online communities using proprietary natural language processing and machine learning algorithms.
So what? (I thought). Then I started to ponder how a process “that transforms the unstructured and chaotic data of the online community into actionable market insights account companies, products, issues:” could be used to prove the value and benefits of all types of online and mobile learning implemented by any company.
I searched further on UMBRIA’s web site and read a number of FAQs and case studies. The ah-ha moment came when I read: “Whether it’s tracking awareness, satisfaction, or the effectiveness of an ad campaign or new product launch, Umbria’s Buzz Report provides rich and robust insights into the attitudes and behaviors of your target consumers.” I immediately thought of classic Level 1-2-3 evaluation techniques for training courses. However, I also thought about the HUGE opportunities for evaluation and feedback that are currently being missed if a product such as Umbria is not being used to analyze company blogs, wikis, message boards, etc. for intelligence that is relevant to learning programs and performance initiatives.
The training/learning and education markets are not currently listed as ones that find value in Umbria’s services. My response is: Why not??
