Blab Launches Social Media Prediction Tool

US company Blab has introduced a platform which it claims can predict the content of future social media conversations.

Founded in 2012, Blab's software analyzes text in 'any language', images and video via more than 50,000 real-time data sources from social channels including Twitter and Facebook, content platforms such as YouTube and Tumblr, and blogs and news services.

CEO and co-founder Randy Browning (pictured) says the tool enables users to calculate what their audiences will be talking about 24, 48 and 72 hours in advance.

Using Blab's continuously updated 'Conversation Canvas' dashboard, the platform can also be used to identify predictable patterns of current conversations, identify key influencers, and develop targeted content.

Browning explains that because his firm's tool allows users to categorize their audiences by lifestyles, conversation monitoring and prediction are based on discoveries, rather than predetermined keywords or demographics. This, he suggests, offers a 360-degree view of what target audiences are saying now, as well as how, when and where those conversations will develop.

'With Blab, any brand, organization or cause can transform from a reactive stance to a proactive one; from followers to leaders, with a high degree of confidence in their strategy and their content,' Browning says. 'Since we started Blab, brands have been telling us that this changes the game for social media engagement. Now that our platform is released to the public, we embrace the challenge of proving them right.'

In January, the Seattle-based start-up secured $1.5m in funding, which it is using for this first public release.

Web site: www.blabpredicts.com .