Boulder-based Collective Intellect is a small company with some large clients like MTV. Collective Intellect has developed a new technology that analyzes sentiments in digital media — such as Blogs, message boards and Twitter — that allow it to provide audience feedback to clients in a quick time frame.

While Collective Intellect currently works with companies in consumer packaged goods, automotive, technology, media and entertainment spaces, it is easy to see the potential for how this technology could influence pollsters, politicians and policy makers.

Through Social Media Analysis, businesses and policy makers have a method of “listening” to the consumer conversations occurring throughout the world of social media. Many Social Media Analysis tools scour the Internet for references to certain keywords and then provide links to the conversations and/or summary information.

Iconoculture, another player in the Social Media Analysis business, tracks consumer trends such as economic and social concerns, consumer issues, and green topics. “The proliferation of consumers that are blogging, Twittering and exchanging information over the thousands of social networks is an important source of consumer information,” said Dan Frawley, CEO of Iconoculture.

If you fear the “Big Brother” component of this, Social Media Analysis is often data aggregation where they are gathering macro data about trends and what the most influential people are blogging and Twittering about.

Take heart and know that what you blog about can really make a difference, particularly after the pollsters and policy makers start hiring Social Media Analysis companies to try to tap into the pulse of the American public.

So, do you see the glass as half full or empty when it comes to Social Media Analysis?