Getting inside the head of your customers is the goal of many a marketer. A new class of service has emerged to assist you in this effort, by monitoring online communications through blogs, newsgroups/forums, articles, and more for what people are saying about you.

Companies such as Intelliseek, Brand Tracker, and others will spider the Internet for keywords related to you and your competitors. This is known as Online Reputation Management. 

But the jury is still out as to whether this is the silver bullet for getting inside your customers' (and potential customers') heads. Given the increasing amount of dis-information that is flooding the Internet, it is difficult to assess how accurate and valuable the information gathered will be.