When the word social network is mentioned, business is probably not what comes to mind. However, in this age of ever changing technology and networking, business and social networking are finding themselves coming closer together.

Networks like twitter and facebook are being utilized by businesses more and more. Facebook allows for the making of specific pages for businesses while twitter, provided there is a sizable follower base, can allow snapshots of daily specials or notifications of daily deals to be broadcast.

If utilized correctly, social networks can be valuable tools for business owners to attract customers and keep them coming back. Data can even be extracted from the use of social networks using certain apps and users can find out what has worked in the past and what hasn’t.

Windsor-based Blurtster is in the business of analyzing data that is extracted from facebook and twitter with plans to extend to all major platforms. Blurtster likes the idea of helping fledgling businesses find their way.

“We built this for small businesses” said Aaron Howell, Director of Business Development at Blurtster. “There are some really great tools for enterprise level accounts but we have no desire to work in that space.“

The technology created by Blurtster can allow business owners to get instant feedback from statuses or tweets. This feedback provides information on key words and phrases and makes note of what works and what doesn’t.

“We analyze anything you have ever tweeted. We pull out the key words and assign a score,” said Howell. “We also measure the words used most frequently and we come up with a list of 10 smart words. The more smart words used, the higher the grade of the tweet being sent out. This is what is working most effectively. We also compare your smart words to those of other businesses you compete with.”

Another feature Blurtster utilizes is called Buzz Report. This feature scrapes social networks for any mention of certain words, your business name for example, and brings up any instance in which they are mentioned. With such a tool, it would be easy to see someone mentioning your business, whether it be in a positive or negative light.

Aside from getting feedback, Blurtster can also be used to pull business in.

“People tweet or facebook what they are up to constantly. It isn’t rare to see people asking what people’s plans are or what everyone is doing for lunch,” said Howell. “With the Prospector feature on Blurtster, businesses can find those tweets or statuses and reply to them telling the person to give them a try.

While social media used to be a tool for connecting friends, it has now moved on to become a tool for business owners looking for a quick and fairly easy way to get their name out there while also getting feedback from consumers via testimonials and stats with the help of programs like Blurtster.

For more information on Blurtster, visit www.blurtster.com or follow them on Twitter at @blurtster.