Version 2.0 of Gnip (pronounced guh-nip) launched this week without much fanfare, but I believe it’s just a matter of time before enterprises that are serious about social media in general and microsharing in particular will be asking how they can tap into Gnip’s Data Streams.

Gnip’s Flow Diagram below explains why: Gnip acts as a one-stop-shop for social media data streams, including public data from microsharing services Twitter and Identi.ca.

Gnip is a one-stop-shop for social media data streams

Businesses that are serious about listening to what people have to say about their industry, their products and services, and their company won’t need to wrestle with the vagaries of each individual microsharing service’s API. They’ll only need to deal with Gnip’s REST and XMPP interfaces to tap into these Data Streams, regardless of their source.

At least one service, TweetRush, has already started dipping into the public Twitter data stream through Gnip. Their initial offering provides statistics for usage patterns such as time of day and day of week (in aggregate as well as for individual users).

It’s not inconceivable, however, for TweetRush or its future rivals to add services that provide insights into the content and not just the quantity of tweets, especially since Gnip offers rule-based filtering of its streams.

Enterprises that are tech-savvy enough to explore Gnip’s well-documented API will have a natural advantage; they can dive right in without waiting for a third-party service to put together a polished offering that’s ready for public consumption.

Access to Gnip’s data streams are offered under a Freemium model.