Online social networking services are exponentially gaining popularity. Facebook and MySpace may be the most well known, however services such as LinkedIn and ZeroDegrees are gaining momentum in the corporate world as a way to leverage connections and market services. Most sites have searches to locate contacts from your address book, former colleagues and even old classmates - connecting you not only to them but to their networks. People are finding this an extremely lucrative way to stay plugged in to job opportunities, candidates and new ventures. Many of these networking sites are even joined to other web pages designed exclusively to look for employers and employees - making networking services the new one-stop-shop on the internet.
As a marketing tool, these sites can be invaluable. However, many critics are warning that you could do more harm than good if you don't respect the social networkers you're marketing to. Social networks are seen by many as communities and people are pushing back when they're feeling personally used to make a dollar.
Companies such as Ring Side Networks are coming up with application platforms that are used to put social networking tools on a company's existing Web site. This cross-deployment is being viewed as an alternative to advertising, by allowing organizations to invest more into the Web sites they already own, rather than continually pouring money into other Web advertisements. They keep your finger on the pulse of your customers and clients, while keeping your focus in one place.
The benefits of social networking at an enterprise level, in whichever manner best suits you or your organization can be worth the time and money to investigate.
