socialmedian: Develop a community inside or outside an existing social network?

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Develop a community inside or outside an existing social network?

Submitted by Jeremy Dent from blog

Mar 02, 2009

Summary

Should companies and brands establish their own community networks or develop an area in an established social network like Facebook or LinkedIn?

Many pundits argue that own-brand networks truly push the limits of the long tail of social networks. They can work if there is a critical mass of Mini owners or Disney fanatics to support these niche interests.

By launching their own community sites, brand can neglect the social aspects of Web 2.0: a branded network can limit discussion and

stunt the word-of-mouse factor.

So you can argue that it makes much more sense for companies to have branded environments within a Facebook, MySpace or, even better, a social network that focuses on their vertical market such as a Mini environment within an automotive network like CarSpace.

Companies may have to have multiple branded environments. For instance, Pepsi could have one in BlockSavvy for the urban market (instead of their Youniverse-powered community?) and another in MySpace that associates the brand with music and entertainment.

Comments (1)

Brendayoung,

Mar 04, 2009

Companies are well-advised to look at their overall goals when making a decision about this. Disney has a recognized brand and can leverage that. Smaller and less well-known companies might not want to do this but, for any company, the best advice is to be prepared to follow and participate in the conversation wherever your customers decide to "hang out."