Other than "blogs", the most uttered phrase in marketing these days is "social networking".  By definition, a "social network" is a place where multiple people can communicate or interact online.  Customers interacting with your product?  Fantastic, right?  But remember, it's simply a platform that you create to allow people to 'talk' back and forth - it's not a silver bullet.

A common problem is that social networks are often talked about by people who A) don't know what it really means and B) don't understand what a social network is supposed to do.  Would you ever buy a full-page spread in the New York Times without understanding the pros and cons of print media?  Of course not!  (Well, I really HOPE not...). So why do some marketers think they can just create a social network without doing their research first?

Well, I don't have an answer for that, but I DO have an example of what happens when social networks go horribly wrong.

Here are a few tips for you or your business if you are looking to use social networking:

1) Have realistic expectations. Know that this will not directly double your business in the first month.  Track and measure who interacts with your site so you can build your customer base.

2) Let technology support your goals.  When building a social networking site, you must define your goals first and THEN build the community with the technology that will help reach those goals.  For example, do you NEED a video upload function? Does your product lend itself to being videotaped?  (Think about the kitty litter example...) Or do you just want videos because you think it's cool?

3) Don't be offended.  Consumers don't really trust corporate marketing messages anymore; they go where other consumers are to get the truth.  And the truth, well, that can be scary for a marketer.  You are going to see both positive and negative comments.

4) Embrace the dialogue.  Customer are out there talking about you, so why not be part of the conversation?  Social networks are your chance to be in the customer space and truly understand what they want and need - think of it as constant market research and focus groups!