every once in a while, a gem pops up....to be fair though, it is a great team you have lined up there David.

We're currently having a big debate here about personal brands and, whilst I am familiar with only some of the names in the list their lists of achievement are fantastic.

Wow!! Some really interesting claims appearing in this thread "experts" "biggest in the world" "world class"...I'd be really interested in seeing how these claims are being benchmarked.

Working out how best to encourage meaningful interaction (between brand and consumer) online is what we do, with the ultimate aim of creating as much advocacy as possible. Social media (however you wish to define it) plays a key part in this.

So please point them to our website...or ask them to contact me directly through my profile here. If we can help we will invite them into our own online social community and begin idea sharing.

anonymous, I agree with much of what you say, but I do think those steeped in the use of social media can be extremely effective in leading the change you describe.

In order to adapt to an environment the first step you have to take is live in it.

My book The Power of the Network outlines much of that; as does much of my daily blathering at http://fasterfuture.blogspot.com

It is why Brando Social is full service - we go from listening services to help people take baby steps into using and understanding social media, workshops, through creative work, to fulfillment all the way up to and including boardroom strategy, to help businesses become a better fit with the networked world. What we do is all about helping brands and organisations adapt.

And we've got a network of great thinkers to lead that transformation - not the kind of people who think they are selling you a new marketing 'channel'

Sure, there will be much snake oil to be sold in social media over the next few years.

But the good guys are about transformation.

My tip: If someone says they are going to help you use social media to target online audiences, run a mile. If they talk about taking part in social media to join with communities of purpose (or similar, that's my own preferred term), stick around for the conversation.

Anon,

Just as a matter of interest, do you have any examples of "whole new levels of value. real step function increases"?

I'm really keen to actually get some new ideas about how SM is evolving. We are always thinking of new ways to serve up, personalise, monetise content based on interests etc. but I wondered if you had any good examples of innovation in SM?

Cheers,

M@.

www.vologroup.co.uk is set to launch a series of networking communities with each one focused on a specific sector.

Each site will have it's own Volo URL and all registered members will be able to migrate across to other Volo communities as required.

We've been trialing some ideas on www.volomed.com but felt the look of that site was too overtly news orientated so the new look will focus on the networking aspect of the sites that will be available to members.

Our aim is to develop a selection of small networking communities across the platform where advertisers can perhaps identify their market and utilise their advertising spend in a more targeted manner - that's the theory!

We still want to retain the news element to the sites and hope to see greater use of the sites as a tool for connectivity and developing contacts within a specific environment.

Other sites are in the planning stages and these will include more leisure based networking environments, again allowing for connectivity across the platform but recognising the core values of what we looking to build.

There are some very interesting comments coming through this thread but I still feel that this is such a young marketplace that the true potential of spending on these networks has yet to be realised.

I would be interested to know how many Facebook users on this thread have clicked through on an advert as this seems to be the main issue; that of taking the social aspect of networking and morphing this into a commercial activity for any prospective advertiser.

I have seen so many negative threads about the bigger networks who, at this moment, struggle to gain $1 per user in revenue per annum, that it leads me to believe that the mix of networking and participating in advertising offers are still elusive each time a user logs on to a site.

Perhaps the fundamentals of why people engage in the networks in the first place are the reason behind this. Social networking is exactly that, linking up with friends, posting photos and finding new friends. Professional networks seems to be more about developing new business contacts and finding new products and it is these users that are perhaps more inclined to engage in an advertising offer as the mindset of that user is far more about professional advancement than social activity.

We have all seen what happened to Facebook when Beacon was launched and I feel this was a sign of the sentiment of the users of the site. I also believe this shows an insight into how users of these type of networks feel that they are not there to be exploited for commercial gain.