Let the Networking Begin!

Hello, my name is Chelsea Boryca and I am an Integrated Marketing Communications major at Ithaca College. For the next few months I will be blogging on the many ways that various companies and organizations are building relationships with and promoting their products to potential customers through online social networks.

I've chosen to write about this because I find the concept of social networks, and society's now vastly expressed desire for virtual expression fascinating. It's amazing to see how people interact in these various online environments and just how much information they are willing to share and consume. This makes how companies market to these individuals all the more interesting since they now have the ability to target their audience much more specifically and reach them in a more effective way than they have ever been able to before. The nature of social networks has also widened the field of competition and made it possible for more people to compete for consumers' attention.

In this "friendly" environment, consumers are much more likely to pay attention to what you or anyone else has to say. Is this a good thing? Is product promotion within social networking sites your friend or foe? I will explore these questions along with countless others provoked by the emerging trends and relationships within online communities.