(Darryl Swint)

It was obvious from the Social Media Marketing Symposium that media providers and advertisers need to adjust their delivery systems and ways of doing business.

But just how to provide content to, market to and monetize ever-forming social communities - formed in part as an alternative to traditional media - provides the biggest economic quandary facing media.

Social communities are founded around common interests that are the basis for their very existence. More mainstream vehicles like MySpace were originally founded for people to find common interests, blog and tag comments, link to favorite sites for content and join friendship communities. But now, the influence of MySpace being owned by Rupert Murdoch and of attempts to manipulate and steer its users to News Corp.-approved content and modules is costing the site credibility and members.

Perhaps it is up to media and advertisers to sponsor social networking sites from a position of knowledge of the group, the group's needs and desires without appearing strictly as a conduit to shill products. The example of Kellogg's Special K brand ad campaign being sponsored by a Yahoo Groups site may be the theme of the future. But businesses and advertisers must be socially relevant - both to the group itself and to the group's concerns. The slightest sign of inauthenticity could result in being jettisoned by the social networking group.


Note: The Social Media Marketing Symposium May 9 was co-hosted by the Media Management Center and Kellogg School of Management. Darryl Swint is a student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. For more insights into social media issues and possibilities, go here for 19 excellent white papers and a bibliography about various facets of social media and here for Limor Peer's thoughful commentary on social media and the news media.


What do you think? Please share your thoughts, experiences and reactions by clicking on the comment button below or by e-mailing Media Management Center at v-vahlberg@northwestern.edu.