Social Networking

Social media has become a powerful marketing mechanism for both large established firms and entrepreneurs on a whole. Social media platforms provides companies with  a drastically cheaper alternative to  the traditional advertising vehicles like television commercials and roadside billboards. Its is reported that social media users are now numbered in the billions this affords many companies to exponential increase their target audience. What is most amazing about the  utilization of  social media as a marketing mechanism is that it readily allows for feedback between consumers and the companies that produce. In many ways it functions as a medium for research for these companies.  On the hand with the onset of Social media marketing in which companies are able to amass large amounts of data on users of social media platforms, consumers lose their anonymity. its ultimately gives companies an unfair advantage in which they are able to build specialized campaigns in which they can bombard consumers. Another negative aspect of the use of social media to tracking mechanism, Almost all online profiles are interconnected. I my estimation social media is on the fast track to become one of the most efficient marketplace in existence. I found the following articles insightful

Moguls of New Media

The MySpace member with a million 'friends.' The receptionist with a production deal. Some of the Web's amateur entertainers are becoming powerful players.By

John Jurgensen

Real Facebook shop in virtual world breathes life into Mars By Rufus Jay