Social networking is an effective marketing tool utilized by many B2B companies as a way to keep the customers updated on key business developments and periodical success stories. A closer and clearer look at social media as a marketing device reveals that it is more effective as a community than a mere communication idea. Most IT companies understand that the online community always begins as discussion threads and with the help of supportive forums. Real value from the customer rolls out from a deep engagement that is substantially relevant and inter-personal.
Recognition is valuable, and the capital that you have truly accrued to your online presence. Community building aspects of social media offer a powerful platform which provides real value to your customers and keeps them coming back for more. For building an effective online community your online experience must however include –
? Building Personal Profiles
This will give your customer a personal bonding and create a belonging with the community. His ability to project himself as he is will immediately help him connect with the surrounding. He will be able to find and communicate with like minded people, look around and desire to expand his horizons. He will be able to permanently retain his online ‘space’ in this gathering of people enriching the virtual space.
? Allow Creation of Different Groups
The community will be what you and the other members make of it. Being a part of it and involved in the growth process helps create strong bonds. These online groups have almost been useful ever since the birth of the internet. Over 270,000 distinct communities and forums were registered at the start of this decade. Different groups allow for the much required breathing space, and enable growth as communities within the community.
? Encourage and Allow Collaboration
Instead of building single communication threads which may collapse any moment without a trace, it would be meaningful to allow for collaboration among members at different levels. This inter-woven structure would withstand all kinds of virtual weather-storms that might affect the health and growth of the virtual community. Working together is not only easy, but it also enables build stronger and lasting platforms. Online saloons and discussion forums therefore must encourage and allow collaboration making inter-linking possible and gain on strength.
? A Rating System Encouraging Personal Recognition
Awarding has always been able to generate the requisite enthusiasm whenever effectively applied. An internal rating system among the members of groups will definitely boost and encourage wider participation.
Man has always been that social animal who has enjoyed meeting people, playing around, sharing jokes, stories, and has always been interested in one another. Online virtual communities will always prosper as an extension of this basic human nature.

Google has just introduced Google Buzz a new Gmail based social sharing service, and if you are using Gmail, you are already a member. The Buzz like all Google products is loud and clear, which all other social media websites will closely be observing and devising strategies to counter this offensive. With Gmail, the most popular internet mailing service backing up the new products that Google is rolling out, there is hardly any challenge Yahoo, MSN or any other provider has to offer.

Add anything with Google and they not only start making sense, but are also able to create products and generate business. The internet advertising juggernaut Google has come up with Google Buzz now. Buzz will allow you ‘to start conversations about things that you find interesting, and be able to share updates, photos, videos and more.’ Things that you already have been doing all this time on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social media sites. However, Buzz insists that this is different. Like Todd Jackson, product manager for Gmail/Buzz says, “Our belief is that organizing the social information on the Web – finding relevance in the noise – has become a large-scale challenge, one that Google’s experience in organizing information can help solve.”

So Buzz will now bring you the news, and keep the chatter low. This will be integrating right in your Gmail box directly and enable you find a new social graph with ease. Buzz will follow all the people that you already email, building from your current contact list. You will automatically be set up with feeds coming in from your contacts right in your Gmail inbox. This will enable Buzz bring millions of users from the start, simply creating by waking up and making an overnight heavyweight in social sharing.

Buzz comes with some of the best key features that will enable overcome competitor challenges and might also contribute to help reduce noise – like.

- Key feature #1: Auto-following

- Key feature #2: Rich, fast sharing experience

- Key feature #3: Public and private sharing

- Key feature #4: Inbox integration

- Key feature #5: Just the good stuff

Google Buzz users may also use their mobile phones and tag posts by location. Google is also going to be helping you find what, is the best thing that you can see. Buzz will recommend certain items that you may or may not wish to see. When you tell Buzz something is dull, the system will learn to keep that sort of update away from you.

So the next time you open your Gmail inbox, do not be surprised if you come up with a Google Buzz splash page.

I google, You google, the world googles; but only with the help of internet. The search engine giants who have never given a damn to market itself in mass media seems to do it now.

After being banned in China, Google has now turned to India to strengthen its brand. After launching The Internet Bus project from Chennai to give people a chance to experience the internet firsthand, they have now targeted Nagpur and Ahmedabad.

Take a look at the images below.

This advertisement appeared in the Ahmedabad edition of the Times of India (one of the leading daily) print edition. Yes the hard copy newspaper that we read daily in the morning. Google occupied around a quarter of a page for this ad.

Image Credit: Vibhushan Waghmare

This advertisement appeared in the Nagpur edition of the Times of India print edition. Again occupying around a quarter of a page.

Its interesting to note that Google is venturing into the print media with very targeted advertisements for two unique cities. Unique because neither of them are metros nor are they tech savvy. Though Ahmedabad is commercially more advanced than Nagpur, but the main point is how many people are using internet in these cities.

Maybe Google, thinks that these two cities are emerging and hence plans to create awareness before setting their foot here. Vibhushan analyzes and share his thoughts @ Google’s entrance into the mass media.

Its premature to say whether or not Google achieved any ROI from this ad campaign. But what interests me is that if Google wanted to target only two cities, then why didn’t they advertise in the leading dailies of those cities. By selecting The Times of India, which is one of the leading national daily and may not be too popular in those cities, didn’t Google goof up?

Maybe time will provide better answers and help in realizing what exactly Google is up to. Or may be even Mr. Shailesh Rao can provide some insight about his intentions for the India market.