I've been banging around in the halls of Internet Marketing for quite a few years, and I've seen a lot of concepts come and go. Recently, it looks like e-commerce businesses are trying harder every day to cash in on the profits of the social networking scene.

Not too long ago, social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace were a forum and meeting place for the very technically talented young people of our world. They shared everything from funny stories to even funnier videos. The business world didn't give it much thought until everything started taking on a Web 2.0 flavor.

Little by little, savvy entrepreneurs started realizing the scope of ones reach within these friendship portals and began figuring out ways to market their wares to the masses of socialites hanging out on the web. It wasn't difficult to draw the connection from socialite to prospective customer and, check this out, there's a barrel of them just waiting for something new to read or watch.

Once business started jumping on the social networking bandwagon, the really attentive Internet marketers saw the opportunity for social networks that cater to Internet businesses. Now you don't have to look very far to find a half dozen or so business-specific social networks that allow you to market to a community to your heart's content.

I like this idea, however, I must admit I'd like to see it segmented a bit more. The typical model today allows an Internet Marketer to sign-up and market to everyone who will accept your message. This could mean that you get quite a few offers that you're not interested in. Of course, it also means you're probably sending messages to members of the community who are not interested in your offer as well.

It certainly isn't the perfect system yet, but it's a step in the right direction. For those of us who are trying to market to as many prospects as possible while seriously attempting to target our market as precisely as possible, it's not quite there.

In what is currently a fairly young market segment and concept, my hope is that it will mature in such a manner as to NOT become the "New SPAM Platform." I truly hope that we can nurture this great idea to become the free, open marketing and communications channel that we online business owners have been looking for.

You can read more of Don's articles and blog posts at:
http://www.bizbuildsoftware.com/blog


This has also been published as: web software on Blogspot, home base business on Hubpages, home business on Wikispaces