E-comm and Social Network Sites

Creating Social Network Sites and Community Driven ones for E-comm. 

Lately, we've been working with retailers on setting up community based sites, social networks, to help them engage customers. Although, the idea is not really new, think Amazon, the user marketing approach breaks new ground. What's interesting here is that the customers will be writing the product descriptions. But what's really cool is that customers, in some cases, will help set pricing. So, we'll have dynamic pricing on some products/services.

Stay tuned.

Here's a tidbit on Wal-mart's venture  into social networks.  "Wal-Mart Closes MySpace Clone 'The Hub'.

Shame, shame, shame. ""Soon after The Hub launched in July, visitors to the site were reportedly turned off by "user" comments that promoted the site and
Wal-Mart products, convincing some that the users were in fact hired spokespeople. Advertising Age called the site "highly sanitized and controlled"."

I'm amazed that consumers are still played as idiots. Any business thinking about blogging needs to follow womma guidelines (word of mouth marketing assoc.) to be  accepted in the blogosphere.

Update 10/17/06   Hugh, gapingvoid has a little tiddy about the blow up of walmarts fake blog and edleman, the pr agency that advised them.

Hugh, "fake walmart blog". Check out Tris Hussey link in his post.