A photographic imagination

Leveraging Online Communities
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Creating your own community may seem a daunting task. After all, MySpace and YouTube seem to have come from nowhere. But if you have a strong brand or product line, it's a natural move. After all, you're not trying to attract every user, only those interested in your brand.

First, take stock of the different types of communities, so you can decide on a basic model for interaction. Some of the choices include:

* Social networking, such as MySpace, Match.com, and LinkedIn
* Distributed marketplaces, such as eBay
* Post-sales support sites
* Collaborative sites, like Wikipedia
* Social bookmarking, including sites such as digg and Newsvine

Which kind would be appropriate for your brand? To find out, search on your brand (or similar brands) on the larger community sites. What are people who talk about your brand doing? What are they interested in?