I am not sure how social networking has been relegated, more appropriately, co-opted as a unique function of internet.  Since the operative term is “social,” and at the risk of pointing out the obvious, social networking has been with us since cave men gathered around fires playing flutes made from deer bone.   So what we’re talking about here is the human condition that drives most of us to connect to people, things, places and ideas.  From cavemen gathering around fires, to the spread of religious ideas, to the proliferation of the iPod, social networking has been with us since the beginning of time.  Now let’s fast forward to to the early 80s, to witness how Faberge capitalized on social networking while peddling organic shampoo in the famous “she told 2 friends, and she told 2 friends.” Remember this commercial?

So what now? Well, today, social networking is about letting today’s technologies work for you and your brand.  Still, the operative term is social very human instinct to be social.  Let’s not be so quick to discount the power of offline social networking, ultimately, whether is clothes, music, banking, mutual funds, or live stock, people buy from people…but technology is a fantastic tool allowing mutliplier effects to reach and connect with more people than ever before.

More to come…