The advent of social networking web sites -- Facebook.com, Myspace.com, Twitter.com and the like -- is changing the way profit-making enterprises and non-profit organizations achieve their goals of increasing consumers or memberships or donations.

And so a growing number of business leaders, journalists and political activists are using the these web sites to network with one another -- sometimes going as far as creating non-profit organizations with tens of thousands of members and associates -- and increasing interest in their businesses or organizations.

A perfect example of successful social networking is Fox News Channel. Their on-air talent and production staff attribute its success of being Number One to its accessibility to the public/news consumers. One of the most successful uses of Twitter.com by a major corporation is News Corps' utilization of Twitter to instantly communicate with viewers and obtain instant feedback about news segments and topics.

"Twitter offers unique opportunities for the enhancement and expansion of traditional marketing and social media marketing campaigns. We saw companies and savvy Internet marketers coming up with new ways to use Twitter to their advantage and Fox News Channel has used Twitter and Facebook to increase its viewership. Viewers become partners, not just consumers and audience members," FNC news anchor Jon Scott said in a previous column I wrote regarding social networking..

A definite plus for utilizing social network web sites is that the owners/operators frequently upgrade their operations and provide additional services to members. For example, two of the most popular social networking sites -- Facebook and Twitter -- are offering members new or upgraded features. Continued...