Of all the users on sites like Facebook and MySpace, the ones most eager for new friends might be the marketers. But like any successful friendship, the relationship needs to be a two-way street.

Online social networks started as digital watering holes where people could connect. Now, companies are increasingly using social media, hoping to sell their brand or get their message out where consumers interact continually.

Because social media capture unfiltered conversations and help to spread information quickly, the chatter on comment boards and blogs serves as impromptu focus groups that provide direct feedback to marketers.

But the two-way flow can be a risk for companies unaccustomed to dealing directly with consumers…Read more