Companies Slowly Figuring Out Social Networking

(MoneyWatch)  It looks like more and more companies are starting to get the hang of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Through trial and error and learning from each other's mistakes, companies are finding new ways to engage people in online communities rather than just bombarding them with unwanted advertising.

Betty Crocker has its own networking site where users can watch instructional cooking videos, save recipes, and ask each other questions about how to keep their cookies from being too flat. Cafes and co-ops are sending out their daily lunch specials through Twitter. And before it was shut down for privacy reasons, the infamous Burger King "Whopper Sacrifice" application on Facebook drew tens of thousands of users.

According to Nielsen Online, people now spend more time on social networking sites than they do on email. Restaurants and food companies are eager to jump into these communities and find ways to promote their brands. A few are lucky enough to inspire groups like the "Addicted to Starbucks" Facebook community, but for most companies, it's not so easy.

Chief among the challenges is that content found at member community websites typically is primarily provided by 'community' members, not publishing companies, the government or other single expert entities that own content. This can make these independent content contributors resistant to advertising that benefits a third party or may not be aligned with their own tastes or beliefs.

To be successful, Nielson Online said, advertising needs to be "more authentic, candid and humble." Companies need to provide useful information or meaningful dialog.

For example, a site focused just on Organic Valley promotions would probably not be very successful, but an Organic Valley sponsored site focused on food sustainability issues has drawn hundreds of comments, including user-posted poetry.

And throughout April, California Tortilla will be using Twitter, Facebook and its own site to send out secret passwords that can get users free menu items. The catch is, users never know which of the three sources the password will be coming from, so they have an incentive to connect on all three.

Even government agencies are getting into it. The Food and Drug Administration sends out food recall info via Twitter, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service not only has a Twitter account, but it's also launched an automated "virtual representative" named Karen who answers questions about how to safely handle and prepare foods. It's pretty silly and ridiculous, but it shows people are at least starting to think in the right direction.