If this is unusual but still it is one of to-days best ways to reach big amount of targeted target group and to launch the business with the means of viral marketing and with very low costs. If done right, the efficiency is quaranteed, because the social networking sites are very popular.

The idea is to hunt for discussion groups that focus on the business topic you have, starting chats and covertly creating hype for your clients.

Many companies are paying good money to college students for doing this, which is the sign that this kind of word of mouth marketing works. It has become a serious medium and thanks to the popularity and newness, it offers a great way how to start business straight in the right way.

The Internet metrics company com.Score reported that in June 2007 Facebook had over 52 million visitors and the rival MySpace over 114 million. The market consists over 300 social networking sites. So no doupt, the audience is there and it leaves you a challence how to start business and to draw their attention.

Those companies,which have hired an army of students to chat on behalf of themselves will meet serious backlash, if the other users will find out this.Other companies try to market their products by recruiting people for using blogs, chat rooms and social sites, who then mention the product in the copy as if it would be their own, honest opinion. These campaigns do not raise the image of these mediums and can lead to the situation, where the site become inflated.

Transparency has its problems, since most people on social networks will ignore or complain about businesses that attempt to join in. There is also concern that, as commercially minded users flood the sites, it will create an air of suspicion. It does start to get people more skeptical about things because then they have to ask, are you getting paid for this?

One dangerous feature is linked with the social networking sites. Their users are young people, who are constantly looking for the next big thing, which will shorten the lifespan of the popular sites and the whole industry.

So the long term success of these sites depends on their ability to keep the interests of their users. This requires a lot of developement because this industry shouts fresness. One of the future success factor is most obviously the technological improvements, which lift or kill some of these sites.So the question is, who will invent the next big thing? Well, it is already here and coming. It operates through mobile phones.

Facebook sees the future more as an information producer for the users rather than as a pure chat room.

So it has realized that chatting has very little value for the chatters and will invest more into real value producing things.

Social networking sites get a part of their revenue by selling advertising space, i.e. banner and text ads to their clients.

For a private entrepreneur these sites work best, when used in a personal way, like a personal blog. The posting style should be from me to you and honest. My opinion is that an enthusiastic and active presentations work best and the straight advertising should be avoided.