As Narrow Gate Media enjoys its 10th year in business as an Indianapolis website design, development and marketing company, my brother and I look back on how things have changed since we first opened our doors in 2000. It's amazing to see how the internet industry has evolved and grown over the years. Businesses have gone from not putting much value on their internet presence, to now, a website and marketing it is a "must have" in any marketing plan. I think we all can agree that the internet will continue to get bigger and will be increasingly more important for the durability and sustainability of any business. Enter social networks.

Just like computers and the internet, social networks are not going away. It's a fact that they continue to gain popularity and membership, and more businesses today are utilizing them as marketing tools then ever before. With that said, you would be wise not to ignore social networking unless you want your business to falter. What are social networks? They are websites that do a lot of things. But one thing they all have in common is they keep people connected with their family, friends and business associates. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Flickr, Digg, and del.icio.us are just a few of the elite social networks that have captured the imagination of the internet generation. These are all playing an increasingly important role in how business is conducted these days. If you haven't already started using one or more of these social networks, I suggest you do so soon. You will be amazed at the amount of business they can bring. Now I don't believe these sites are going to replace traditional marketing. But just as the internet at one time was thought to be an extension of traditional mediums, I believe social networking marketing is going to be an extension of traditional internet marketing. So now that you're aware of this, what are you going to do? Lead, follow, or get out of the way?

With the popularity and effectiveness of social networks today, it's obvious why many businesses, non-profits, and associations participate in social networks. But what if you could have your own social network on your own website? Are you able to imagine how valuable this could be for cultivating new and existing relationships and clients?

For those of you utilizing our Edit On Site content management system, you may be interested to know that we are now able to offer you social networking on your website. We have a module called Active Social, and we can install it into your website so you can start your own social network right in your own website. Basically, it's a watered-down version of the social networking sites mentioned above that would allow your website members to share (links, photos, comments, etc.). This would provide an active and immediate way for you and your members to communicate with everyone in the group, one-on-one, have public profiles, etc. This is a great module and is definitely more interactive than any forum or blog. In addition, the module is very economical considering all that it does and it's customizable to fit the needs of any size interest group. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!