When building a social network for your customers, donors or prospects don’t: 1) Misunderstand your target audience. The demographics of users on MySpace differ greatly from those on Facebook, Friendster and other social networks. When creating any site, be very specific about whom you want to reach. 2) Be impatient. Like any marketing strategy, building a social network takes time. With the potential of exponential growth (members reach out to each other and tell others), the time it takes to build a membership base is worth the benefits of having a captive audience ready to experience the brand and hear the message. 3) Assume people will discover it on their own. Success requires outside promotion either online, offline or both. Some advertise their sites in various media or on the product donor communication itself. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, but there has to be someone there first to spread the word. (1to1 5-6/07)