As a web entrepreneur who has built “launch and iterate” properties with a small flexible group…I now work with large high profile companies helping to use social media to craft the post-sales brand experience. It has given me a new perspective on 3rd party on-line communities dedicated to someone else’s brand....I was thinking it seemed like audience theft given the large investment to build a brand...I now admire their speed of in-market execution and see them potential allies.

While companies slog through the technical, legal and political processes required to get new features / content to market on their “branded user community”… entrepreneurial 3rd party sites run by clever and resourceful people are able to implement the vision before we make our first PowerPoint pres to the internal Execs.

The top 3rd party sites…with their fully enabled Social Networking vision already in market…have developed very compelling value propositions for visitors….building audiences numbering millions of our brand’s end users.

What’s the lesson here? Part of my job is to influence the online “conversation” around a brand…the reality is that we must find ways to collaborate with the owners of these properties to mutual benefit.

Big companies should not fear these 3rd party sites. Their autonomy, authenticity, flexibility, and reduced corporate liability issues….create an opportunity to provide a tremendous source of market research info, brand advocacy, and marketing buzz creation.

Although very cautiously….we have begun building relationships with some of these 3rd party communities and testing different ways we can work together to achieve our mutual goals….early days….hopefully I will be proven right….but I’ll keep you posted…

What do u think?