I think the Amazon affiliate program is the closest I’ve seen to a marriage between social networking and advertising.

The person hosting the images and links of books becomes the advertiser (to their readers/friends), with an implicit recommendation of the book.

I love getting ads forwarded to me, or recommended to me for their entertainment value, or for the information in them (assuming it relates to a niche that I’m actively interested in. Getting an ad handed to me in an inappropriate way makes my skin crawl.

Mari - Thank you!

Britt - I disagree to an extent. I think companies, brands and businesses can participate in the conversation, not just hang on the wall watching it. Social media gives both us consumers and businesses and brands the forum to have conversations and dialog with one another. Good marketers find ways to participate meaningfully in the conversation and community. If brands were only limited to ads on the walls, I’d be out of a job.

A marketer only need to compare the online social world to the physical social world. At a bar, I don’t have to stop at the door to the bathroom and interact with an ad before I can enter. Instead, I can read an ad on the wall while taking a leak. Apply those same principals to advertising in the social media world.

Thanks for the interesting post. Some decent ideas to think about incorporating into the banner widget. We’ll send you a commission check if they ever get fully implemented….