Do you think this approach is more effective than “traditional” marketing methods?

However, companies must change the way they think about social sites like Facebook and how they can get their message to those members. Social networks are not just big websites, and most current strategies wont work on these sites. The key is to engage!

I can point to several reports that seem to show traditional advertising models don’t seem to be working on Facebook – at least not in its current form. Facebook is working on a more focused system for advertisers, and those results remain to be seen. Perhaps more focused efforts will have better results.

Now, I am not a marketing or advertising expert. But I suggest the way to reach Facebook users is to engage and participate with the community using the tools that Facebook provides. Get in there! Some thoughts:

• Find your customers
• Participate in Groups
• Create your own Group
• Don’t sell – participate in the conversation
• Add value to the conversation – don’t just shout your message
• Build an application

What are your thoughts on Facebook as a marketing platform?

Well, of course they are.  In fact, I am surprised someone else hasn’t snapped them up already.  As Sam points out, many of us read blogs and other sites via RSS without ever visiting the actual website .  As a result, the RSS advertising market is becoming more attractive.

It’s funny – I used to hang out with Feedburner co-founder Matt Schobe in college.  We are fraternity brothers from Purdue. Here’s hoping this rumor pans out for Matt and the crew at Feedburner – they have a great product.

Wired: How should we think about Google today?

Schmidt: Think of it first as an advertising system. Then as an end-user system — Google Apps. A third way to think of Google is as a giant supercomputer. And a fourth way is to think of it as a social phenomenon involving the company, the people, the brand, the mission, the values — all that kind of stuff.

Wow.  Remember when they were a search engine?