Last spring, Nielsen surveyed 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries to discover the most trusted sources of advertising. What they found is that 90% of those surveyed trust recommendations from people that they know and 70% trust consumer opinions posted online. Interactive websites that allow friend recommendations and user comments are much more likely to create personal connections that result in real interaction.
Last month, Facebook made available simple code that allows any website to incorporate Facebook "like" buttons that encourage friend recommendations of website content. Now any website can incorporate Facebook-like features that encourage social interaction. For more info on how to create community through the web. Check out the Church Web Coach at ChurchWebCoach.com.
