A pioneer in social networking, the American Cancer Society realizes that Web 2.0 tools are just high-tech ways to continue what it's been doing for a hundred years — building and interacting with a community of constituents united against cancer.

By Abny Santicola

Twitter is the organization’s newest social-networking frontier, where it shares small pieces of communication with constituents to connect them with ACS and reach out to individuals searching Twitter for cancer information. David Neff, director of Web, film and interactive strategies for ACS’ High Plains Division in Texas, searches Twitter to find people who might be asking questions about cancer and helps them find the information they need. Music adds that the Twitter presence also offers the organization the opportunity to answer questions and dispel misinformation, noting that when the swine flu scare emerged a few months ago, some members of the Twitter group posted questions about whether or not there would be cancellations to Relay For Life events.