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They’re not discussion-based, so it can be hard to engage constituents on social networks like MySpace and Facebook, but it’s this superficial nature that makes these sites great venues for introducing an organization to potential supporters without the pressure of discussion.

“A lot of times message board-based communities or discussion-based communities have a hard time getting going because, I think, discussion can be an intimidating thing for people, both online and off. And there’s that kind of pressure of being the person that stands up and asks a question, and then nobody responds,” says Lee LeFever, community consultant for Common Craft, a company that makes short videos and helps organizations work with their supporters in an online community setting. “So social networking is at least a way to give people an easy entry into making their identity known on the site and relating what they’re interested in.”