Pick up a newspaper these days (or visit the online equivalent) and you can't miss the interest of marketers in social networks. Connected communities represent another venue for driving discussion on topics of interest among like-minded individuals. And tapping into self-identified passion points.

But there's a downside, too, to the new layer of accessibility online social networks provide. When social connections are treated like "mass marketing" channels and the individual is ignored, communicators can actually do damage to the reputations of those they represent and the issues they wish to advance.

Today, for the first time, I "defriended" someone on Facebook. This is a story I've shared with my own team at GolinHarris as an example of what we must avoid within social networks.

Here's what happened:

A month or so ago, a marketing consultant (to remain unnamed) "befriended me" on Facebook. I had spoken to him electronically on a few occasions, we're members of some common industry groups, though we'd never met in person or shook hands.

Over the past few weeks, I (and I suspect many more of his 800+ "friends") received emails urging us to join a Facebook Group surrounding an issue a client he represents seeks to advance. It is a fairly generic notice encouraging people to join the online group and apply pressure to elected officials. It's one of many campaigns he's been promoting online for his clients.

The cause he's supporting isn't the sticking point-- in fact, it's a positive effort relating to the environment -- rather, it's the way he tries to mobilize people around the topic that's all wrong.

Social networks can unearth many deep insights about individuals. One look at your profile can reveal the company you keep (via networked "friends"), your personal interests, hobbies and passion points. When actually considered, these insights can help facilitate incredibly tailored communication with individuals who are likely (by their own self descriptions) to actually care about a topic.

But when these clues aren't considered, communication can quickly become unwelcome and ineffective, particularly in more "personal" touch points such as Facebook. This individual goofed by ignoring specific clues on my profile to let him know how to tailor his communication and help make a determination if such a message was even relevant to me. Facebook, for example, lets users share descriptors of their political affiliations....and I wondered: did he even bother to see what my views may be before blast e-mailing? Did he see if I was already involved with related groups?

There was no evidence of it from his note. Instead of focusing on reaching the *right* eyeballs he was focused on reaching *many* eyeballs.

His time (and his client's money) would be better spent identifying people who have a clear passion for the environment and this specific topic, evidenced through their own self-penned profiles and their involvement in related groups. These folks are more likely to welcome his message and could take action to spread the word about this topic.

Marketers who wish to build support for causes or their own brands within social networks should always consider basic tenants of "influencer" relations:

* Pay attention to the individual
* Try to understand his or her personal interests
* Examine group affiliations and participation
* Read and watch what he or she has said about this topic in the past
* Only communicate if your content is reasonably relevant, timely, and potentially valuable

It's the same advice PR pros hear from other influencers like "mainstream" media and a growing chorus of citizen journalists. The best communicators build relationships by doing their homework, reading or watching the individual's work, and exercising good judgment when pitching a story or sending a message asking for support.

Within social media in particular, personalization isn't optional -- it's a prerequisite. The upside is that most networks make it easy to understand each individual's motivations, if you do the homework.

For now, I'll have to find a way to live with the gaping hole on my buddy list. But I sure won't miss all that junk mail.