Like it or not, social networking sites have become a powerful force in shaping public opinion on virtually every aspect of American commerce. And they are growing more and more influential as more people log on.

Little more than a blip on the Web a few years ago, MySpace.com turned the Internet on its ear this summer when Hitwise, a respected market research firm, rated the virtual hangout for young people the most visited site on the Web. More than 52 million people visited MySpace during June 2006 alone, and six million new people each month sign up for free memberships. Facebook.com, which is geared toward high school and college students, is also wildly popular.

People frequenting the sites—most of them ages 13-25—seem to love the irreverent, no-holds-barred nature of the virtual meeting places. The MySpace community actively encourages members to be as honest and outrageous as they please. And for many, that's taken as an invitation to shock.

Because of this, most athletic departments so far have focused on how to avoid being embarrassed through social networking sites. Many are educating their athletes to be cautious with what they post, and a few schools have banned their athletes from participating at all. Most administrators would love for the sites to just disappear altogether.

However, the truth is that these Web sites are only gaining in popularity, and wishing they'd go away is the worst tack to take. Instead, athletic departments should consider jumping on the bandwagon. A growing number of companies are figuring out how to use social networking sites as a marketing tool, and there's no reason athletic departments can't follow suit.

For example, Interpublic Group, a worldwide company comprising hundreds of communication agencies that specialize in custom marketing, has announced plans to spend $10 million in advertising on Facebook. And advertising agency WPP Group recently bought roughly $2 million of stock in LiveWorld.com, a creator of social networking environments.

Chances are, public opinion about your athletic program and specific teams has been—or soon will be—shaped by young people who hang out at MySpace and other social networking sites, with or without your input. You can ignore it, or make it part of your marketing plan.

Consider this:

• The sports news site Scout.com has built "virtual hangouts" for fans of all NCAA programs, as well as many high school sports teams. Fans can visit the sites to text chat live with others, or post more thoughtful ruminations on the teams' discussion boards.
• At least two retailers of collegiate team merchandise advertise on MySpace.com through sponsored links. When a MySpace visitor searches using keywords like "college teams" or "college sports," a pop-up ad for FansEdge.com, which sells college team apparel, appears on the screen. And when someone types "UCLA Bruins" in, a sponsored link for the UCLA e-store pops up.
• Gregg Brandon, Head Football Coach at Bowling Green State University, created his own Facebook profile earlier this year to promote his program, and more than 19,000 people have signed up to become his Internet "friend." He also started a Facebook group to encourage more Bowling Green students to come to the Falcons' home football games.

If you're considering shaping public opinion about your sports program on social networking sites—before the members there do it for you—you'll need to know some of the nuances and current trends. Here are a few ideas:

Know the players: Nielsen-NetRatings.com regularly monitors traffic to social networking spaces. It also analyzes marketing and advertising trends on the Internet.

Speak the language: One look at MySpace and similar sites will tell you that straight-laced marketers are simply not noticed there. That's why many companies have created profiles, or personas, on MySpace in an effort to engage members. In the weird, wild, wacky world of MySpace, personas exist as virtual identities that can be "befriended" by other members.

For example, the computer maker Dell decided to go with the puckish DJDitty (www.myspace.com/dellditty), a persona it created to help market its new music player. The details on Dell's irreverent DJDitty persona? Status: "Music is my lady. But other than that, single." Children: "Likely." Education: "Hard Knocks U, Honorary Doctorate, Magna Cum Lade." Poets: "Neruda. Seuss."

Start your own site: Some organizations uncomfortable with the concept of venturing into the "anything goes" zone are instead opting to bring the entire kit-and-caboodle in-house. WebCrossing.com, for example, enables a company to set up its own, branded social network—complete with special interest groups, personal user spaces, blogs, file and photo sharing, search tools, user access controls, and other community features. An athletic department could certainly set up a similar community on its own site.

Give fans a voice: Companies desiring public customer reviews of their products and services are using a site called Bazaarvoice.com, where consumers can post comments, both positive and negative. Not for the faint of heart, Bazaarvoice operates under the premise that companies must allow free speech in order to be taken seriously.

An athletic department could follow this idea by allowing spectators to post their feedback on the most recent game. How was the atmosphere in section G? Was parking a problem? Did anyone try the new fajita stand? How did fans celebrate after the win?

Some athletic departments will decide they don't want to touch social networking with a 10-foot pole. But if you're working hard to attract the young adult fan, it may be your best chance to show them your athletic program is hip to the times.