• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 17, 2010

Back during the first wave of social media -- oh, those many years ago (2001-2005) -- it seemed like every brand was going to have its own proprietary social network of consumer enthusiasts. Those days are over: the idea was pretty silly, if you think about it (“I can’t wait to log into my Kleenex profile!�). At the social media and media planning panel on Wednesday morning, Matthew Pietro of Federated Media advised:  “It’s the wrong approach to build a community from the ground up, because there are already a number of communities existing,� both for general social networking or niche enthusiast groups, and “your audience is unlikely to want to go yet another microsite.� At the same time this doesn’t mean planners are off the hook, since all the third-party social networks are already there. Ekaterina Walter of Intel emphasized that “building a self-sustaining community… requires a lot of investment, a lot of time. It can’t just be a three-month effort and then it’s over, because that’s bad for your brand. And please don’t let your client say: ‘Can I just hire an intern, these young folks know how to create a Facebook page, and it’s cheap!’ Social media is not cheap!�