• by Laurie Petersen , August 2, 2007

“You’ve got to be in it to win it” is a timeworn tagline used by the New York Lottery. But that sentiment applies equally well to marketers trying to figure out how to use social networks as a communications device that fits in and becomes part of the fabric rather than an unwanted intrusion.

As we focus this month on the many faces of social networking, that message emerges consistently.

In her story, “The Gift That Keeps on Giving,” Liz Tascio looks at what’s happened to Facebook since it was opened up this spring to allow anyone to create applications for its 30 million (and counting) users.

Marketers who have had the most success weaving their way into the everyday lives of community members, she finds, are those who created campaigns and offers unique to

Facebook users. And by the way, the median age of that community is steadily climbing.

A key step to figuring out relevance is to be there.

Meanwhile, Colleen DeCourcy, JWT’s chief experience officer, tells Maggie Starvish that the future of advertising lies in managing a “grid” of touchpoints that can include blog posts, text messages and MySpace pages. She sees the need for agencies to hire digital anthropologists who understand the grid and how to work within it.

There’s also the time factor. Social media is personal. Communicating in it requires a commitment to proper care and feeding. You can’t just launch and run to the next thing.

As Tim Hanlon of Publicis Groupe’s Denuo puts it, advertising on social networking sites is “something living or breathing that needs to be managed, measured, optimized and renewed.”

If you’re already there, you know what he means. If you’re not, what are you waiting for?