So today we have evidence of the increasing pervasiveness of social networking tools like Facebook.  According to CNN, a police department in New Zealand has their very own Facebook page and posted a surveillance video of a robbery.  Within a few days a visitor to the site recognized the perp and turned him in to authorities.

This is a great illustration of the effects social networking sites can have on the real world.  The virtual communities that live within Facebook and other sites allow for an unprecedented reach into a particular community.  Until the web, marketers and advertisers segmented populations using zip codes, block groups, etc.  Consumer segmentation was not the reason the government invented zip codes.  Where in the past the police may have sent the video to local TV stations and hoped someone was watching, they can now directly reach local citizens that want to be involved.

I can envision a local retailer in a town going onto Facebook, creating a group and using it to ask for feedback on a new menu.  A local grocer could announce a new sale or promotion.  A local grocer here in Richmond has at least five dedicated groups on Facebook, none if which were created by the company.  Too bad since the simple creation of a thing like a Facebook group could lead to their best ever focus group.  .