Recently we've seen a few new developments in this sector of social networking which seem to confirm that branded communities are on the rise. You have to remember that plenty of companies have been striking deals with big social networks like MySpace and Facebook. But some companies want to host their own branded social networks, and start-ups are beginning to, well, start up for that purpose. Earlier this week, another one launched--Passenger, a platform that aims to "create collaborative relationships" between brands and their consumers through online social networks.

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Leading brands such as Coca-Cola, ABC Television and Sara Lee are leveraging Passenger to easily deploy private brand communities designed to facilitate meaningful discussions with customers and better understand how to respond to changes in consumer behavior, attitudes, tastes and market trends.

Social networking sites aren't just for college kids and hopeful daters anymore. More and more companies are looking at online communities as fertile areas for consumer feedback and customer connection.

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Passenger, a technology company that connects brands with consumers, has unveiled its new Customer Collaboration platform that aims to provide Fortune 500 companies with the ability to build private brand communities.

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Brand community platform provider Passenger is making its services more widely available to advertisers. The firm launched in January 2006, and until now has been working with clients like Nestle, Coca-Cola, ABC Television and Sara Lee. Passenger powers private brand communities, allowing companies to conduct product or advertising research with consumers who have signed up to participate.

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Some of America's largest companies are instituting a velvet rope policy online and providing their best customers with exclusive perks thanks to technology from Passenger, a start-up which recently raised $2.5 million. Founded in January 2006, Los Angeles-based Passenger sells a software service that allows companies, including the Coca Cola Co., Sara Lee Corp., and ABC Inc., a division of the Walt Disney Co., to target their best customers with exclusive content and services.

The new software platform allows companies to create social networking web sites focused on their own brands. Passenger said that Coca-Cola, ABC Television, and Sara Lee are among the customers using the firm's product to deploy their own private brand communities.

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