Companies Use the Web to Seek Consumer Input
Consumers and taxpayers are getting boardroom access to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and cultural chieftains thanks to a virtual twist on old-fashioned focus groups.
Recognizing that social networking portals are the new water cooler, organizations are elbowing their way into the conversation by creating websites exclusively for their supporters.
Like gated electronic communities, these invitation-only sites allow direct interaction between executives and customers, who help shape everything from marketing campaigns to infrastructure projects and TV-show plots by participating in polls, virtual meetings and multimedia exchanges...
