Consumer engagement is nirvana for brands and service providers who are challenged with the dual task of building trust with consumers and breaking through the information glut.

One way marketers are looking to drive engagement is by participating in social networks than enable "friending."  That is, a user on MySpace can friend Janet Jackson, Pepsi, or the latest Hollywood hit film.

Friending leads others in the social network to discover these artists, brands, and products in a trusted way... an indirect but powerful form of promotion.

RealSelf.com now allows users to signup to receive your latest posts by email.  This form of friending means that with time you'll build-up a fan base that's actively engaged in what you have to say.

This feature is available on all professional profiles and answers via a link "Notify me when Dr. XYZ answers a question.”  See the example below of Dr. Mary Lupo's response to a laser treatment question.

In the next several weeks we plan to report back to you the number of friendings you've received so you get a clear picture to how many RealSelf.com users are actively listening to you.

You can also sign up to receive notifications when your latest answers are published on RealSelf.com by clicking, "Notify me when (your name) answers a question."  

To receive notification when a new post has been added to the Pro Answers blog, just click the link below that says, "Notify me when pro answers has a new blog post."

-- Posted by Tom (President/Founder).  My blog