How online communities have come of age … for catalogers

By Joe Dysart

The third type of community site is specifically designed to gather customer reviews on company products and/or services, and to publicize that feedback to future customers.

Going forward, expect at least a quarter of all Fortune 100 companies to announce online communities like these, “in which they learn about and create higher levels of engagement with their customers and markets,” predicts Brad Bortner, co-author of “Top Market Researcher Predictions for 2008,” from market research firm Forrester Research.