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AN agency has emerged that aims to connect companies with the growing phenomenon of social networking, building internal networks for brands and companies linking to the wider world of Twitter and Facebook.

Community Engine, which opened its doors two years ago, has spent the period perfecting applications to integrate social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace into internal networks.

Managing director Piers Hogarth-Scott said Community Engine was ready to fully launch the service, capitalising on extraordinary growth in social networks in recent months.

“While global social platforms such as Facebook are radically changing human communication, most organisations have little or no idea that they can build their own social networks to connect with their own communities,” Mr Hogarth-Scott said.

“All organisations need to form direct relationships with their audiences, and social networking — when used properly — is one of the most powerful and effective ways of forming those relationships in the online era.”

By adapting internal social networks to work in tandem with popular public ones, businesses could communicate with employees and customers, associations with members, politicians with constituents and charities with donors, Mr Hogarth-Scott said.

“The question companies need to ask is whether they are content to sit by and observe what people are saying about them without any means of taking part in the conversation, or whether they would rather interact openly and directly with their community,” he said.

The concept of being able to link internal social network systems with external ones had its origins five years ago, but the market back then was too narrow, Mr Hogarth-Scott said.

Since a soft launch, Community Engine has completed social networking projects for the federal government, Qantas, Events NSW and the ACTU.

“We can create something that allows an internal social network to fully integrate with the major social networks,” he said.

The agency created a website for Events NSW for its recent Crave food and arts festival using Web 2.0 tools that allowed visitors to use social networking to find and recommend events.

It also created a site for NSW federal Labor MP Paul McLeay that allows his constituents to communicate with him through Facebook and Twitter.

“We like to call it social networking with a purpose,” Mr Hogarth-Scott said.