They’re informed, they’re opinionated, and their opinions spread like wild fire, which makes them just the sort of folks advertisers most want to connect with.

One of the great draws, then, of social networking sites, beyond their huge growth, is that they create an environment in which those opinion-shapers can and do stand out, perhaps more so than in any other media format.

Now these people have a name, super advocates--advocates because if they get behind a product they can get others to buy it and get behind it, super because of the powers they possess to do all that.

"These individuals personify citizen journalism – outspoken, articulate and with a die-hard following. When they speak, members listen," write the authors in a new report on social networks in Britain from Hitwise, the internet tracking firm, and Experian, the integrated marketing company that owns Hitwise.

“It’s like the cool kid on the playground, but on a wider global scale. They can now spread their influence much more effectively,” Robin Goad, director of research at Hitwise UK, tells Media Life.

Looking ahead into 2008, those super advocates are expected to become a much stronger force on the social networks, predicts Hitwise. “It is still a niche channel,” says Goad, “but it is growing in importance.”

All this presents a whole new set of issues for advertisers already facing the challenge of figuring out how to advertise on social networks. These super advocates hold the promise of doing the selling for you, but how do you connect with them?

It's not likely to be through traditional advertising, like banners and popups, which has been the predominant model on these sites to date.

The study predicts that traditional advertising will give way as advertisers investigate more subtle, more targeted means of influencing visitors to social networking sites, and one approach will be finding ways to nurture relationships with the emerging super advocates.

The idea of super advocates is not a new one. It's the forum they now have with social networking sites, which makes them so much more visible.

Rikard Svendsen, creative director at Fhlame, a London-based digital agency, agrees. “The good and the bad thing with social networks is that these brand advocates can communicate much wider and quicker. They are very connected with each other and they can make – and break – a brand of product very easily."

Super advocates can be quite different sorts of people on different types of social networks, says Goad.

On the big, general social networks like MySpace and Facebook, they are people that may have 5,000 or more friends on their friends list. These friends are exposed to their thoughts and influence each day. The immediate impact if they post a viral marketing message on their wall is big.

But on more specific types of social networks, for instance, travel- or technology-related networks, the super advocate would be more likely to be someone with greater knowledge or experience in the subject.

They might be, for instance, someone who has been contributing reviews or had some expertise in this niche before joining the social network. “They have sway because they are seen as experts in that area,” says Goad.

But as Goad notes, marketers face the risk of alienating super advocates if they bungle their approach, which could lead to those advocates spreading negative messages about the company or brand.

The technology sector, says Goad, has been a leader in figuring out ways to draw super advocates in. A company may, for instance, offer early releases of software for review to a frequent contributor on a relevant message board.

But this type of approach may not work for more general consumer product areas. Fhlame's Svendsen believes it could have a negative effect if marketers contacted the super advocates directly, particularly for things like cars, sun glasses and mobile phones.

The brand instead has to create an identity that the super advocate would like to endorse – a lifestyle or a mission that the super advocate identifies with. “It’s not really anything to do with the quality or price,” he says.

“People use different products to communicate something about themselves," he says. "You have to find out what people would like to say about themselves, something they value. It should be the essence of the company.”