Having conducted a study earlier this year for a prominent orthodontist, in which we found close to 75% of parents communicating their feelings and opinions about the doctor and the category, but doing it off line, I was initially surprised by the findings from MomConnection, The Parenting Group's research panel of 5,000 moms.  According to their research, “60% of moms report having used a social network in the past 24 hours, and turning to online communities and social networks for advice, support and connection.”  We are told that over 80% are members of Facebook and other social networks.

That’s the part of the research that made the headlines.  

For those who took the time to read a bit deeper into the report we learn however that moms do not use social networks as a resource when it comes to product decision-making.  Moms are four times more likely to turn to their personal offline network of friends and family than online social networks for product recommendations and buying advice.  

The study found that the role of social networks in moms' lives is not a channel where most moms are receptive to gathering product information, but rather is largely for entertainment and personal communication. Only 24% of respondents have used Facebook for product information and buying advice, while 5% have used Myspace for product info, and 3% have used Twitter.   In other words telephone calls and face-to-face communications aren’t the only way to deliver information and recommendations any longer, but they still do matter most when making those important decisions about home and family.