-By Eric Newman, Brandweek

NEW YORK Social networking is all about linking common interests. To that end, 56 percent of respondents to a new survey by online branding consultancy Prospectiv said social networking would be better if marketers pushed more targeted ads.

Sixty-two percent of the nearly 800 online social networkers polled in March said they'd be interested in offers for their preferred brands. The problem is marketers are failing to provide them with information and offers about products they want to use. The vast majority of respondents (87 percent) said very few or no ads matched their interests or preferences. As a result, about 54 percent of participants said they never respond to an ad they see on social networking sites.

"These users want, and welcome, information about new products, savings and other offers. They're clearly stating that if the ads were more targeted and relevant, it would be worthwhile to them," said Jere Doyle, CEO of Prospectiv, Wakefield, Mass.

Why the disconnect? Brands "are treating the space like they would a traditional content site," said John Paulson, president of interactive agency G2. "That doesn't work."

Other causes: The surplus ad inventory not managed by the sites themselves can lead to untargeted messages, plus a lack of data mining.

For sites, targeting is a work in progress. On Facebook, Bella Photography placed ads for a wedding sweepstakes on profiles of engaged women. At MySpace, TJ Maxx and Target have reached consumers who expressed interest in fashion or music, netting "performance increases of up to 300 percent when compared to standard demographic targeting," said Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing.

G2 is currently developing widgets for its clients to place in social networking environments, Paulson said. "We have to work within their universe to add value to them."