Companies that harness social media to collect customers’ feedback on products and services aren’t just ahead of the curve — they’re part of the “contribution revolution,” Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Online Executive Vice President, argues in his latest Ad Age column.

Blackshaw cites a recent Harvard Business Review article by Scott Cook, founder-chairman of software developer Intuit, that credits customer participation with generating “tangible enterprise value.”

Intuit, Blackshaw notes, has created an innovative user-participation model that places “Live Community” user forums on every page of its TurboTax software.

Intuit has also put company resources behind the forums. General managers oversee all of its online communities, gathering consumer insights and funneling feedback to Intuit engineers and strategists.

That innovation — building a “pipeline” from consumers to product creators — is the real revolution, Blackshaw emphasizes.

“We must get more disciplined in listening to the consumers who are already reaching out to us,” Blackshaw writes. “These are, after all, the original ‘contributors.’”

Read the October installment of Pete Blackshaw’s regular Ad Age column on the convergence of service and marketing.

These “power moms” are also 51% more likely than average Web users to provide frequent online advice on clothes and fashion, food and beverage products (39% more likely than average), home decorating (36% more likely than average), and health, dieting and exercise (27% more likely than average).

“We’re seeing women using online avenues like email, online forums, and social networking websites to extend a role they’ve long held as information seekers and relationship builders,” Chuck Schilling, research director, agency and media analytics, Nielsen Online, noted.  “Moms, in particular, look to the Web to connect with other parents for tips and support, and they aren’t afraid of new technologies – this group is nearly 25% more likely than average to author a blog.”

In September, Scholastic.com and BirthdayExpress.com tied as the number one website, ranked by index, among the “power mom” demographic, with a composition index of 366 — more than 3.5 times the average.

General Mills, The Gap, and FamilyFun.com rounded out the top five sites that draw a high concentration of “power moms.”

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Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in BizReport and Promo magazine.

“About 60% of Americans are putting content on the Web, and it can affect how your product or service is perceived in the marketplace,” Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Online’s EVP of Digital Strategic Services, told Fortune Small Business in a recent Q&A.  “Consumers trust each other more than they trust advertisers or businesses.  The question is, how do you turn it to your advantage?”

In general, business owners should closely monitor online conversations about their brands, Blackshaw, the author of “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000,” which examines marketing in the era of Internet-empowered consumers, advised.

“If someone pans your business, use that criticism to identify and fix problems,” Blackshaw noted.  “If your company is accused of wrongdoing, it’s important to respond.”

Read the August installment of Pete Blackshaw’s Ad Age column.

The study noted that online conversations about fuel price increases shot up by 150% since March 2008, when oil prices hit a record $110 per barrel.  Fuel discussions in online forums continued at high levels throughout the spring, peaking in May and June.

Nielsen found that 13% of those discussing fuel online say they have converted or are considering converting their car’s gasoline engine into a Liquiefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) engine as a result of increasing fuel prices. 

Concerns about rising fuel costs also triggered 8% of those commenting about fuel online to express interest in purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle.

View the full press release.