E-WOM

Together with the internet, social networking sites provide the consumers and the companies with a new marketing channel. In these online platforms, people make groups and come together for specific purposes. This new vivid and productive environment attracts the consumers seeking for product information and the companies trying to be in close contact with the customers. So the traditional WOM (word of mouth) has gained a new momentum and transformed into a new form in this online environment, called e-WOM (electronic word of mouth). Setting out from this recent fact, the chapter aims to give a general review of word of mouth communication starting with the traditional word of mouth and then elaborating e-WOM. It tries to tell about what e-WOM is and how it functions in online environments. As well as the definitions and the explanations of e-WOM, the chapter also aims to give the underlying reasons and the related factors during the process of e-WOM communication, thus putting a general framework for the companies and brands about this new marketing communication.