Facebook is an enormously popular web-based social utility which allows for individuals to stay connected.

You’ve probably heard about Facebook and might be curious about what it can do for you and your small business.

First of all, as a loyal fan of Facebook going back to its college-only days, I would first and foremost like to point out its value as a social program. It allows you to “friend” anyone who has a Facebook profile similar to other social sites. However, one great structural advantage of Facebook over like services (namely MySpace) is its privacy / security. Members only become “friends” when the relationship is mutually approved by both parties, and there are several tiers of privacy that govern the sharing of personal information which protects against a lot of the abuse that has plagued MySpace and others. I use Facebook to gather my friends’ emails, addresses, phone numbers, and more… I also can send messages, make and join groups, view pictures, and other social functions.

These segue into the second and possibly more convincing reason why you should invest some time into Facebook. With Facebook you can capitalize on your customers’ conversations about you and your product. By setting up what’s called a “fan page,” your customers (who probably already have Facebook accounts) will be able to share their excitement for your product, post pictures for others to see, and stay in contact with you. This might lead to any number of referrals and give you a nice opportunity for user-created content about your product.

Special thanks to Laura Bergells for sharing this tip with me. She is a full-time social web consultant. Feel free to get in touch with her or read any of her great blogs.

Also, happy labor day to everyone enjoy your BBQs.