A case for Facebook: should you use social media for your business?

One thing that I didn't learn at BlogHer '07 in Chicago (and I swear I'll clean up those posts ASAP) is if having a MySpace or Facebook page is an important part of your marketing mix.

My guess was YES because 1) social network listings will help you connect with your audience, and 2) networking with other bloggers is a very important part of marketing yourself and your writing.

Then I came across an article on the Written Road about Journalism and Facebook. Abha points you to Facebook: What's In It For Journalists? on the Poynter Online site. Like anything, there are positives - it's a great way to network. There are also negatives - Facebook, MySpace, et al are time sucking devices and most users don't regularly update their pages or visit the site.

Needless to say, I've updated my Facebook page. I'm considering creating a MySpace page, especially after I heard from several friends in Chicago (including Ken who just recently got his first computer - ever) that they had pages and it was a great way to keep in touch with them.

Do you, your business or your blog have a MySpace or Facebook page? Tell me about it!

Update: Kevin Palmer wrote a very indepth post about this subject as a guest writer at ProBlogger - How to Use MySpace to Build a Blogging Audience. Here's just one great piece of advice:

To a lot of users, MySpace is a one stop shop. They don’t even realize (or perhaps equally like, care) that there is a blogging community outside of MySpace. You need to take the time to write original content at least once a week and engage your MySpace readers. By doing this you will create a loyal reader base that will follow you to your blog away from MySpace, creating a quality and consistent source of traffic.

Building a MySpace page - just one more item on my to-do list.