Facebook Really Can Boost Your Business

A few weeks ago my friend started seeing a sudden spike in activity on her LinkedIn account. Although she's been happily employed as a senior auditor for the past six months, a few companies had stumbled across her profile (probably noticing her stellar job experience) and tried to woo her away from her current job. Even though I've read countless articles about the perks of using social networks to snag a star employee, this was the first time I've actually heard of a business using a social network to contact someone I know about a job.

Too often these social networking articles fail to point out actual examples of how people have used their Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace profiles to boost their business. However, this recent New York Times story is filled with examples of people who are reining in the power of social networks to help grow their business. Read on to learn about the benefits of maximizing your social networking profiles.