The social networking platform originally designed for the college student is rapidly growing into a business district online. Recently released for public use, well in truth, company use the Facebook new services Facebook Beacon, Social Ads, Facebook Pages, and Facebook Insights. All designed with business in mind. They fall as described below.

# Beacon - Beacon provides site owners with the capability to incorporate user actions on their own site with Facebook's news feeds. Should you have a shopper who is in tandem a Facebook user and they purchase an item on your business website, it will be shown in their personal news feed.

# Social Ads - A tool that takes Beacon much further having such "social actions" broadcast to people outside the Facebook's customer network. It is incredibly targeted, by design such as gender, location, age, and if so chosen, political affiliations.

# Facebook pages - Businesses are able to design Facebook pages as a new point of contact for possible fans or customers. This will permit the business site to set up a photo area, discussion boards, and much more to enable consistent contact with the business fans, which essentially creates a business, formatted Group.

# Insight - An investigative tool that aids a business in measuring reach and penetration into the specified target audience on Facebook.

Consumer Insights

The new online resource found in the Facebook Insights, generates an interactive report generating business page for companies who chose to use the site for social and business networking. The effective demographic targeting program will allow a business to focus their advertising and link to social pages of those who use some of their services. This expands their resources and accolades from real clients. Along with this benefit, the reports generated will make the company aware of what services are being accessed, and who is looking at the page. Not by name, but by demographic, which is more clearly understood in business sense as a point of application. This application works together with the Facebook Social Ads and the Facebook Pages free for use.

Another wonderful benefit of the Insight upgrade is that it facilitates reports on viral marketing associated with a business, and distribution thereof. With the wonderful asset a company's online advertising manager would be able to analyze their advertising successes and shortcomings, enabling a better and more applicable ad campaign in this online market. With the insights program added to the site, ideal suggestions for improving a given Facebook page, adjusting a Social Ads and clarifying what is most effective for the owner/owners of the site. The new integration into the site and the Facebook Pages will be obviously advantageous from the onset of any company who chooses to create a page.

As Facebook continues to grow in popularity and recognition, many bloggers and online companies will continue to review it, and are going to be watching Facebook Insights closely. Many are anticipating great things from this networking resource. Others are not as convinced when they compare the current features against the global mega giant, Google, and the holdings it has online. There is chatter and concern that it may not be permitted to grow, as Google has now entered the social networking and is also in a dominating position to inhibit the Facebook growth, and online search engine standings. This fact will have to be weighed in as part of the Facebook application and research for companies who are considering using the site for exposure and detailed demographic information.