Article from AllBusiness that was syndicated on the New York Times Web site about using social networking sites for Marketing and PR:

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have become the party lines of this young century. They are inviting and intriguing and a powerful communication tool. Learning how to use them wisely for marketing can increase your business profile.

Jiyan Wei, product manager at PRWeb, an online press release marketing service, is a fan of social networking sites. He has formed a group on Facebook for PRWeb that includes journalists, bloggers, and others in the media industry who use PRWeb as one of their sources for information. Rather than sending this group traditional, impersonal press releases, he uses it for smaller announcements. “If we’re going to have a booth at a trade show I’ll send out a note to the group and invite them to stop by,” he says. “Often someone will post a casual comment or ask a question. If it’s too long, I take the conversation offline.”

Read the Full Article on NYTimes.com