Facebook can help my business?

If you're still grumbling about joining Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, know this: Social networks are good for business.

"It's very well documented that businesses that focus on marketing during tough financial times can actually improve, says Karen Quintos, a vice president at Dell.

The web is the fastest-growing way to reach large numbers of customers, and Facebook is one of the easiest applications on the web for self-branding and marketing.

Example: Wiggly Wigglers, a garden supply company in England that won last year's Global Small Business Excellence Award, uses social media, including a Facebook page and a weekly podcast, to reach gardening fanatics worldwide. 

—Adapted from "Can Facebook Help Your Business? Nichole Nichols, Pink, www.pinkmagazine.com.