Social media sites use Web-based technology to facilitate interaction between individual users. Some, like Facebook, have a broad member base and allow users to personalize pages as well as create pages for businesses and charitable causes. LinkedIn is a business-oriented site that encourages users to post work history and resumes, and “connect” rather than “friend” colleagues and acquaintances while interacting with other users via industry and interest groups. MyCleanLink is a cleaning-industry specific site that connects BSCs, in-house professionals, distributors and manufacturers. Twitter, a site that touts short, sweet, instant updates from users, has become an acceptable way to market services and differentiate company brands.

Social media content — which can be user-created in the form of blogs or podcasts, or user-driven in the form of links to other sites of interest — is now one of the most popular ways for people to get informed about the news that’s important to them. Sites can also be checked from and posted to and checked from just about anywhere that has cell service, thanks to smartphone applications.