Not only do the majority of companies use Facebook, and other sites, but they also use it for some specialized business applications.

A study by InSites Consulting and SSI shows:

• 80% of companies surveyed said they used Facebook
• 45% have a Twitter account
• 48% are on LinkedIn, and
• 31% use YouTube.

About 2 out of 5 companies said they used social media to monitor what consumers say about the companies and their products. About 4 out of 5 said they use the sites to field and deal with questions or complaints.

Only about half said they participate in online chats with consumers.