Every morning, I take some time to clean out my inbox and go over messages that have come overnight. Lately, I've been getting a ton of messages from old and new friends, acquaintances and colleagues, asking to become their 'friends' on Facebook. Once I confirm that I know them, the dialogue takes off. I get invited to groups, get 'poked,' receive updates on what they are doing at the moment. I think I even got bitten several times by the vampire application.

I had started my Facebook account to stay on top of the latest developments in this fast growing social network. It took a couple minutes to set up, but it's taking much longer to manage. Accompanying my work and personal email accounts, Facebook has become the third inbox.

Marketers who develop Facebook applications and virtual goods are surely getting their money's worth. It takes a given user at least several minutes to check out a message sent by a friend and download the new application and start using it. That's significant time to be engaged with a brand.

Yet, there is a lot more that can be cultivated from Facebook. The social network has evolved far beyond the college tier and is competing with LinkedIn in forging professional relations. A glance at a Facebook profile easily reveals that person's personal and professional networks, tastes, attitudes and political preferences. An aggregate review of profiles compiled in a Facebook group can help marketers gain qualitative insights about how those consumers might react to a message, a product or a social issue.

Facebook is more than an electronic addressbook or a friend list. Unlike LinkedIn or Friendster, it blends personal and professional spheres--and has fun with it! It's a platform where organizations can study consumer sentiments while giving them something to talk about and pass along. There are already thousands of companies that have set up shop on Facebook. Look to this address for directing offline conversation and action.