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MARQUETTE -- The terms Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have become a part of our daily vocabularies.  Before, these sites were used mainly to find lost friends and make yourself a star.  But now, it's all about businesses using these sites to their advantage.

"Because it is a very viable resource.  Over 300,000 businesses are using Facebook at this time to promote their business.  It's a way to reach a broader market and be able to reach people that you may not be able to through traditional sources," explained Northern Initiatives Enterprise Center Director Amanda Blondeau.

One business jumping on the social networking train is U.P. Rehab Services.  Currently, they update their Facebook site at least once a week to promote awareness of their company.

"We're posting news and events, things about injuries--if people are injured, what we can do for certain types of conditions?  They can go to our Facebook page and learn about our therapy team, the types of therapists that we have on staff, and what they are like," said U.P. Rehab Services Director of Marketing, Janell Larson.

And the trend seems to be growing, which is why Northern Initiatives and the Lake Superior Community Partnership teamed up to host a social networking workshop this morning.  Both groups have seen positive results from social networking.

"It just allows us to showcase some of the things that we're doing.  We can showcase customers, we can showcase events, and it just helps to create more awareness in general in the community and to get more outreach," described Kerry Valesano, the Lake Superior Community Partnership's Economic Development Coordinator.

And with the average user spending almost six hours per month on Facebook, it's no surprise that businesses want to get on board.