Social media's uses continue to grow in PR, marketing

Still think social media is a fad? Consider this fact: Facebook now has more than 250 million users worldwide. To put that in perspective, if Facebook were a country it would be the fourth-largest nation in the world.

Social media is revolutionizing the way businesses large and small communicate both internally and externally and how they market their services and build their brands.

One example of a small-business success story using social media is CoffeeGroundz Café, a Houston coffee shop that claims to have doubled its clientele since joining Twitter (@coffeegroundz). Customers sitting in CoffeeGroundz can order food and drinks from their tables using Twitter, without going to the counter. Busy drivers can even place “to go” orders from the car on Twitter.