Advertising and marketing have always been huge open-ended questions for businesses: what portion of my money used on marketing is actually allocated effectively? What advertisements are/will really reach my intended target market? Unfortunately, the success of a marketing campaign in its totality isn’t usually directly measurable. As social networking begins to evolve and become more commonplace, entrepreneurs are becoming more and more convinced of its effectiveness and necessity—both in personal and professional spheres. The most important part of the new marketing: it’s free. It’s a guaranteed way of reaching millions of people with the click of a button. It allows prospective clients to interact with the business before entering into a formal relationship. Companies are then able to gauge what exactly people are looking for as their interactions through these sites express their interest.  For “newbie” entrepreneurs, this article covers the basics of social media sites and their use as a marketing tool. One great suggestion is to link your twitter updates to your Facebook in order to reach a wider audience. These social media sites are not only usefulness in terms of businesses, but also in promoting the self. It is of the utmost importance that the information given out is both professional and polite; this will no doubt affect job offerings in the future. For a more personal perspective on the social media sites, Barbara Beauchamp discusses the importance of Linkedin in the corporate world.