Web Worker Daily has published a great article that deals with using social networking wondersite Facebook for professional purposes. Most of us probably think of Facebook as a place to connect with our friends and family more than anything. But contrary to popular belief, Facebook can serve a much broader purpose.

Web Worker Daily’s list includes 12 ways that you can use Facebook in your professional life:

1. Think of Facebook as your digital desk
2. Connect with past and current contacts easier than through email
3. Be picky about the friends you choose
4. Be picky about the apps you add to your profile; keep it professional
5. Use the minifeed to keep track of what your contacts are up to - especially who they’re connecting to
6. Edit privacy settings to keep your profile restricted to professional information
7. Use Facebook as a hub for the other tools you’re already using professionally (Twitter, WordPress.com, etc)
8. Join groups related to your profession
9. Limited time “wasted” on Facebook
10. Use Facebook to show your philanthropic face
11. Ask questions using the My Questions app
12. Look for professional events

These are all good ideas. But some of them are more advice than really “ways” to use Facebook in your professional life. So I wanted to throw in a few of my own suggestions for ways that Facebook can be used, especially in the Internet marketing profession:

1. Facebook Polls: I’ve talked about these in the past but I think they’re worth mentioning again in this context. Facebook Polls let you create demographically-targeted questionnaires that are presented to selected members of Facebook’s 30+ million audience. These polls cost money to run and they are meant for folks doing research - not for kids to run on their profiles. This could be a great way to do specific research on a specific niche.
2. New Market Discovery: As Web Worker Daily pointed out, it’s a good idea to join groups related to your industry. Once you’ve joined a group, you can begin to research the other group members. You can find out where they are and if there is a large population of potential customers who aren’t being serviced by your company. You can find out if various demographics, socioeconomic groups, and other potential customers are being reached. There are few places online where groups of people get together around some of the specific, niche topics that form the basis for some Facebook groups. Those groups are HUGE resource just waiting to be tapped.
3. Build a Corporate Image: You can use Facebook to not only create your own personal profile but also a broader profile for your corporate image. A lot of places have embraced MySpace in a similar way and, even though the Facebook crowd is decidedly different from that of MySpace, there is potential for a corporate presence. It would give you quick, easy access to segments of your customer base for research, promotion, and evangelism.

For the time being, Facebook is the new “it” property. You should be taking advantage of the site’s popularity now. The sooner you establish a presence, the better. Facebook offers an unprecedented way to network, connect with colleagues and customers, and research.

What other ways of using Facebook professionally or for marketing purposes can you think of?