New York Times reporter Kermit Pattison writes today that small business owners may want to re-think their relationship with Facebook. As we've covered on this blog before, Facebook can be a powerful tool for small business owners. Utilizing the fan page and group functions, your product/service's reach can extend far beyond your target market. Here's what Pattison has to say, Businesses can easily create a Web presence with Facebook, even if they don’t have their own Web site (most companies still should maintain a Web site to reach people who don’t use Facebook or whose employers block access to the site). Businesses can claim a vanity address so that their Facebook address reflects the business name, like www.facebook.com/Starbucks. Facebook pages can link to the company’s Web site or direct sales to e-commerce sites like Ticketmaster or Amazon.

Read more of Pattison's claims for Facebook and let us know your thoughts.