WebProNews

If the Dow passes below 2,000 and World War III breaks out, we feel confident that at least a couple of corporate reps will continue to argue about whether Facebook or MySpace is more popular.  Yet new data falls on Facebook's side where some retailers are concerned, anyway.

eMarketer states that an Internet Retailer and Vovici survey found a discernible (though not overwhelming) inclination among U.S. online retailers in August.  "Nearly one-third of responding businesses said they had a Facebook page, compared with 27% that had a MySpace page and just over one-quarter that had a page on YouTube," according to a report.

The businesses presumably went to these sites not because they think they're pretty, but because they figured some customers and fans could be found.  Which might give Facebook the lead in another category.

We'll stick to the current set of facts, though, and just highlight Facebook's impressive growth in terms of attracting retailers.  eMarketer notes, "A September 2008 study by Rosetta (formerly Brulant) that focused on the top 100 online retailers in the US found that 59 had a fan page on Facebook, up from 30 in May 2008.  Among the 29 who added Facebook pages since that time were Best Buy, Toys 'R' Us, Kohl's and Wal-Mart."

More companies are almost sure to join if the economy remains unstable.