Facebook important in boosting businesses, says official

By LUKE KAMA
THERE are well over 2.7 billion people currently using Facebook around the world with more than 1.6 billion businesses benefiting greatly from it, an official says.
Tom Choyattil Varghese, the manager of connectivity and access policy, Facebook Asia-Pacific, addressed the PNG Digital Economy Forum in Port Moresby yesterday.
Varghese said apart from providing a valuable platform for businesses, it also enhanced and provided greater connectivity.
It is also becoming a platform and database for providing critical data during disaster and emergencies.
“Providing connectivity between different people and different sector is very important for growth and development,” he said.
“And one of the important roles Facebook plays is enhancing connectivity between the global communities as well as at national and local levels.
“At present, we have well over 2.7 billion people around the world currently on Facebook with well over 1.6 billion businesses including small to medium enterprises using Facebook as a platform for selling, marketing and promoting their businesses.”
Varghese said for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, it was somewhat expensive and not affordable and convenient for SMEs to have their own website.
“But Facebook is providing this solution where small business enterprise and create their sites on Facebook, do marketing, promotion, selling and enhance the growth of their small businesses,” he said.
“So Facebook is adding value to the everyday lives of people by providing greater connectivity.”
Varghese said providing and enhancing connectivity is very important for developments and prosperity and Facebook is playing this very important role
at the global, national and local levels.
“Apart from the value it adds to business and everyday lives of people around the world, it also creates avenues for learning, research and education and is really a very useful global media platform unlike before.”