The massive earthquake in Japan once again shows the power and speed of social media. When people – no matter where they are in the world – need to communicate, they are turning to Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media to reach their loved ones.

This weekend, there was story after story about Japanese citizens reaching their family members from the tragedy-stricken country through Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

The lesson for small businesses becomes clear – they can either learn how to communicate through this medium or their business might be swept away against the competition that does.

Facebook, Twitter and other social media vehicles prove their value in the middle of an emergency. We are all about to see what role social media will play in the rebuilding of a country.