Facebook, Twitter and Groupon: The Next Economy or the Next Tech Bubble?

A Q&A with Beverly Macy, a technology writer and instructor whose recent book, The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing, teaches businesses how to harness the power of Facebook, Twitter and other social media. The news of Groupon's $15 billion public offering inspired jubilation and hesitation in equal parts. Jubilation, because Groupon's IPO represents the emergence of social media as a mainstream, revenue-generating business. Hesitation, because just ten years ago, the tech world watched billions of dollars chase over-hyped and under-developed businesses, with the result being a catastrophic tech bubble that squashed the Nasdaq. How seriously should we take the rise of social media as a viable engine of the tech economy?