Facebook is becoming the first stop for many people when they want to learn about the latest news in their community. Individuals are reporting on the events in their communities with photos and personal commentary, making Facebook an excellent source for local happenings and news.

We witnessed this phenomenon first hand in Seattle when individuals reported on the weather conditions during the December snowstorm and most recently during the storms which caused significant flooding throughout our state. Friends reported on which streets were being plowed, where flooding had occurred, as well as road and school closures. They also shared information about how they were coping with power outages or cabin fever.

Clearly, sharing information on Facebook is not restricted to weather conditions – friends share information about their interests, hobbies and travel schedules. There are some posts that focus on the mundane, daily activity of life, but many posts provide timely insights and perspective into relevant happenings. Recent examples include posts covering industry tradeshows such as CES and Macworld, how to deal with the onslaught of people in D.C. for the inauguration and updates on political events, appointments and scandals. After all, an individual’s Facebook network is more likely to report on items that are more relevant to him or her. Given this, Facebook has become a source for relevant, timely and specific news.

Facebook is not the only site providing this level of personalized news to consumers. There are a number of growing sites where people, intentionally and unintentionally, act as citizen reporters and share information with their networks, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Big Canvas PhotoShare, Sweat365 and many others.

As more and more consumers participate in social media sites, traditional media outlets will need to adapt to address this increased level of competition. In addition, companies looking to raise awareness should be evaluating how to leverage these Web sites in an effective, authentic and productive way.