Things won’t turn around overnight, and it seems small businesses have caught on to the notion: When the going gets tough – the tough get networking.

I’m not just talking about social networks – I’m talking all networks : Blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

They’re all being used by small businesses to their fullest advantage and  - for some – business couldn’t be better.

Case in point:

The Charlotte Observer recently featured the story of specialty food maker Donya Schweizer.

When Donya had trouble getting her line of gourmet foods off the ground she turned to blogging and social networking.  A quick WordPress setup and her blog was up and running in a day. She then used the power of Facebook and Twitter to kick start a word-of-mouth campaign. 1,300 Twitter followers later, Donya can’t get her chocolate-infused meat rubs out the door fast enough.

Wait.

Chocolate-infused meat rubs?

I digress.

Bottom line –  Web 2.0 platforms have reached a social tipping point. They’ve transformed the way we communicate and how small businesses operate.

In fact, corporate spending on Web 2.0 software – including blogs, social networks, mashups, podcasts, RSS, widgets and wikis – is expected to climb by a whopping 43% annually.

The networking revolution is here and any business that does not take full advantage of it is – well – not doing good business.

That is, everyone except each of the Fortune 500.

A handy directory compiled by our friends at Socialtext lists all of the Fortune 500 companies that have business blogs, defined as: active public blogs by company employees about the company and/or its products.

Shockingly, according to Socialtext, only 60 of the Fortune 500 are blogging. That’s 12%!

Whether this is accurate remains to be seen.  Still, even the thought of such a sorry display of business blogs from our Fortune 500 companies is enough to make my stomach turn.

Blogs – specifically blogs powered by WordPress, have infiltrated businesses around the world.

WordPress has consistently been a quick, low-cost business solution for marketing, sales, community building, and FAQs. What’s more – WordPress is proven efficient and effective.

I have a blog. Chances are you have a blog.

So why not the rest of the Fortune 500?

Perhaps their wealth has prevented them from entering the world of business blogging.  They simply don’t need it.

Or do they?

It’s something to think about given the state of our economy and in light of President Obama’s stimulus package.

Business blogs are a good PR tool too.  

- Hint, hint.