You're friends with old buddies on Facebook. You follow your favorite celebs on Twitter. But now, there are those who use social networking to find more than an old acquaintance or the latest news. How about a holiday deal? Our Britt Godshalk reports on the latest way retailers are trying to make you a fan of Black Friday.

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"This is not, it's vastly different," said Patrick Boegel, the director of media integration at Media Logic. "The biggest difference is how early the retailers went out with messaging."

That's right, "messaging." Sure your friends with your old college roommate on Facebook, but can he offer you a discount on that big screen? I don't think so.

"Best Buy is a big example of a national chain that has really embraced Facebook and utilized the platform," said Boegel. "They're using it to drive traffic to the stores."

Just type in a Facebook friend and gifts for them are suggested based on information on that person's profile. Or type your way to Twitter for a sneak peak deal from Sears.

"They've got 3,300 people that are following them," said Boegel. "But still that's 3,300 people they weren't talking to before."

That's a win for the retailer, he says, but a win for the customer too, if you do the work.

"If you can go through it, the heavy lifting, sometimes, as a customer, it's a win because there is so much information you can pour through and find deals," said Boegel.

Then there are those who like the heavy lifting, literally.

"There's a lot of people that for better or worse it's an event for them," said Boegel. "They enjoy it."

But if you don't want to leave the technology at home when you head to the store, Boegel said soon you won't have to.

"I was in Toys R Us and I was able to utilize the scanner application that's on my smart phone and scan the item, look at the price and see other retailers and what they were charging," said Boegel. "That hasn't been fully flushed out, but you'll be able to see probably by next year where you'll be able to use services like that."

Move over Sears and Roebuck catalog.