You just know that the term “Web 2.0″ is played out when an accounting firm is praising the virtues of Facebook. A snippet from an eye-opening Fortune Magazine technology article has found its way to my desk. Apparently, companies, not just consumers, are using Web 2.0 tools (who would’ve thunk it?). While this may not be too surprising, digest this: Ernst & Young’s career page on Facebook has almost 19,000 fans. And they are active - 150 discussion topics and 1,700 wall posts. E&Y recruiters personally reply to messages in the fbookers’ language.

One example wall-post reply to an internship inquiry: “Kelsie - we are not currently looking for additional applicants for Tampa internships at this time - feel free to message me personally if you have any other questions….” The reply was posted at 12:55AM on a late Thursday evening by an E&Y employee who is pictured posing like an Olympic champion in front of a snow-covered mountain, wearing a striped sweater that clashes terribly with his zany ski cap.

Rejected.

Alas, Web 2.0 poses the question: would you rather be rejected in a personal-manner publicly, or in an impersonal-manner privately? Hmmm… Rejection or no rejection, I’d much rather facebook a company representative than play their stressful game.

In the future, I think that applying for a job will be as easy as one click. All applicants will have to do is click the “Apply Now” button on a company’s LinkedIn job profile, sending along their resume, profile, recommendations, contacts, etc. No duplication of effort. No stress. Ahhhhh. The downside to this? When the 15,358,137.3 unemployed Americans apply for the new Marketing Coordinator job opening at Time-Warner. What an HR nightmare.

On the flipside, companies such as Best Buy are beginning to use 2.0 tools internally, creating employee networking communities that allow them to bounce product-knowledge and best practices off one another. Imagine a world in which these internal communities are open to the public! Today, everyone talks about outsourcing technical support like there will never be greater cost-savings to be found. In the future, these technical support jobs could be eliminated when everyone has internet access (it will happen one day!). Employees, being offered bonuses for helpful instant-responses to customers, may actually strive to make my shopping experience a pleasure! That is, if there is a retail shopping experience to be had at that point…