“Why Professional Communicators Must Give a Twit: How Social Media is Transforming Conversation!”

A recent Nielsen survey of online users' habits reveals that social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace are now more popular than personal e-mail. More than two thirds of all those going online are spending more time at social network and blogging sites. Interest in the medium is growing four times faster than the other top four Internet sectors including Internet search sites such as Google.

Equally important, today, social media isn’t just for teens. Nielsen researchers discovered that social networking sites reach a very wide range of web users. The quickest-growing segment of social media users now are 35-49 year olds. Almost a quarter of Facebook users are over 50 years old.

Joseph Thornley, C.E.O, Thornley Fallis & 76design, the Chair of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms and a Senior Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research will help to explain the significance and mechanics of social media as the keynote speaker at a professional development breakfast session, hosted by the Golden Horseshoe Chapter of IABC. A veteran communicator, and leading expert on new media, Mr. Thornley blogs at www.propr.ca and is @thornley on Twitter.