The business of Facebook and the new world of PR

As many of you know, I took on a new role to begin 2010 at Weber Shandwick, heading up their Digital Communications practice for Canada.  I think the thing I love most about any new opportunity is that it gives me the chance to take on a new learning curve and a new way of thinking.  Perhaps the most prevalent example of this is the position of traditional media relations professionals in the new world of social media and digital engagement.

After spending my days thinking on this position and working with colleagues and clients to position Weber in the Canadian space, I was given the incredible opportunity to speak to Michael Cayley’s social media class at Humber College School of Public Relations about one of my favourite topics – the facebook.

While many think of Facebook as a place for friends, it’s rapidly becoming a highly viable content and media communications platform for savvy brands, as well as a place to display brand personality, interacting much more intimately with their audiences.  What’s more, with over 400,000,000 users, there really is no better venue to engage – provided you do things right.

This was the thinking behind my presentation to the class.  After posting the presentation on my (still sparse) Slideshare account, it took off a little and was nearing 1,000 views at the time of this posting, so I thought I’d share it here as well.  Special thanks to ComScore Canada for the social media statistics and to Facebook Canada for the platform statistics and the case studies.

Take a look and let me know any thoughts either here, or on slideshare.  And of course – I expect this means you’ll never again underestimate the importance of Facebook.  It’s here and making important strides in the business world to ensure that it’s here to stay.

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