PANEL SESSION

Twitter for Business: Is Twitter the latest fad or a symbol of tomorrow's communication? Find out what all the hype is about and if it's a reflection of change in how people share information. Twitter what is it and why should your business care about it? Will this affect how businesses communication with each other, their clients/customers and employees? Twitter has a language of it's own...what's this all about? Should business leaders take the time to learn it in order to understand their employees and their customers better? Kris Krug - President, RainCity Studios Publishing voraciously since 1998, Kris' diverse talent and unique balance of aesthetics and technology is well-known throughout the Interwebs. After launching and managing successful online startups in San Francisco, Kris returned to Vancouver - where he'd attended college studying philosophy and communications - to apply his knowledge as President of Drupal hosting pioneer, Bryght. As well known for his unique, ultra-personal photographic style as for his business acumen, KK is in demand as a speaker about social media, the future of entertainment and public relations, and growing businesses across borders. Alas, he is often busy shooting models and rockstars so he can't make it to *all* the events, but if you are quick enough, you might catch him before he jets off to another country, another gig, or another deal as President of Raincity Studios ...   Tris Hussey - Social Media Concierge & New Media Specialist, M2O Productions. Long-time blogger and social media expert, Tris got his start in tech running laboratories and doing tech support. After years of launching websites for the pharmaceutical industry, Tris jumped into blogging on a whim and hasn’t stopped yet. One of Canada’s first professional bloggers and recognized as a leading expert in both social media and business blogging, Tris continues to charge ahead pushing the edges of social media with whatever new technology catches his eye. Tris is sought after as a guest blogger on leading blogs, teaches courses on social media at BCIT and UBC and is writing an introduction to blogging book due out in mid-2009.   Moderator: Richard Smith - SFU: School of Communication, Director: Center for Policy Research on Science and Technology (CPROST) As a professor, Smith's research focus is social inclusion (and exclusion) brought on by the introduction of new media. He has an ongoing interest in technology for education, privacy and surveillance in public spaces, online communities, and the wireless information society.