Well, I’ve kept pretty quiet about my news, but I’m ready to announce that today I will be leaving my role at Thornley Fallis Communications – not quite ready to announce where I’m going or what I’m up to, but that will come soon enough. But I wanted to publicly say goodbye to those who have become more than colleagues – you are my friends. You are a fantastic group of people and a great team. I will miss you all.

I struggled with this decision because I love my job and I love the people I work with – both my colleagues and our clients. But there comes a time when you realize that its time to leave the nest and spread your wings – it’s time to fly alone. With this change, I look forward to new challenges, new beginnings and new experiences. It has also allowed me to look back on my time here and truly reflect on myself as an individual and how far I’ve come since I walked into a green foyer, with purple trim and red leather chairs – which by the way is now a whole new office with very chic red, gray and beige with steel accents.

My point however, is that I have come a long way. I’ve learned so much in my time here. The last 18 months have been an incredible rollarcoaster of both personal and professional proportions and everyone in this office has supported me through all of it. As a result, I’ve become more competent in my abilities and more confident in myself. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to begin what I hope is a long career in digital communications. And for a little nostalgia, check out my very first PR Girlz post.

So with that, I say goodbye and thank you to everyone at TFC for what has been a fantastic experience.

PS: Planning meetings will never be the same without me – FYI.

One evening, TTC rider Jason Wieler uses his iPhone to snap a picture of a TTC booth collector catching a few winks. A few weeks later he remembers taking the photo and posts it to his Twitter account with the caption “Yup, love how my TTC dollars R being spent…”

What happened next is a classic example of how technology and social media are completely changing the face of communication. The photo was re-tweeted and became a top news story in a matter of hours, following on the heels of bad press resulting from the recent transit fare increase. TTC officials were being asked to comment on a photo they may not have even seen yet, and Toronto media were trying to determine the identity of the worker who was photographed. Today, the story has come full circle and the man who was made unintentionally famous by all of this, George Robitaille, has released a public apology.

Thinking about this situation, I was reminded of the very first lesson I had in how an image can alter public perception from a University communications lecture – The televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. In a nutshell – those who listened on the radio thought Nixon had won the debate while those who watched the televised events thought that Kennedy came out on top. While listeners thought that Nixon’s arguments were stronger, Kennedy’s appearance, composure and charisma worked in his favor with TV audiences. The content seemed to play less of a role on public opinion than the image.

In a similar way whether it was due to “an underlying medical issue and side effects of medication” as TTC officials and Mr. Robitaille have released, or a case of an employee simply caught sleeping on the job, the photo of the TTC collector reclined and asleep in his booth is what most people will remember.

A picture is an incredibly powerful form of communication, and even after it has been explained or contextualized it is one of the first things we think of. It can impact or reinforce opinions, and change the way we look at individuals, companies or entire organizations. For better or worse, we are becoming an increasingly visual society who relies on images for “proof” and to capture our attention.

Watching the situation unfold with this particular TTC operator created so many questions for me regarding privacy, disclosure and how social media is impacting our actions, interactions and reactions.

How do you feel about the role social media and technology plays in the creation and sharing of information/news?

This is your life, in 140 characters or less! Constant status updates make sure that no one will ever have to wonder if you are having fun at that party you were invited to, or how you are feeling in the wake of your last emotional crisis.

I’ll be the first to admit I love social media and use Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and Blogspot. I enjoy the freedom of sharing my thoughts and ideas, and also keeping in touch with friends and family who are “plugged in”. I even have a friend who recently admitted that they started going on Twitter just to get a hold of me to make plans (I felt fairly guilty, and cocktails were on me that week). But now the tide is turning, and social media critics are vocalizing the issues they feel are created from these online applications.

Today’s Globe and Mail features a very interesting article “Detox du jour: unplugging from Facebook” which takes a look at the reasons behind (as well as challenges to) abandoning social media sites and technology in favor of “more human interaction”. Another great article brought to my attention today (by Joseph Thornley) is the news that actor, writer and until recently, Twitter enthusiast Stephen Fry has decided to “go offline” for a brief period in order to concentrate on his writing.

Want to take things a step further? A recent related phenomenon that caught my attention was the slightly over the top “Web 2.0 Suicide Machine” which flashes slogans such as “So many people you don’t care about”, “Say good-bye with dignity” and “Feel free like a real bird again and untwitter yourself”. The website application completely and permanently deletes your social media profiles in one foul swoop. I think the term “suicide” and the USB noose on the site are a bit dramatic, but are trying to use some dark humor to show how attached people are getting to their online persona.

Personally, I don’t see myself pulling the plug anytime soon. Social media has been instrumental in allowing me to network, meet new people, keep in touch with friends and family from my hometown and overseas as well as provide me with a global learning tool from the blogs of some innovative and respected professionals. Why would I want to abandon all that?

Still, I know many people who are opting for this social strategy in hopes of freeing up their schedules and making a commitment to increasing their face time with friends. Which leaves me with this question, do you need to be unplugged to be productive and social? If the line has been truly drawn in the pro or anti-social media war, which side do you find yourself on? Personally, I’m “pro” on this issue but would love to hear what you think.

Will you be unplugging in 2010?