CLEVELAND, Tenn. (April 30, 2009)—What is social networking? Can it help your business?

The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce will help answer these questions in a special three-hour session Thursday, May 14, as part of its Business Development Month emphases. The session will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Center of the Chamber of Commerce.

“Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, SecondLife—there are hundreds of social media applications, and it seems that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon,” social media researcher and strategist Kevin Trowbridge says. “Before you take the leap, you need to understand the basic principles of social media, how they can be used effectively and assess your organization’s readiness to dive in.”

Trowbridge, a sought-after speaker on social media, will present “Take the Leap: Finding the Right Place for Social Media in Your Organizational Strategy” to introduce businesspeople to popular social media tools. He will also guide attendees through a planning process to help jump start the planning of a social media strategy that’s right for their organization.

Trowbridge, currently a candidate for the Ph.D. degree in communication, joined the Lee University faculty in the fall of 2005 as an instructor in public relations and faculty adviser to the Lee Clarion, the student newspaper, and Vindagua, the university yearbook. He is also the faculty adviser to the Lee University Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

His prior professional experiences include public relations, marketing and corporate communications positions in higher education, healthcare and banking/finance. In addition to his experiences as a public relations professional, Trowbridge has taught a host of communication courses in numerous adjunct capacities since 1998.

Professionally, Trowbridge maintains active involvement with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), International Communication Association (ICA), National Communication Association (NCA), Tennessee Communication Association (TCA), College Media Advisers (CMA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). He currently serves as president of the Lookout Chapter of PRSA and is a member of the Cleveland Media Association (CMA).

The cost for Chamber members is $15, which includes breakfast. To register call the Chamber at 472-6587.

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