[CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client]

On February 25, 2011, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) will host a unique and important event about the future of the Internet in Canada.

The Internet has become an integral part of the economic, political and social lives of Canadians, and the Canadian Internet Forum (CIF) will provide a space for Canadians to discuss its future.

For the past four months, CIRA has been consulting with Canadians on privacy, how social media is driving the future of the Internet, and access to and the cost of broadband in Canada, among others.

At the CIF, attendees will be engaged to provide their feedback and opinions about the results of the consultations. There will be opportunity to ask questions, debate and have their opinion heard about the direction the Internet should take in Canada. A panel of Canadian experts will discuss and debate the future of the Internet, including:

•    Jacob Glick, Canada Policy Counsel, Google
•    Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director, Masters of Digital Media Program at Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media
•    Marc Blanchet, Network Engineer, Viagénie
•    Jim Roche, President and CEO, CANARIE

Canadian technology visionary Leonard Brody will give the keynote address.

The agenda for the CIF is available here: http://cif.cira.ca/2011/01/cif-national-event-agenda/. Following the forum, there will be a networking reception.

Event details are as follows:
Friday, February 25, 2011
9 am to 5 pm, Reception to follow
Brookstreet Hotel, Ottawa, ON

Registration is free (http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=70e7a581-832f-44cf-9159-33af1ed2bc21) and lunch and coffee will be served.

Please visit http://cif.cira.ca for updates on the CIF.

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be webcast in English and French. Details on the webcast are available here: http://cif.cira.ca/cif-webcast-system-requirements/.

About CIRA
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is the organization that manages Canada’s .CA domain name registry, develops and implements policies that support Canada’s Internet community and represents the .CA registry internationally.

Here is the 2010 Thornley Fallis & 76design Christmas / Holiday card and web page.

The card and web page design was done by Jeff Young, Sheila Sugavanam, Frank Carr and Ben Watts.

The web page flash & programming was done by Frank Carr.

The “Frosty joins the Agency” copy (see below) was written by Terry Fallis, Laurence Smink and Steve St. Pierre.

Music was performed by the Old Crowns (Steve St. Pierre’s band).

Frosty joins the Agency

Frosty the Snowman has been hired by our firm.
It’s too soon to tell, though he’s doing well,
He’s still got a lot to learn.

Frosty the Snowman seems to know just what to do.
He’s got a burning thirst to put the client first,
And buckles down to see it through.

Success came fast to Frosty and he clearly was the best
But he worked so hard and he got so hot, that he melted on his desk.

So Frosty the Snowman is a cautionary tale.
When the deadlines loom, and come all too soon,
Keep you cool and you’ll prevail.

We had a great turn-out for last night’s Ottawa Launch of The High Road by Terry Fallis at The Parliament Pub.

Little did attendees know that Terry’s first book, The Best Laid Plans, would this morning be named to the CBC’s Canada Reads Top 5 Canadian Novels for the Decade.

In addition, the event also raised awareness of and $1500 for the Jaimie Anderson Parliamentary Internship Fund.

Terry Fallis reads from The High Road.

Bruce Anderson and Kate Purchase talk about the Jaimie Anderson Parliamentary Internship Fund.

The Trinity Develop Group has published a few site plan diagrams for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park on their website. 

They look pretty decent to me. It will be great to get that area cleaned up and modernized.

I am frequently asked by PR and communications students how they can stand out to potential employers.

Yesterday, I came across this blog thanks to one of my colleagues (@vincentwhite) on the CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau Board.

How smart is this idea by these seven Algonquin College PR students? I guess pretty smart as it got the attention of the President of a PR and communications agency and enough so for me to take the time to write a post about it.

#ACPR Networking is a blog for Algonquin College PR students to share their experiences about networking with communications professionals in Ottawa.

Laura, Derek, Famia, Daniela, Meg, Omar, Lacey: Great idea and initiative!

Of course, now you have the challenge of keeping your site up to date with new posts and updates on a regular basis;)

I will offer you one tip. Each of you should include a link to your CV, your email adddress and links to your online profile, that is, the social media properties you use such as Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. so potential employers can contact you directly.

Today our client CIRA announced the .CA Impact Awards at meshmarketing with this video that was created and produced by our firm Thornley Fallis & 76design.

The .CA Impact Awards celebrate Canadians making a positive impact online.

There are four categories:
•  Small Business
•  eLearning
•  Not-for-Profit
•  Web Technology

In addition to public recognition, the winning entry in each category will receive a cheque for $5,000.

Entries can be submitted online at www.impactawards.ca from January 6, 2011 to March 25, 2011.

Winners will be announced in May 2011 at mesh.

“You can’t understand what a business needs until you speak candidly and openly with the people who own, manage and work at it. Rogers communicates with hundreds of businesses every day in various ways, and we are learning from those conversations,” says Geoffrey Booth, a lead contributor to the newly launched Rogers RedBoard Biz Blog.

In August and September 2010, Thornley Fallis & 76design worked with Rogers to design, build and launch a new forum for discussions with small and medium businesses – RedBoard Biz.

Rogers created RedBoard Biz as a place to share proven tools and know-how that businesses can use to be more successful. Posts will contain news about Rogers products and services, and how businesses are using them. RedBoard Biz will also provide ideas and advice on a broad range of topics of interest to businesses.

The Rogers Redboard Biz Blog was developed following the great success of Rogers Redboard, a hub for consumers to discuss news and ideas as well as industry trends. Launched in March 2010, Redboard continues to gain in popularity.

This morning, I was fortunate enough to meet, talk to and have my photo taken with President Bill Clinton backstage at the NAC following his speech.

Ever wonder what book you should have read in your youth? 

Ever wonder what Terry Fallis does in his “spare” time? 

This week, Terry will be reading excerpts from his new book THE HIGH ROAD, the sequel to THE BEST LAID PLANS, at the 23rd Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival which runs from October 18-24 on the city’s Granville Island.  Terry is participating in two events, both on October 22^nd.

Every so often, in public relations, you get the opportunity to help present an event that truly gives back to the community in a way that matters.  Last week Thornley Fallis delivered thousands of dollars worth of non-perishable food items, collected at local Ford dealerships, to the Shepherds of Good Hope; this week we will be on location for Ford’s “Future of Safety Tour.”

Over 30 years ago an experimental airbag was developed. Known today as frontal and side-impact airbag systems, they changed the future of vehicle safety and have saved countless lives.

The latest addition to seatbelt safety is sure to make a splash at this week’s event, a seatbelt equipped with its own airbag – designed specifically for children traveling in rear seats.

On Thursday, October 14th, Sparks Street Mall will be transformed into one of the biggest vehicle safety awareness events in Ottawa, with close to 100 feet of safety technologies to explore and test.

The hands on demonstrations feature award-winning safety products. The general public and the media will have the opportunity to speak with experts in road safety, vehicle restraint safety, and vehicle usage safety.

The “Future of Safety Tour” is Ford’s second global safety event that raises awareness and brings safety from the home and to the roads. Ford’s safety innovations helps customers avoid crashes or protect them when an accident unavoidable. They’re also pioneering new technologies such as radar warning systems to help drivers avoid potentially dangerous situations, as well as auto parking and braking advices to help drivers avoid even more unnecessary accidents.

Experiencing Ford's inflatable seatbelt

Come out and see the excitement at the Sparks Street Mall (outside the CBC Building).

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

07:00 a.m. – Demonstrations begin for general public

12:00 p.m. – News conference begins

12:30 p.m. – Demonstrations for media begin