Twitter is a phenomenon in its own right. With a 1,382% annual growth rate, it’s hard to disagree. There’s even talk about Google acquiring the micro-blogging site (which would warrant its own blog post if and when that happens).

Though I regret to admit I’ve been slacking on my own tweets, it seems I personally have been surrounded by all-things Twitter over the past two months. Our agency supported the Rochester Twestival—the first event of its kind that united 200+ local communities worldwide on the same day, using Twitter to raise money and awareness for a good cause. While watching NCAA basketball, commentators were glogging via Twitter to capture the action as it unfolded. Oh, and RAF requested to follow me too!

Now, what about Facebook and its robust 200% growth rate? Is it really taking over our lives? I was surprised to learn that Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is women 55 and over—up 175% since September 2008. Also, for the first time, I saw a commercial that included VitaminWater’s Facebook page—instead of the company’s website.

These are all solid examples of how both Twitter and Facebook have already transformed the way people communicate in general, as well as how businesses have adapted to reach their customers in new ways. It will be interesting to see how these two evolve, and what results from the competition between them. Will the companies continue to one-up each other? Will they remain private entities, or eventually be acquired? Ultimately, is their growth sustainable?

The RAF created this event to assist in preparing our future creative talent in the fields of graphic design, advertising, new media, and copywriting by offering feedback, advice, and career information. Last year’s event was a big success, with over 50 students in attendance, thanks to the support of faculty members who promoted the program, and encouraged students to register and participate. And of course we couldn’t have pulled this off without the volunteers from our professional creative community that reviewed all the work.

Interested in joining us? All students must register online prior to the event at www.rafconnect.org. Professional creatives that would like to volunteer to review portfolios please contact Bob Kiesow at bkiesow@ardentlearning.com or Anne Esse at anne@anneesse.com. We look forward to seeing you on April 2nd.

Better yet, who remembers about a year ago when everyone, including me, totally freaked when the layout was upgraded to a more “intuitive, user-friendly” interface?

How did they know I would grow to love the new layout and eventually dismiss previous, technically-inferior layouts as Web 1.0 rubbish?

Well, they’re at it again.

And this time…(deep breath)… I trust them.

What are your thoughts on the proposed upgrades to Facebook?