Fascinating things are happening in the world of social networking. While the MySpaces and Facebooks have attracted legions of younger-demographic users, they have been viewed with a certain sense of detachment by mainstream business.

Until now, apparently.

Canada’s TD Bank and Royal Bank have initiated their own initiatives on Facebook. I spoke with Toronto Star business reporter Rita Trichur about what motivates them and what it means for the banking industry. The article, TD reaches out with Facebook group, was published in yesterday’s paper.

The use of social networking resources as marketing tools will only grow as businesses in all sectors begin to realize the value of reaching out to clients and potential clients through these non-traditional avenues.

Is there a Facebook plan in your future business plans?

I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with my BlackBerry this week. Although I’ve owned mobile devices powered by virtually every kind of pocketable operating system you can imagine, the stripped down simplicity of BlackBerry’s design philosophy is starting to win me over. A few observations:

So by replacing my older wireless device that was practically bursting with features but couldn’t really manage anything all that well with one that chooses instead to focus on doing a few things exceptionally well, I’ve become much more adept at using the thing as a real business tool.

I can’t help but wonder if the simplicity of my newfound wireless buddy doesn’t also hold lessons for the other aspects of my business life. Simplicity…I think I need to mull that concept around a bit more.

What do you carry with you when you leave the office?

From time to time, journalists call us looking for our expert opinion on issues that matter to today’s businesses. We do this because we feel it’s important to be acknowledged experts in the topic areas that matter to our clients.

Today, I spoke with Pat Bolland from Canada’s Business News Network (BNN, formerly known as Report on Business Television, or ROBTv). I shared my perspectives on what drove Nortel’s just-announced quarterly results, and where I think the company is headed in the near future.

To see the interview, please click here.

We’ll continue to work with major media to touch on the business-related issues that matter to you. As always, we invite your feedback - one way or the other.