She ensured us that Facebook is the same company today as it was on its May 18 IPO and the same as it was prior to May 17. Their mission remains the same: to connect the world. Although they've surpassed the 1 billion member mark, as far as Facebook sees it, there are still a lot more to connect.

"Yes, we hit a billion... But there are still a lot of people we need to connect."- @ceverson, on Facebook growth. #inforum #socialmedia
— Katelyn Davis (@katelynshelby) October 18, 2012

The bulk of the conversation revolved around what Facebook can do for brands. 11 million small business have taken their business to Facebook and opened pages, which leaves big expectations for Facebook. Carolyn ensures us "We (Facebook) have been constantly proving how we work for brands," and that all of Facebook's solutions for brands are meant to have a positive effect on ROI. Positive results come through back-and-forth dialog. The old model of one-way communication does not work on Facebook, Carolyn explained. People expect two-way communication--they respect it and they demand it. Whether you're a big brand or a small start-up, every business can have one-on-one relationships with customers through Facebook.

Bottom line is that Facebook is asking marketers to think in a new way. Carolyn explained that some people are eager to take on this new challenge, while other marketers just wish it would go away until they retire.

Facebook is also making people think about corporate culture in a new way. "The culture at Facebook is like one I've never seen," explains Carolyn as she describes offices without offices and honest and transparent internal communications. She describes the Facebook hacker culture and "solve it" mentality. All these qualities make for a progressive corporate culture. This will be the future for corporate culture.

Since this was an Inforum event there had to be a touch on women empowerment, so Scott asked about her work/life balance as a high-powered woman and a mother. She gave one simple answer: It's not about work/life balance but about work/life integration and it's not a women's discussion, it's a person discussion. I couldn't agree more with this point.

RT @nhanus: @ceverson on work-life integration: make it a people discussion, not a women discussion.#inforum
— Katelyn Davis (@katelynshelby) October 18, 2012

One of the most memorable lines from today was, "Working for Facebook is humbling. It creates things bigger than us." She explains about all the fundraising stories that become a success because of their platform and being getting life-saving organs thanks to Facebook outreach. She was so genuine. In a way, she seemed awestruck by what happens.

I honestly could have listed to her speak for hours. Not only does Facebook's business model and success amaze me but her outlook and perspective was refreshing... very progressive. It really got me excited for what the business world may look like as these trends continue to spread through corporate cultures.

I'm so happy I was able to attend this event and I'm even happier that this event took place in Detroit. I feel like we're starting to find our way back to the top--people can't ignore Detroit anymore!


Kudos to Scott Monty, for his perfect timing and interviewing skills, and to Inforum Michigan for putting on this great event.