CALIFORNIA BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY NOW ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK Debut "just in time" for tax season

SACRAMENTO - The California Board of Accountancy (CBA) is now on Twitter, the social networking tool that allows followers to receive "tweets" - brief messages of interest. The CBA is tweeting accounting-related consumer information, tips for accounting students and faculty, as well as information and updates for its more than 85,000 licensees. The CBA also has a Facebook page, which includes links to helpful information and CBA tweets.

CBA Executive Officer Patti Bowers says the foray into social media especially makes sense at a time when information is so important and the state fiscal situation so challenging.

"We are always looking for new opportunities to reach consumers with information they need to help them make informed decisions, as well as new ways to reach licensees, exam and licensing candidates, accounting educators and students," said Bowers. "Making the most of social media increases our ability to reach people without increasing our costs."

Since the launch, the CBA has been reminding consumers what they need to ask for before hiring a CPA, informing new accounting students of upcoming educational requirements which will be required for California CPAs, and informing CPAs and the public of changes in accounting-related law and regulations before they become effective. With the beginning of "tax season," many messages will focus on tax-related information.

The CBA Web site, www.cba.ca.gov features buttons which link to its Twitter page http://twitter.com/CBAnews and the CBA Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/California-Board-of-Accountancy/139337249423654.

Created by statute in 1901, the CBA´s mandate requires that protection of the public shall be its highest priority in exercising licensing, regulatory, and disciplinary functions. The CBA currently regulates more than 85,000 licensees, the largest group of licensed accounting professionals in the nation, including individuals, partnerships, and corporations.

More information about the California Board of Accountancy is available at www.cba.ca.gov