Have you been handed the herculean task of managing your company’s online presence? Or perhaps you’re helping your PR clients navigate their way through the ever-changing social media thicket. You want genuine, not canned or market-speak, engagement happening in real time.

Things to consider: What is the overall purpose of your company’s social media? Have you identified and enlisted people who can speak on your business’s behalf? How do you coordinate your multiple social media feeds so there’s a consistent in- and out-flow? How can you be sure you’re not re-inventing the wheel as you communicate across different social media channels?

 So you’ve assembled a team who can contribute to the online conversations with your company’s clients, fans and other stakeholders. Customer questions and comments need prompt attention. Someone needs to run searches, track brand mentions and queries and assign those posts to the person within your organization who can best address them.

Some people are better suited to answering technical questions; others can talk about new features; still others are great at problem-solving and soliciting customer feedback. If people are mad at your company for some reason, you want those who can remedy problems quickly jumping into the fray.

 But collaborative efforts bring challenges. You don’t necessarily want everyone posting the same stuff at the same time or relaying out-dated, conflicting or just plain wrong information. And, of course, it’s critical you’re measuring all these concurrent online social networking programs to make sure you’re on track — the people upstairs demand ROI information. 

 Whether you’re working on the corporate communications side, on the PR team, or managing any official public-facing social media channel, MediaFunnel (formerly known as TweetFunnel) will make your life a whole lot easier.

We’ve been using “The Team Tool for Social Media” service for several months — long before we ever dreamed we’d get the chance to serve as their PR arm. We loved MediaFunnel’s serenely designed interface (soothing to the ADD-tinged soul) and its easy to set up, simple and even fun to use features for coordinating and measuring social media programs.

There are a lot of social media publishing services out there, and we’ve tested and used all the main contenders. Each platform has its pros and cons but we’ve found MediaFunnel has everything we need. Check out today’s news release announcing MediaFunnel’s re-brand and Facebook integration and the screencasts, below, that demonstrate the new Facebook app. - jdf

http://screencast.com/t/ZmQwZmM0
http://screencast.com/t/ZDk1NTFlNT
http://screencast.com/t/OWM1Y2MxYz

MediaFunnel Announces Facebook Integration; Rebrands to Underscore Broader Applications for Business Social Media Networks

SAN RAFAEL, CA - March 15, 2010 - The “Team Tool for Social Media,” TweetFunnel, announced today it is now officially MediaFunnel. The name change reflects MediaFunnel’s expanding focus on providing businesses with one easy to use but feature-rich publishing interface for managing their social media channels. Mediafunnel coordinates and measures online marketing on various social media platforms for businesses while maintaining Corporate Brand Integrity. MediaFunnel also released its Facebook application today.

Multiple users who are contributing to a business or organization’s Facebook Page or Twitter stream can send posts and image attachments or screenshots of website or blogs to the Wall. The application is seamlessly integrated with MediaFunnel’s unique editorial control workflow and assignment of posts for prompt handling, Salesforce.com and email/SMS messaging. Cross platform messages can be posted immediately, scheduled or released in pre-defined intervals for a continual information stream.

The rebrand highlights MediaFunnel’s innovative architecture and scalability that allows for fast integration of future social media services and networks. Businesses benefit from MediaFunnel’s adaptive framework because they can quickly add new applications while training employees to use one simple interface for consolidating their group social media contributions. Along with the name change and integration to Facebook, some of Mediafunnel’s essential features have been renamed as well, including Guest Posting, which allows an organization to invite its audience to contribute to the official stream with pre-screening functionality. 

“Social media marketing has gone mainstream,” said Andreas Wilkens, MediaFunnel Co-Founder. “What’s important are conversations, real-time engagement and meaningful content, not so much the application it streams on. We’ve seen networks fade and new ones emerge. That’s why we’ve built MediaFunnel so businesses can concentrate on creating genuine dialogue from one familiar dashboard while we connect the platform to their social networking channel, whatever it might be.”

Organizations with several people creating content for online marketing campaigns use MediaFunnel to effectively coordinate and measure their social media investment. Multiple users, designated as administrators, publishers or contributors monitor and send posts to multiple feeds. Businesses can respond quickly to customer queries or complaints using MediaFunnel’s assignment feature. Other features include options for immediate, scheduled or interval publishing; search and alerts for brand monitoring; ability to submit posts by email/SMS; co-tags to personalize posts; and analytics to gain market knowledge. In March, MediaFunnel introduced its Salesforce.com integration and the innovative convention, “Guest Post,” (GP) which opens an official social media stream to outside contributors.

About MediaFunnel

MediaFunnel serves businesses and other organizations with a coordinated, measurable and easy to use content management workflow for corporate social media networks. MediaFunnel’s streamlined dashboard consolidates team-generated posts where they can be reviewed before publishing to multiple feeds, including Twitter and Facebook. Unique in having this role-based editorial review function, “The Team Tool for Social Media” helps businesses protect hard-won Corporate Brand Integrity. Since its launch in May 2009 (formerly as TweetFunnel), thousands of businesses, public relations firms, sports teams, government entities and other organizations have come to rely on MediaFunnel’s comprehensive publishing platform. A wide range of features includes hierarchical management of multiple social media feeds, co-tags, ability to post images and screenshots, publishing on an immediate, scheduled or pre-defined interval basis, post assignment, publishing via email/ SMS, Salesforce integration, Guest Post and more. Visit www.mediafunnel.com.

Found this excellent post (excerpt, below) on Paul Stallard’s Tech PR blog.  One of our jobs as PR professionals is to articulate the difference between PR and advertising and why we think our clients (current and potential) should be investing in public relations. A couple of points that particularly stand out:

* PR allows them (clients) to punch above their weight. It provides them with the chance to enter debates and be seen alongside brands far bigger and richer than they are and be judged on merit rather than how deep their pockets are.

* Case studies allow you to paint a picture of a common problem and demonstrate how it was solved within a story. You can’t do this very easily or as effectively with an advertisement.

* The content in the magazine that makes me want to buy something is the editorial copy – reviews and not ads.

Stallard writes: …”PR isn’t cheap but it is possible (I believe) to get more for your buck and target a wider variety of niche markets. For example, a well constructed letter to the editor could get your thoughts and opinions accross to national, business and trade titles. For the price that it would cost to achieve this, do you think you could secure similar sized advertisement in the national, business or trade magazines?”

Fleshed out here: http://paulstallard.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/pr-versus-advertising/

Since I have attended this show in the past, I was able to learn from my previous mistakes, which included: feeling obligated to try everything, struggling to see everything, and not staying focused on the products that the press would see as distinctive and newsworthy. Armed with experience, I was able to roam the floors with a vague, pleasant eye that managed to avoid the things that have been done before and zero in on what was of interest to me from a PR point of view.

When I first arrived at the show I was stopped by a nice gal who happened to be from Route 29 Carmels & Sweets who wanted to compliment me on my purse! You can see why below– twin owls! I took this as a sign that this show was sure to be a successful endeavor! I was already in great company!

The following are a few of the more interesting items found at the Fancy Food Show. Some are selected according to my own delights and prejudices. I gave preference to the local, most of the products are odd or intriguing, all are treats the press would surely like to tell their audiences about.

I was so pleased to meet the folks from Bread Armor. They produce storage bags that keep Artisan bread fresh longer. They are resealable, reusable and recyclable with sizes to fit baguettes, ciabatta, french bread and more. Why these aren’t available next to the artisan breads right now, I want to know! I have a freezer full of croutons made from not-so-fresh- anymore french bread. Great idea–don’t you think??

Honestly, I found Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces almost by mistake…. It was the end of the last day of the show and most vendors were simply trying to pawn off their perishables. We happened by the Fortun’s and were given full packets of their Marsala & Mushroom and the Lemon Dill Caper with White Wine sauces. When I got home these were the first items that caught my husband’s eye…. I should tell you that my husband is quite the gourmet cook (lucky me!) and the best BBQ chef in town — seriously. He makes everything from scratch, buys all his veggies at the local farmer’s market — come on– he even raised his own steer because he wanted to make sure it was organically grass fed. Ask anyone — he’s a legend. He had planned to BBQ pork chops for dinner and I showed him the Marsala & Mushroom-  although not traditionally served with pork, he was completely impressed with the flavor and quality of the sauce. Fortun’s passed a test I never thought any packaged sauce could. I definitely want to get in touch with Kevin Fortun!! I’m a believer!!

We have had Arette Tea Seed Oil on our radar. With subtle nutty flavor, tea-like aroma, and high smoke point, Arette Tea Seed Oil is excellent for dressings, baking, stir-frying and more. High in nutrition and 100% organic are among the many benefits of this unique Tea Seed Oil — and theirs is a story that is just waiting to be told to the world! This year we were very impressed with their new infused tea seed flavors- especially enjoyed Tea Seed Oil Infused with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Chilli Pepper.

We worked our way over to the Savor California Section and had the pleasure of tasting the Agave Dream Ice Cream Collection. The company strives to produce sorbets and ice creams that are “guilt-free.”  Agave Dream contributes a portion of its proceeds to worthy causes like juvenile diabetes. We especially enjoyed their Pomegranate Acai Sorbet and Cinnamon Ice Cream flavors!

Resting my tootsies as well as my alimentary system after spending Sunday meandering through the almost never-ending aisles of the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. This is the premier national food and beverage showcase sponsored by the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade Association, a twice yearly event held here and in New York City (summertime) that has more than 1,500 vendors showing off their wares.

Last year was my first experience with this cornucopia of gustatory pleasure. I swore I’d be targeted and sensible this time around. I’d exhibit some restraint in the face of kindly people relentless in their sample pushing. Decided NOT to start exploring in the cheese and chocolate section as Angela and I did last year.

Somehow, though, upon entering the Moscone South Hall, I found myself instantly in that very section, surrounded by alluring piles of cubed, sliced, crumbled and chunked bleus, fetas, cheddars, chevre and more. The owners and creators themselves are more likely than not to be the person behind the table explaining their product, which makes for a lot of fun and interesting conversations. People are passionate about their products and know their stuff. Thought this cheese tower in the shape of an elegant cake was beautiful, courtesy of Cypress Grove Chevre from Arcata, Calif., maker of rich and delicious goat cheese. Their new  Truffle Tremor is velvety and earthy :

First stop (after cheese grazing) was Silver Moon Desserts Booth 304 in the California section, North Hall. We are so proud of our association with this San Jose-based top-of-the-line artisan ice cream & sorbet! Sheri Tate’s liqueur- and wine-infused concoctions are made with all natural ingredients, real fruit purees, Real California milk and laced with premium liqueurs like Cointreau and Prosecco. Silver Moon Dessert’s first retail line launched at last winter’s Fancy Food Show and immediately won accolades from industry and public alike.

They launched two new retail flavors at this show: Lavender Limoncello sorbet (oh my, deliciously unique and refreshing) and Real Bourbon Vanilla Bean, a lushly creamy classic aromatic with real vanilla beans and bourbon. Kudos to their outta site marketing firm, HellBent Marketing, that designs their gorgeous, evocative containers:

More adventures:

Being a huge fan of Hint Water, particularly their Cucumber, Watermelon and Mango Grapefruit, it was of course a thrill to meet its refreshingly down-to-earth and savvy CEO Kara Goldin. She launched Hint, a naturally flavored bottled water without sweeteners or preservatives in May 2005. The company has garnered a tsunami of press coverage and happy hydrated fans since its inception.

Also in the liquid categories, I found A+ Minari to be very interesting. It’s a unusually flavored but tasty “liquified tea” which contains 26 percent extract from water parsley, sourced from South Korea and other Asian locales. Extracted under a patent-pending process andpurported to “dissolve fat cells” - HELLO! — and support liver function, the drink has “no pigment, artificial flavoring or preservatives, tranquilizer (!), and carbonic acid.” A+ Minari is the only company to have this product, created at Yeungnam University, on the market. Unfortunately I could not find a website on their collateral or online, but I did learn that Minari means Korean watercress, Korean parsley, Korean dropwort, water dropwort and has many other names. Distributed by Sae Earl Bio Food Corp.

I didn’t discover what is now a diet staple, sushi, until well into my fourth decade. But I had always liked cavier, herring, fish and shellfish. Cavier, of course, was never a diet staple but I’d had enough to know I like it. So it was rewarding to try Canadian product Aqua Gourmet’s Vegeterian Cavier, NO cholesterol, NO calories and YES tasty! It’s made mostly from kelp and it maintains what I think is a big attribute of real fish eggs, the delightful in-mouth “popping”:

And, for all you Baby Boomers who remember eating Flicks at the movies, the chocolate buttons that came in an easy to open and dump in your mouth tube, good news! Flicks are BACK! From their site:

“Flicks Candy” is a chocolate flavored treat that has been around for over 100 years. It was originally developed by the Ghirardelli family in the late 1890’s, but wasn’t called “Flicks” until 1904. It was produced in San Francisco, and then later in San Leandro up until 1989. By that time, the machinery that produced Flicks had been continually operating for nearly 100 years, it had been damaged in its move to San Leandro, and replacement parts were no longer available, as the equipment’s manufacturer had been out of business since World War II. For these reasons, production of Flicks ceased in 1989.”

Until Jim Tjerrild changed all that. His family  acquired the Flicks trademark in 2004, and in 2005, acquired the original decommissioned production equipment that produced Flicks for nearly 100 years. After painstaking reassembly, Flicks are now being created again, this time in Fresno, California.

Then there was the GarLic it! Company. Delicious marinated garlic, sliced and ready to go, coming in flavors like Spicy Chipotle, Sichuan Pepper, Thai Peanut, Tomato Curry and Savory Basil. I can see these becoming a diet staple. Very fresh and tasty.

Many, many more wonderful finds: Kari’s Malva Pudding, Terra Sonoma Food Company’s Saba & VerJus, Bacon Popcorn… Another dispatch to come from tomorrow’s explorations!

-jdf

For the past few months we’ve been lucky to work with musician Matt Venuti. Our job is clearcut — help raise the profile of this talented San Francisco composer and support the launch of his new CD, “Hangisphere.”

This is a pretty good gig for the Owls. It’s been a great learning experience — we’re able to apply traditional PR methodology, try new things too, all while Matt patiently provides guidance navigating the music industry’s intricacies. Some of the factors in our favor:

1) Matt already has a devoted fan base because of his years leading the popular ensemble, the Venusians.

2) The music on “Hangisphere” is gorgeous, and has wide appeal. The responses we got when we sent the CD samples out to our friends and family were universally positive. I thought it interesting that my 80-year-old aunt said it was some of the “most beautiful music” she’s ever heard while my ultra-hip teenage niece said it was “awesome”. Click HERE to listen.

3) The PanArt Hang is one of the newest, most versatile and unusual acoustic instruments of the 21st Century. It deserves wider renown.

4) YouTube is packed with Hang players who’ve got many fans, so we know there’s an audience. Our goal is to introduce Matt to that audience because we think they’d like him, too, as well as to those who haven’t yet seen and heard the Hang in action.

5) Not only is Matt a fantastic musician, but he’s a terrific writer, kind-hearted and an all-around Cool Guy. (To the mortification of their children, the Owls like to think that they, too, are “kind of cool,” and hanging around with Matt might help them along there…)

The day we met Matt in his studio, he gave us an impromptu Hang concert and we were immediately hooked. The Hangs (or, to use the proper plural, Hanghang), are circular metal sculptures with a beautifully burnished glow that begs one’s touch. Each is meticulously crafted to its own tuning and capable of producing a stunning range of sound.

It felt good to hear Matt play — the Hang has a kinetic energy paradoxically both soothing and stimulating. In fact, there is a whole new movement exploring the effect of sound and vibration on human health and wellness, and I can understand why there are those who advocate the use of the Hang in sound therapy.

Below is the press release we issued today about Hangisphere. Check it out, please share far and wide and let us know what you think!

MATT VENUTI’S NEW CD ‘HANGISPHERE’ NOW AVAILABLE
‘Matt plays the soul of the Hang.’ -Felix Rohner, Hangmaker

SAN FRANCISCO – September 24, 2009 – Venus Central Productions announces the availability of Matt Venuti’s newest CD, “Hangisphere,” a collection of soul-stirring compositions featuring the PanArt Hang. The Hang is the most widely accepted new acoustic instrument of the 21st Century and one of the most captivating and versatile of all time. Venuti is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who for years has enraptured audiences with his custom-built Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI). Now the Hang is the basis of his newest work. It is an instrument as advanced and fascinating as the EVI but uses touch rather than breath, and a resonating steel structure rather than circuitry.

In his latest release, Hangisphere, Venuti reaches deep into the soul of the Hang creating spell-binding instrumental compositions. The first music video from this CD, “The Yolanda Trail”, is a moving instrumental tribute, set in both the wilderness and in his recording studio and was selected for the opening of the Bernal Heights/San Francisco Open Cinema.

A phenomenon in itself, the Hang has a huge cult following popularized by many millions of YouTube viewers and countless bloggers. “Hangisphere” unveils the wonder and beauty of this magical vessel. The enigmatic Hangmakers, Felix Rohner and Sabina Shärer, became fans of Venuti’s music after listening to his first Hang-inspired recording, “Dance of the Helix”. While spending time on several occasions with them at the “Hangbauhaus” in Bern, Switzerland, Venuti has acquired an impressive collection of these difficult–to–obtain instruments in diverse tunings.

ABOUT MATT VENUTI
As the founder and chief architect behind San Francisco-based musical innovators, The Venusians, Matt Venuti is a multi-instrumentalist and a magnet for the unusual and the extraordinary. His compositions and performances have earned the praise of luminaries such as pop icon Thomas Dolby, jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Stan Getz, list maverick Craig Newmark, and worldwide fans of his original music. Venuti has a dedicated following from performances spanning Burning Man/Digerati culture and the Art Underground scene to upscale gala events in landmark institutions worldwide. He’s performed at the prestigious TED Conferences multiple times and was a presenter one year, and has frequently performed for companies including Google, Apple, Oracle, Audi, Sony, and Microsoft. Venus Central Productions is the San Francisco-based studio where Venuti records his original music for CD releases, digital downloads and commercial licensing. The Theme Music Archives page on his website contains various samples of his music, as well as on the CD Releases page.

VENUTI AND THE HANG
A handmade sound “sculpture” with an extraordinary design, the PanArt Hang is handcrafted by only two people in the world, Swiss artists Felix Rohner and Sabina Shärer in Bern. The first Hang was created in 2001 when they fused two lap-sized steel hemispheres together and created a multiple-toned resonating steel structure made to sit on one’s lap. The Hang is not a drum, though it is often referred to as one due to its popularity with hand drummers. The Hang has a resonance, physical makeup, and range of technique options that transcend simple classifications. It has been the motivation for dozens of spin-offs but there is only one Hang and the quality and craftsmanship of this instrument is awe-inspiring. Matt Venuti draws from the Hang a myriad of melodies, rhythms, and effects that reveal a fresh and unique approach to the instrument. His YouTube videos demonstrate some of these techniques, and in Hangisphere he weaves them into his distinctive style of composition. Enjoy this enchanting journey into the heart and soul of a gifted composer and the fantastic Hang.

Media Contact: Jackie Flaten / Media Owls
650-468-6252 / jackie@mediaOWLS.com

www.Venusians.com/cdreleases.php
www.YouTube.com/user/hangsoul

We have long loved Quel Objet’s beautiful tea towel collection but just happened upon designs that are fun for the wine lover, or the lover of wine lovers – authentic French wine labels reproduced on kitchen towels.

Teatowels have a special tradition in France. As with so many other mundane items, the clever French have raised kitchen towels to an art form. These beautiful examples, look as if they should be framed—and often are. Each group celebrates an aspect of French life, geography, or history in glorious color. Drying dishes, wrapping a bottle of wine, lining a tray or picnic basket, brightening a kitchen wall–they make wonderful gifts. Fun to pick by either group or color.

Check out the entire collection for yourself at www.quelobjet.com

Aaah, sampling delectable food… My first encounters with the delights of sampling was when the folks took us to cavernous Sam’s Club when we were kids. Even if it was not clearly identifiable or even tasty, if attached to a toothpick, it was free and had to be eaten. My tastes have matured and I’ve still not willingly turned down a free sample of any new or interesting food.

So imagine the thrill of attending the San Francisco Professional Food Society’s annual BBQ last week. The SFPFS is one of the country’s oldest organizations for professionals working in the food industry with nearly 400 members drawn from all sectors of the professional food world. Food journalists, chefs, artists, farmers, vintners and sommeliers, event planners, caterers, retailers, suppliers, food scientists, etc… They know their stuff — what fun to be in an setting where your passionate food professionals and artisans are all trying to impress one another!

SavorCalifornia.com, an organization that showcases the best of the Golden State’s amazing gourmet food and beverage industry, provided the food for the BBQ. Owl A and I wandered among the booths sampling with abandon. We were hard-pressed to find anything we DIDN’T like, everything was high quality and delicious.

Some highlights:

Terra Sonoma VerJus
Terra Sonoma’s Verjus is made from the vineyard’s first harvest. The artisanal Verjus,  produced in limited quantities, starts with the green thinning semi-ripe wine grapes. The delicious Verjus is an acidulant for cooking to use in place of Lemon Juice, Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar or Rice Wine Vinegar, “used in place of vinegars in your favorite vinaigrette recipe, splashed over fresh cut seasonal fruit, used in place of water for steaming vegetables or light white fish, and used for deglazing pans to name just a few culinary uses...”

Fentimans “Botanically Brewed Beverages”
Not a big pop drinker (yes, I said “pop” — I’m from the Midwest and on this subject refuse to fold to West Coast pressures), Fentiman’s sodas blew us away with their sophisticated and unusual flavors. They prefer to be called “Botanically Brewed Beverages” but are classified as sodas or soft drinks and are made with natural ingredients in the old-fashioned manner and lightly fermented. (Their packaging is appealing, too.)

We had the pleasure of speaking with the friendly and well-informed President of the US Division, Greg Warwick, who poured us generous samples, told us the story of Fentiman’s, and even gave us a surprisingly tasteful lesson in the sadly obscure Victorian art of “furtling”.

Fentiman’s beverages are still made in the time-honored tradition by brewing and fermenting herbs and milled roots over seven days. (This compares to just hours’ production time for typical soft drinks.) Since its founding in 1905 with a Ginger Beer recipe, Fentiman’s has been brewing sodas in an array of unique flavors, including: Dandelion & Burdock, Curiousity Cola, Mandarin & Seville Orange Jigger. They opened a production plant in the US in 2007, have gotten some great press and accolades, and are working to expand their distribution sites. We’d love to see their product in stores across the country, they’re delicious and different.

Silver Moon Desserts
Silver Moon brilliantly paired its refreshingly light, lime and rum infused Mojito Ice with its exotic Mediterranean Pomegranate Martini, drizzled with a decadent rum-mint sauce. This dessert was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Many more we’d love to talk about and will perhaps in a future posting. We got a big kick out of the caffeinated ebullience of “Travelin’ Joe” of Travelin’ Joe Espresso Catering, loved Sweet Earth’s Grilled Vegetarian Seitan, the first Seitan I can say with enthusiasm was delicious, and were happy to see others we had met at the Winter Fancy Food Show still out there and growing.
-jdf

INTERIOR KITCHEN with Silver Moon Desserts. Late at night. A copywriter stands with her spoon held high in the air. She has waited all day to retrieve her package of ice cream from her downstairs neighbor, secretly harboring doubts that he hasn’t already devoured the entire thing and made a run for it.

Her husband, a man who cannot actually eat dairy, opens the first container for her. It is Creme de Mint Chip and it is divine. Slowly she savors the glorious blend of cool creme de menthe and delectable chocolate chips. She notices that her husband is already on his second spoonful, making her wonder if he has been lying about his dairy allergy or if the sweet siren song of Silver Moon has simply seduced him over to the cooler side.

Next up is the Coffee with Brownie Bits. A truly addictive concoction that has the copywriter wondering if this isn’t just the ideal thing for those long days at her desk…coffee…chocolate…

and alcohol…the three things essential to the survival of any good writer. She pries the container away from her husband’s hand, tells him to take it easy. This is the good stuff. He has to pace himself. Claiming that sorbet doesn’t have any dairy, the husband pulls out two more containers…Mojito Ice and Strawberry Daiquiri. For a moment the copywriter forgets all about her tired eyes and stiff shoulders and is transported to some fabulous shindig, by the cool as ice, but twice as nice mojito goodness. The limey concoction and refreshing mint give her a second wind and she feels like celebrating with Strawberry Daiquiri. This one’s a party and the fresh strawberries, lime and rum have her dancing in no time and puckering up for another spoonful. At last, the Praline Irish Cream comes out of the freezer. Intoxicated by the truly outstanding flavors and stunned by her good fortune to work on such a unique and delicious project, the copywriter actually gives her husband the first spoonful.He smiles at her lovingly.

But once she tastes it for herself, she realizes that those loving looks are not for her, but for the mad genius who dreamed up these flavorful flights of fancy!!

She is not jealous. She understands. If she could marry this ice cream… she would.

Get your Heaven on Earth now: http://www.silvermoondesserts.com

I love Matt Venuti’s new video on YouTube, “Hang Solo.” The music is relaxing but also somehow perks you up. The range of sounds he conjures from this instrument is amazing, and I simply love looking at the different Hangs, like a little fleet of flying saucers bringing such cool music to us Earthlings…

London, UK (RPRN) 7/17/2009 – Punch Communications, a boutique PR Agency based in the midlands, has identified the top 5 reasons for companies to use Public Relations services during the recession:

1. Audiences still consume information through the media, regardless of economy – the economy isn’t going to stop people reading the media. People need a source of information on an ongoing basis, and the introduction of the internet has lead to real time media that cannot be ignored. Building a presence within the content they are reading is the best way to reach out.

2. PR achieves better results than advertising – The internet is a great field for public relations to get results. New areas of technology PR such as blogger relations and search engine optimisation are cutting edge ways for a business to get ahead of the competition in the online world. Communication with key commentators of a specific industry can have a widespread effect on the reputation of a business on the internet, and even a simple mechanism such as a company blog can send a message out all over the web.

3. PR reaches out in a better way than Advertising – PR ensures that a complete, coordinated message is portrayed in the media, and removes the risks held by advertising. It is very easy for an advert to be misconstrued, but good PR gives a clear concise message that harnesses a company’s ideals and visions, whilst maintaining a constant flow of outgoing information.

4. PR tells success stories – People want positive news in a recession and PR is a great way to provide it. If the news coming from a company is positive, it will be seen in a positive light.

5. Communication with key audiences is now even more important – it is important to ensure that key audiences stick by a company during the recession, as they are ultimately the key to its survival. Keeping them engaged will ensure that business is not lost.