Beyond Detroit: On the Road to Recovery, Let the Little Guys Drive

From WIRED magazine: ...the automotive startup world is sputtering to life. Venture capitalists invested roughly $300 million in young car-related companies last year, up from $8 million in 2003. http://tinyurl.com/ol5d6v

Consumers Want Clarity in Communication

A new survey of 1,214 American homeowners and investors conducted by Siegel+Gale between December 29, 2008 and January 5, 2009, released today, shows an overwhelming majority demand more clarity in communications from companies and the government. http://tinyurl.com/dl4j42

Is Facebook Damaging Your Child's Brain?

Can you imagine a world without long-term relationships, where people are unable to understand the consequences of their actions or empathise with one another? Such conditions would not only hamper our happiness and prosperity - they could threaten our very survival. Dire warning from neuroscientist BARONESS SUSAN GREENFIELD. http://ping.fm/QYkuZ

News Coverage, Video and Social Media Factor in Online Newsrooms

Questions concerning YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were presented to journalists in this year’s TEKgroup Online Newsroom Survey. Although staples such as news releases, public relations contacts, photographs, and searchable archives remain the most important elements in an online newsroom, journalists’ desire to access blogs and video files have increased. http://tinyurl.com/ch7cbw

Brand Mentions Preferred Over Ads

Want to get Internet users to visit your Website or follow your brand? The best way to accomplish those tasks, according to ARAnet, based on polling by Opinion Research Corporation, may not be advertising. Compared with banner ads, pop-up ads, e-mail offers and sponsored links, articles that include brand information were most likely to lead US Internet users to read—and act. From eMarketer http://tinyurl.com/djwx3q

HARO is my Hero

For those of you looking for a great resource to pitch story ideas and grow media relationships,look no further than HelpAReporter.com. The brainchild of CEO/Entrepreneur/Adventurist Peter Shankman, this resource provides reporters with more than 23,000 sources. You could be one of them! When you sign up,each day you'll receive up to three emails, each with anywhere from 15-30 queries per email. They'll all be labeled with [shankman.com] in the subject line, for easy filtering. If you see a query you can answer, go for it! HelpAReporter.com really is that simple.

Is Social Media Marketing Recession Proof?

Fueled by a combination of popularity, curiosity, necessity, strategy, and trendiness, marketers are embracing a new recipe that injects a proactive, social approach to outbound communications and engagement – with or without all of the answers before they jump in. From PR 2.0 - http://tinyurl.com/cfhbu4