Welcome to the new PR.

In the old, pre-Web 2.0 world, conventional wisdom held that it was necessary "to have significant news before you were allowed to write a press release." No more. The new rule, according to David Meerman Scott: "Don't just send press releases when `big news' is happening; find good reasons to send them all the time."

These new rules come from David's e-book, "The New Rules of PR," which has just been updated with a second edition.

David is the guest in the latest episode of my Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer podcast. In our interview, David talks about his new rules in the context of using press releases today -- with detailed examples such as how to use releases to drive individuals into the sales process -- as well as working with the blogosphere.

The sale of a business is something that is usually done in private, with communications typically beginning when the transaction is ready to be announced. With the advent and advances of Web 2.0, however, there's ample room to experiment with new approaches.

In the most recent episode of my Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer podcast, I talk to Ryan Carson, Director of Carson Systems, who is doing just that. Ryan's company is in the midst of selling DropSend, a Web application that allows individuals and businesses to send large files via e-mail. To communicate that fact, Ryan decided to cover the sale via blog, posting on everything from the sale announcement to financial/operating metrics and negotiations.

The year 2006 was as exciting a period in communications as I can remember.

I review the year that ... nearly ... was in the latest episode of my Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer podcast. Technology drove a lot of the excitement. For example, we talked earlier in the year about topics such as search engine optimized and social media press releases, corporate blogging, new media outlets and RSS distribution. But there were also celebrity and corporate scandals, the advertising vs. PR balance of power, the changing role of journalists, and other similar issues.

The one thing we all know about negative stories is no matter how careful we are, we will face them eventually. Dealing with these stories well is an essential skill for communicators.

In my Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer podcast, we take on this issue in Episode 16 -- Anatomy of a Negative Story. This episode looks at the negative story and literally walks through the steps needed to deal with it.

We start with the first word that a story is developing -- usually a phone call -- take on the internal assessment and decision-making process, move on to the actual interview with the reporter, and finally discuss how to handle subsequent cycles of the story once it appears.

Press releases have made great strides over past few years. The search engine optimized (SEO) release, for example, has become quite a big deal.

Now, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer takes a look at the social media press release.

My guest in Episode 15 -- The Social Media Release is Todd Defren, Principal at SHIFT Communications and a pioneer in the social media press release.

When I first heard about The Washington Post's decision to allow comments on all of its online news stories, I was taken aback. Pleased. But surprised, nonetheless...

During my career as a journalist, we were just getting comfortable with the idea of reporters' e-mail addresses being offered to readers. Broadly allowing comments on news stories raises the bar much higher, creating real conversations with readers and raising fascinating possibilities for communicators.

Clearly, we are in the middle of a public relations bull market. PR services are in great demand. And with this, the job market has become quite active.

My podcast, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer, takes on this issue in Episode 12 -- The Job Market. Bill Heyman, President and CEO of Heyman Associates, is my guest and our discussion is focused on the strength of the PR job market and the broad trends that are driving it.

One fascinating point that comes up is this: While communications departments and agencies alike are generating a great deal of hiring activity, senior managers remain shy about making "out-of-the-box" hires. Bill talks about this in some detail and describes just why it is happening.

To those of us active in the blogosphere, this is a strange phenomenon: Blogging in the corporate arena continues to be viewed with caution.

Despite the power of blogs to let companies conduct an interactive conversation with customers, investors and other important audiences, many organizations have held back. I examine this issue in my podcast, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer.

In Episode 11 -- To Blog? our guest, John Elsasser, Editor in Chief of The Public Relations Strategist, talks with us about why some companies are reticent to blog and how they should think about entering the blogosphere. Our discussion builds upon the reporting behind the quarterly's Summer 2006 issue: BLOGS The Evolution Continues: Should You Join the Conversation.

Clearly, the acquisition of online press release distributor PRWeb by Vocus, Inc. underscores the importance of the modern press release in today's Web 2.0 world.

I discussed this in my Aug. 7 post when the transaction was announced. Now, my podcast, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer, digs a bit deeper.

Press releases. Blog posts. E-mail pitches. Podcast and conference call scripts. Speeches. PowerPoint presentations.

Writing is at the center of all the above -- and represents a critical skill for communicators, particularly now that the Internet era is solidly upon us. My podcast, Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer, examines the craft of writing in Episode 9 -- The Write Stuff, which has just been posted.

Mark Baker, a bestselling author and Senior Vice President at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, talks on the podcast about how to write effectively for communications. He also assures us that good writing is hard work for even the most practiced professionals.

It's a worthwhile listen for anyone involved in communications.