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

Technology drove a lot of it. 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.

In Episode 17 -- Year in Review, I discuss these topics and others with Stuart Fischer, Executive Vice President of the PR firm Robinson Lerer & Montgomery. Stuart has a broad perspective on the PR industry and has some wonderful insights about the year that -- just a few more days now -- was.

Enjoy the podcast and thanks to all of you for listening during the first year of Talking Communications with Farrell Kramer. We'll look to do even better in 2007!

Writing is a critical skill for communicators, particularly now that the Internet era is solidly upon us.

Press releases. Blog posts. E-mail pitches. Podcast and conference call scripts. Speeches. PowerPoint presentations. You name the communications activity, and writing will be a major component. Episode 9 -- The Write Stuff examines the craft of writing.

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