1. Universal McCann - When did we start trusting strangers? Great research by Weber Shandwick's sister company into how the web has changed what influences us. The rise of social media and proliferation of influence channels has changed who we take recommendations from and whom we call 'friends' 2. BBC News dot.life - Twitter, Qik, Flip - how to cover news? Interesting experiment in web 2.0 journalism 3. E-Consultancy - Should you have a corporate blog? An arguing of the case for corporate blogging. You know it makes sense 4. MediaWeek - LinkedIn creates audience network LinkedIn, the popular business social network, looks to innovate its advertising 5. BBC News - EU launches new hi-tech institute 6. E-Marketer - Affluent Spend the Most Time Online US affluents use the web 7. Read/Write Web - Nearly 70% of Businesses Allow Social Media Usage Businesses and employees are increasingly using web 2.0 technologies 8. Webware - Twitter will come to Current TV for debate chitchat Expect more partnerships for Twitter with media partners 9. Google blog - The future of online video Google says the future of the web is video, and that it will be at the centre of it 10. Techradar - Google shows off final Android handset Google shows off its iPhone killer in Europe for the first time 11. Mashable - Twitter is Growing Like Crazy: Up 422% in 12 Months Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn continue to grow

So it is official, the global economy is now completely screwed and will be for quite a long time to come. With me being a PR and digital communications professional it makes me ponder what the situation holds for me, my colleagues and the industry in which I work in the months and years forth. Traditionally, I'm told that PR has performed well in recessions but now there are a few factors that are different to past situations - most notably springing to mind are the ongoing credit crunch and the changing media landscape . Ultimately the later leads our industry to ask the question - which horse do we back? Do we continue to focus on our strength in reputation management through traditional media or do we test out emerging media channels to deliver our messages? Personally I don't think PR should and can be selective about this and that this is is a great opportunity for our industry to lead the way - because ultimately, both traditional and digital avenues are highly cost effective. PRs already have the media contacts so there really isn't an issue there, and digital PR has already proven itself to be hugely effective at barely any expensive. For me, and for some of my peers, the creation of a blog or podcast series or a presence on a relevant social network is a no brainer - it is an effective way to communicate your corporate and brand messages at essentially no cost, and when money is main stickler and will continue to be so for some time, surely it is simply irresponsible to ignore the digital way? Clients should look to opt for an agency that delivers traditional PR results and an innovative approach of navigating the emerging media space. There are a few of us out there. This post has been inspired by Robin Wilson, an esteemed ex-colleague of mine who is now at McCann Erickson.

In my opinion there is no greater comic than Harry Enfield. He's been doing great stuff for many a year and his latest show on the BBC, Harry and Paul, is a must watch. The send up of Jeremy Clarkson, for example, is inspired TV... [youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuO-8S_0Wg]

Some recycled news that I've only just become aware of. Tea is healthier for you than water - we've always known that tea contains antioxidants but it also turns out that tea doesn't contain enough caffeine to dehydrate you, what a bonus!

There is nothing like an inspirational return to this blog than an impressive dominos run. Courtesy of Neatorama, here is a video to which has to be watched time and time again... [youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B3eXWPrgWJ0]

1. EMarketer - Mobile Social Networking Set for Growth 2. BBC News - Google launches internet browser Google looks to move in on Microsoft and Mozilla's territorty 3. Trendspotting - Podcasting dead or alive? An argument that podcasting is very much alive, the data says so. 4. BusinessWeek - How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands Brands are increasingly using Twitter, the micro blogging platform 5. Read/Write Web - Comscore Says Almost Everyone (75%) in the US Now Watches Video Online

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy673zWHUOw]

Obviously I'm worried about the whole Russia situation. With much of the debate about the world entering a new Cold War, I'm scared about what it might mean because ultimately I'm young and don't recall what it was like the first time around. My opinions about what happened have largely been influenced by the limited books I've read and the multiple films I've watched. Being a movie connoisseur above anything else, here are my top five Cold War films. Any other suggestions? War Games Dr. Strangelove Hunt for Red October Red Dawn From Russia With Love

Every now and then I read some 'informed' commentary on how PR is now dead, broken or no longer needed. This week, for example, we've again seen some backlash from some prominent new media movers and shakers. By the fact that we continue to get these conversations time and time again, it's my view that what is broken is the understanding of the job of PR, what it entails etc. The media landscape has changed and is highly complex (no argument there), and as a result you now have PR people doing an increasing range of different tasks so there simply can't be one set standard of what makes a good PR. The one failing I would say that our industry has is that we aren't great at communicating what it is PR delivers to clients. This is an amazing thing to say for a PR/communication expert, but I think our industry needs to play and communicate its strengths better...in other words we can sort out a company's corporate messaging, deliver kick ass and creative media campaigns, and we can deliver this in a much more cost effective and suitable way when compared to other marketing channels. PR is no one size fit all solution. I guess my argument goes back to point that when people say something has good or bad PR, a lot of the time it isn't actually PR they are talking about. PRs need to talk more about what PR is, amazingly, to help people understand what it is we actually do.

1. Middledigit.net - Top Pages on Facebook A look at brands using Facebook 2. Web Strategy - What Facebook’s New ‘Engagement Advertising’ Means to Brands A look at Facebook's new marketing propositions 3. Techcrunch - Up Close With Microsoft’s Photosynth: Stitch Photos Together Auto-Magically Microsoft's neat new Photosynth tool 4. Mashable - Social Networking Trends from Coast to Coast Social network trends in the US, from coast to coast