At the PRSA breakfast this morning I was scolded for not making the announcement of the adoption of my son, Samuel Lee May, more public on this blog. I blame it on sleep depravation.

The full story is nothing short of a miracle and is really quite amazing. You can read it on my son's blog. Of course he has a blog, he is my son.

Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) is pleased to announce the addition of Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC, as vice president, and Andrea Goodall as senior account executive. These hires reaffirm RMPR’s commitment to providing public relations expertise and exceptional service to clients across all industries.

If you are following me on you already have received these updates, but for the sake of the majority of MNPR blog readers here is a brief summary:

• Jennifer Howard from Google spoke on top 10 Marketing trends for the future of B-to-B marketing.
  


• 1st trend - B2B = B2P. B2P where the P is people. Fact: 13 hours of video uploaded a minute on YouTube.
  


• 1st trend - we are talking to people so treat them that way.
  


• 2nd trend - no media is an island.
  


• 2nd trend - whatever happens offline is being captured online.
  


• 3rd trend - always be on
  


• 4th trend - atomize your content and distribute it around the Web. Use gadgets / widgets to live on other people's Web page.
  


• 4th trend - Smart Web ads that can be contextually modified to searches.
  


• 5th trend - implement finer ad targeting. Demographis, psychographis, behavioral, contextual.
  


• 6th trend - give your customer the opportunity to choose YOU. Use RSS feeds to feed your customers news. Be a content producer.
  


• 7th trend - make video the centerpiece of your online strategy.
  


• 7th trend - not just home videos on also lots of B2B marketing happening on YouTube.
  


• 7th trend - use video to target trade media Web sites. Be transparent and authentic but provide useful information.
  


• 7th trend - videos don't need to be 30 second commercials they can be creative.
  


• 8th trend - Build online community. Word of Mouth marketing online is growing quickly. is used as a tool for WoM marketing.
  


• 8th trend - is growing tool for developing community in the business world.
  


• 8th trend - IdeaStorm from Dell. A good way to develop online community with existing fan base.
  


• 9th trend - measure, plan & optimize.
  


• 9th trend - information is power. Helps to avoid the Hppo effect. Highest paid person's opinion effect. Give measurable data and trends online.
  


• 9th trend - improve campaigns based on data collected. Two minute video that loses traffic after 30 seconds, rework your video campaign.
  


• 10th trend - YOU. You have the power to change the way B2B Marketing is done.

Twin Cities IT and business professionals who are intrigued by Best Buy’s Geek Squad® Founder and Chief Inspector Robert Stephens’ unusual business story and his technology insights, curious about green computing and virtualization or simply want to learn about new technology resources that are available to improve their workplaces are invited to attend the VISION 2008: Technology Innovations that Drive Business Conference.

The conference is taking place on Nov. 13 from 8:15 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the , which is located on Jackson Street between 4th and 5th Streets in downtown St. Paul. The full-day event, sponsored by VISI, Minnesota’s top supplier of data center services and high-speed Internet, costs $100 per person, or $70 per person to only attend the morning or afternoon sessions. Registration for the VISION Conference is available at www.visi.com/vision2008/register.aspx.

Noteworthy sessions at the VISION Conference will include:

• 8:30 a.m.
  
  * Keynote Speech by Geek Squad Founder Robert Stephens
  
  
• 9:30 a.m.
  
  * Disaster Recovery Replication Technologies – Jamie Anderson, Emergent Networks
  * Selling Virtualization When ROI Isn’t Enough – Paul Jacobsen, VMware
  * Closed Loop CRM: Redefining Interactive Experience – Matthew Meents, Reside
  
  
• 10:45 a.m.
  
  * Innovation and Proven Online Tools to Drive New Business – Mark Kurtz, Gage
  * Improving Team Collaboration and Productivity with Sharepoint – Theresa Putzier,
  * Olsen Thielen Technologies
  
  
• 1 p.m.
  
  * Beyond the Firewall: Secrets of Securing Your Network – Misha Govshteyn, Alert Logic
  * Innovations in Communications: Putting Web Content and 2.0 Tools to Work –
  * Steve Helland, Fredrikson & Byron and Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic
  
  
• 1:45 p.m.
  
  * Technologies for Today: Green IT, Virtualization, Client Management – Sarah Wieskus, Intel
  * Centralizing Desktop Management – Bill Oyler, St. Croix Solutions
  
  
• 3 p.m.
  
  * CIO Technology Panel Discussion with Tom Kelly of 2nd Wind, Cris Ross of MinuteClinic and Jason Baker of VISI

“VISI is thrilled to sponsor the upcoming VISION Conference that will offer local technology professionals the chance to expand their knowledge and resource base through topical seminars and networking,” said Gary Elfert, director of products and marketing for VISI. “The event poses an opportunity to have conversations about how technology is driving business innovations today, despite the economic uncertainty that is impacting all of us.”

Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) recently promoted Eva Keiser , APR, and Joel Swanson , APR, to senior vice presidents and Laura Wightman to account executive.

“Eva, Joel and Laura have each significantly contributed to the success of our agency with client service, new business outreach and professional development,” said Rose McKinney, APR, president of RMPR. “These promotions reflect their expertise and ability to balance client and team satisfaction.”

Since joining RMPR as vice president in August 2006, Keiser has been heading up a variety of business-to-business client accounts. From trade shows to product launches, Keiser uses more than 15 years of experience to develop key messaging and competitive positioning for clients such as Premier Mounts, Hearing Components, ATEK Companies and Archway Marketing Services, Inc.

Working to share her experience and excitement for the profession, Keiser was instrumental in forming the new Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA). She is also a board member of the non-profit, Homegrown Lacrosse, and is an active member of the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the .

Swanson joined RMPR in July 2007, and since then, he has been using his vast experience in the healthcare industry to bring in new clients and integrate existing ones with new PR strategies. He currently leads communication strategy for Healthways and Metro Dentalcare, along with a number of other healthcare, education and non-profit clients.

Active in the profession, Swanson is on the board for the Minnesota PRSA and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Swanson is also an adjunct professor at his alma mater, St. Cloud State University .

Since joining RMPR in May 2007, Wightman has been involved in a number of consumer-focused and business-to-business accounts. Using her public relations skills for clients such as the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, Calypso Control Systems, Hearing Components and Smith System, Wightman has successfully launched a new Web site and many new products.

Wightman received two B.A. degrees from the University of Minnesota in May 2008, one in strategic communications and one in communication studies. Actively involved in the U of M’s PRSSA chapter, Wightman also received a Dr. Willard Thompson Scholarship.

announced today that after almost 24-years and a number of award-winning campaigns, Interstate Bakeries Corporation will no longer be a client partner.

Interstate Bakeries Corporation, wholesale bread and cake distributor of Hostess®, Twinkies® and Wonder® Bread, has been in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy for over 4-years with the account largely inactive at Campbell Mithun during that time.

Last month, New York-based investment company, Ripplewood Holdings, entered into an agreement to buy Interstate Bakeries and has announced its’ intention to move the advertising business to Grey Group Advertising, where Ripplewood’s principals have prior relationships.

“Campbell Mithun and IBC had a wonderful and productive relationship for almost 24-years, resulting in memorable, award-winning and highly successful Pioneering Ideas for them, including ‘Where’s the cream filling?’ for Hostess® Snack Cakes and ‘Remember the Wonder!’ for Wonder® Bread.” Said Steve Wehrenberg CEO of Campbell Mithun. “We wish our former partners at IBC well as they move forward.”

According to the company that change will not result in any layoffs.

Are you ready to stretch what you think you know about market development? If you are slogging through the day-to-day trenches of marketing, market development and meeting your deadlines, get ready to have your head spun around. This is a marketing mind-bender.

Joe has taken his vast experience in the medical device field and his oh-so-awesome knowledge of market development and crafted it into a unique understanding of why product introductions succeed, why they fail, and how to be a much better predictor of both. It truly is a game-changer.

If product development, budgets and market strategy are important to you and your organization, we urge…really, exhort you to hear Joe give this clinic. One key concept left business executives at a Fortune 500 medical device company mesmerized for a full half hour, jaws ajar. Wouldn’t you like to know what it is?


About Dymedex

Dymedex is dedicated to the development and application of thought-leading market development concepts and tools. We provide a rigorous measurement-based approach proven to accelerate adoption by systematically uncovering and addressing the barriers to standard of care. We help medical technology companies realize their full market potential. www.dymedex.com.

Joseph Galatowitsch, President & Managing Partner

Joe has 26 years in the global medical technology industry, at 3M’s medical supplies business and at Medtronic in both cardiac rhythm management business unit and corporate roles, most recently as senior director of market development at Medtronic. Joe is credited with pioneering the discipline of market development and led an enterprise-wide initiative to institutionalize market development at Medtronic. At 3M Joe held a number of strategic, marketing, and business leadership roles including P&L management. Joe is holds two patents, is the recipient of numerous awards in marketing and market development, and is recognized for his ability to distill complex concepts, extract critical insights and deliver results. Joe has a BS in Biomedical Engineering, and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.


Meeting Specifics


Date and Time

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
11 - 11:30 a.m. Registration and Networking
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Lunch
12 - 1 p.m. Presentation

Location
Rose Vine Hall Banquet Center
2801 Snelling Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55113

Register by clicking here.

Strategic communications agency Strother Communications Group (SCG) has been selected to provide integrated communications services for the fast-growing non-profit organization, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) whose mission is to save lives by feeding chronically hungry and malnourished children around the world. SCG will provide branding, national and international media relations, and fundraising marketing support.

Brooklyn Park-based FMSC’s 185,000 volunteers hand-packed 43 million life-saving meals in 2007, a 43% increase from the prior year. The goal for 2008 is 70 million meals. These nutrient-rich meals consist of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and more than 20 vitamins and minerals. Designed by Minnesota food scientists to be universally accepted, simple to prepare and easy to transport, meal packages are shipped to starving children in more than 55 countries. FMSC has embarked on a new campaign, Investing in Hope, with the goal of increasing annual production by 100 million meals by 2010. Ninety-five percent of donations collected are used directly for the feeding program. Visit fmsc.org for additional information.

For the October Core Training event, Minnesota PRSA will be recognizing its own PR Legends during a special breakfast session. A select number of Minnesota PR Legends will be in attendance as special guests, and will move between tables throughout the morning. Attendees will have the chance to meet them, learn more about their background and their secrets to success over the years. With all that wisdom in one room, it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Here are the Legends slated to be in attendance:

Ann Barkelew, APR, Fellow PRSA; Fleishman Hillard, Minneapolis/St. Paul, founding general manager and senior partner, retired
John Beardsley, APR, counselor in public relations; 1995 national president of PRSA
Dave Hakensen, Communications Consultant and former Vice President, Public Relations, Pearson Education
Cathy Kennedy, Owner & President, Cathryn Kennedy Consulting, Ltd.
David Kostik, APR, president of Kostik Associates Inc.
Dennis B. McGrath, APR, Fellow PRSA; Founding partner McGrath-Buckley
Dave Mona, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Minneapolis
David L. Schoeneck, APR, President, The Praxis Group
David J. Therkelsen, APR, Fellow PRSA; Executive Director, Crisis Connection
Kathryn H. Tunheim, Chief Executive Officer, Tunheim Partners

Details & Registration:
Time: 7:30 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
8:00–9:30 a.m. Program

Location: Metropolitan Ballroom
| Golden Valley, MN 55416

Price:
PRSA Member - $30
Nonmember - $45
Student - $15
Walk-ins will be charged an additional $5.

Registration: Register online or contact the PRSA office by noon October 20th.

Carmichael Lynch Spong recently hired Laura Clementi, Chelsea DeSousa and Katie Miller, all of whom are based in its Minneapolis office and have served as interns for the agency since May 2008.

Laura Clementi has been named an associate and represents clients Arc’Teryx, Sherwin-Williams, Electra Bikes, V.I.O. and Cargill Texturizing Solutions, along with her work on the media relations team. Previously, Clementi was the summer events coordinator for Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minn. She also served as the special events intern for the Minnesota Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Golden Valley, Minn. Clementi is an Appleton, Wis. native and a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in public relations.

Chelsea DeSousa has been named marketing and business development specialist. In this role she will help prepare for new business presentations as well as marketing the agency through the creation and distribution of various communication pieces. Prior to joining Carmichael Lynch Spong, DeSousa served as the donor relations intern for the Iowa State University Foundation in Ames, Iowa. DeSousa grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in public relations from Iowa State University.

Katie Miller has been named an associate and will work on clients Rapala,

American Standard and Martek, along with several of the firm’s Jackson Hole clients. Prior to joining Carmichael Lynch Spong, Miller interned at Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Miller also served as the assistant event manager at Ridgeway Events in Minnetonka, Minn. Miller grew up in Manassas, Va. and is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas where she majored in public relations and minored in Spanish.

“In the past three months as interns, Laura, Chelsea and Katie have proven to be key contributors to the success of the firm,” says Douglas K. Spong, APR, president. “They are some of the best young talent we’ve had and we are happy to officially welcome them to the Carmichael Lynch Spong family.”

Beehive PR recently received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Development Center – Chicago, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). WBENC is the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America’s corporations.

“As a woman business owner, I look forward to the opportunities our WBENC certification will bring,” said Lisa Hannum, Beehive PR president and CEO. “We will now be able to partner with companies actively pursuing diversity as a business strategy.”

Beehive PR underwent a rigorous and stringent certification process to receive the widely recognized and respected certification. The WBENC certification is accepted by the majority of the major corporations across the United States as part of their supplier diversity programs.

Is your agency or career struggling during the current economic challenges? Do you need new hiring tactics? Want to learn how to “recession-proof” your career and your agency? If so, this is a breakfast meeting you cannot afford to miss!

The Advertising Federation of Minnesota will present “How Are Minneapolis Agencies Moving Forward Through Challenging Times?” on Friday, October 17, at the Grand Hotel.

Three veterans of the agency world (Nicole Nye, director of account management at OLSON; Rich Butwinick, president and founder of MarketingLab; and Lynne Robertson, president of FAME, a Retail Brand Agency) will share their experiences and expertise and tell you how agencies of all sizes in the Minneapolis area are operating and turning profits during these difficult economic times. Stephanie Hansen, co-host of “The Stephanie and Meredith Show” on WFMP 101.7 FAM, will moderate the panel discussion.

Registration and networking begin at 8:00 a.m., followed by a delicious breakfast, panel presentation and a question and answer session from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. There will be an opportunity for more networking after 9:30 a.m.


When:
10.17.2008, 8:00am to 9:30am

Where:
The Grand Hotel
615 2nd Ave S
(5th floor Ballroom I)
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
Cost:

()

This event is cordially sponsored by Carrot (www.thecarrotagency.com) and MarketingLab (www.mymarketinglab.com).

NorthMarq, the Bloomington, Minnesota-based commercial real estate services company, has chosen Maccabee Group Public Relations as its new public relations agency.

Maccabee Group will provide NorthMarq with local and national media relations, marketing and corporate communications and media training services across all of its business units, in conjunction with Dozier & Company in Dallas, which handles real estate trade media across the country for NorthMarq.

NorthMarq aligns the Real Estate Services, Health Care and Corporate Solutions divisions of United Properties with NorthMarq Capital (whose 30 U.S. offices support $13 billion in annual production volume and a loan portfolio of more than $36 billion) to provide a full range of brokerage, corporate solutions, debt/equity, healthcare real estate advisory services, investment sales and property management solutions for commercial real estate investors and occupiers/users. NorthMarq has more than 500 employees based in the Twin Cities, with more than 350 additional employees in the Capital offices throughout the country.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The Woman's Club
reet | Minneapolis, 55403

Tired of just surviving work? Learn how to "sur-thrive" with MWMC's Learning Lunch series! Our series of Learning Lunches explores the various sides of communications, such as communications, creativity, crisis, leadership and management. The next two lunches are:

October 23: Nicole DeBeaufort, Fourth Sector Consulting, will talk about bridge building for communicators--how communications is the balm for creating unusual but eminently effective partnerships between sectors.

November 19: Megan Wilker and Nancy Lyons, Clockwork Active Media Systems, and bloggers at The Geek Girls Guide, will provide fresh perspectives on the interactive industry and talk about how they demystify technology for women and girls.

Click on the dates above to register for each lunch:
$30 members; $50 non-members; $20 students

The following post is courtesy of:

Mastering Blogger Relations

Bloggers are journalists too, right? Yes and no. Like journalists, bloggers are looking for an interesting story to write about and many journalists are also writing blogs. However, I would caution you not to think of the blogosphere as a new channel for traditional journalism. Remember that bloggers have a lot more freedom when it comes to writing about you and your company and online coverage can happen very quickly.

Here are some tips on how to approach blogger relations.

Research
Find out who the key bloggers are that cover your space and monitor their blog over a period of time to understand exactly what and who they write about. Pay attention to comments posted by readers and formulate an opinion on whether the blogger is respected in the industry. Also determine whether other influential bloggers are reading, commenting, linking to these blogs that you’ve identified. I.e. if you were to gain coverage on this blog, how much exposure would your company have?

Comment
To gain traction in the blogosphere, your company needs to have a voice. If you are a spokesperson for your company, you should do all that you can to get your name out there. While you are busy researching and monitoring other people’s blogs, don’t be afraid to post comments. This helps you to build a presence as a thought leader in your industry. Some blogs even allow you to link your name back to your website or blog when you leave a comment, which helps drive traffic and build link popularity for your website or blog.

Become a blogger
Online PR is about opening up lines of communication to create two-way conversations. It’s not about pitching your story to a blogger. Writing your own blog will give you a way to publish your content (in non-threatening, non-pitch format) in a way that other bloggers can respond to. Successful blogger relations is really about building reputation. Become a respected blogger and your target “influential” bloggers will keep coming back to your blog and will write about you accordingly. Make sure you have comments enabled because these really add credibility to you as a blogger, especially if you have influential bloggers posting comments in response to your posts.

Gaining coverage in the blogosphere can also act as a stepping stone into mainstream media. Journalists are monitoring blogs to find story ideas and sources for their stories. If you develop a solid online presence for your brand, coverage in traditional media will follow.

We all long for the day that a brand is so well known that we no longer have to sweat blood and tears to sell our story to the media; they come to us instead. I believe that online PR brings us a lot closer to that goal by opening up the lines of communication and making it much easier for journalists to find you, not the other way around.

MarketingLab has added Dave Henderleiter, and has promoted Chris Haas, who just joined the company mere months ago.

Henderleiter is a seasoned graphic designer, and has assumed that role at MarketingLab. Previously he had worked at C2 in Milwaukee as an art director and Adobe Certified software trainer for nearly a decade. While at C2, Henderleiter managed design and production projects for Harley-Davidson, Mount Mary College, Nextel, and others.

Haas is an industry veteran who joined MarketingLab in early summer 2008 after nearly a decade at Best Buy. Now, just a few months later he’s earned his first MarketingLab promotion, to creative director.

“Dave and Chris represent our deep, experienced, and successful creative talent,” said Rich Butwinick, Founder and President of MarketingLab. “Both have had the experience to work on or support large consumer brands, which will continue with our roster at MarketingLab.”

MarketingLab takes a unique approach to its promotions projects and focuses its efforts at retail or market-level marketing. The agency’s client list includes such stalwarts as Procter & Gamble, 3M, Bed Bath and Beyond, Menards, Qwest, Land O Lakes and Schwan’s Consumer Brands, among others

Can you set politics aside for a minute and answer this question? From a oratory and communications stand point, who won last nights Vice-Presidential debate?

The Minneapolis-St. Paul office of Weber Shandwick today announced the promotions of three employees in the technology practice, as well as three new hires.

Aaron Masterson has been promoted to account group manager. Masterson rejoined the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick in 2006 and serves as the strategic lead on energy services, industrial manufacturing and enterprise software accounts. His prior experience includes several years as a consultant with another Twin Cities public relations firm, and a senior public relations manager for ADC Telecommunications in Eden Prairie, Minn. Masterson holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication from Drake University, with majors in advertising and English.

Becky Musolf has been promoted to senior account executive. Musolf joined Weber Shandwick as an intern in 2006. She primarily handles trade media relations assignments for industrial manufacturing clients. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in strategic communication with an emphasis in public relations from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Musolf interned at a public relations firm in Chicago and WCCO-TV.

David Ratz has been promoted to senior account executive after joining Weber Shandwick as an intern in 2006. Ratz serves as a day-to-day trade media relations contact for technology clients and also handles industry analyst relations assignments. Ratz holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and minors in political science and aviation management from the University of North Dakota.

Sara Danzinger recently joined the technology practice at Weber Shandwick as an account supervisor, following three years as an account executive with an advertising and public relations firm in Sheboygan, Wis. Danzinger worked closely with advertising, media-buying, promotions and creative teams to deliver integrated communications programs. She will take the lead on communications activities related to the technology group’s agriculture and food processing accounts and will manage clients’ media relations, community relations and trade show activities. Danzinger holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication from Drake University, with majors in electronic media and broadcast news.

Sarah Carnes has been hired as an assistant account executive after interning since June 2008. As an intern, Carnes coordinated and staffed several farm shows for a national agriculture client. Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Carnes also interned at Cargill Inc. and Opportunity Homes Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications studies and business management from Luther College.

Allison Heilman recently joined the technology practice as an assistant account executive. Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Heilman was the marketing and communications coordinator at Wilson Learning Corp. where she drafted news releases, marketing materials and also supported the creation of the company Web site. Heilman will handle trade media relations assignments and provide trade show support for security and software clients. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication and Spanish from the University of Minnesota.

Got credibility? A new survey finds that Americans consider television and daily newspapers the most credible sources of news and information. Television was viewed as the most trusted media source, scoring a 6.6 on a one-to-10 credibility scale. Daily newspapers ranked second, earning 6.3 points out of 10. Radio, online media and weekly community papers ranked in the middle of the list. Free shoppers were viewed as least credible, scoring a 3.5 out of 10.

The national study of 1,005 adults was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation’s CARAVAN® Services and sponsored by ARAnet, which provides content to newspapers and Web sites, including two-thirds of the nation’s top-100 daily newspapers.

Survey respondents assigned credibility scores ranging from one for “not at all credible” to 10 for “extremely credible” to seven types of media. The results of the survey, which was conducted by phone September 4-7, 2008, were:

• Television: 6.6
  
• Daily newspaper: 6.3
  
• Radio: 6.0
  
• Online: 5.6
  
• Weekly community paper: 5.2
  
• Magazines: 4.6
  
• Free shopper: 3.5

The credibility scores corresponded with the amount of news and information people say they receive from each media source each month, with television and daily newspapers ranking as the top two sources. Consumers reported getting nearly 35 percent of their news and information from television, and 23.5 percent from daily newspapers. People reported getting just 1.6 percent of their monthly news and information from magazines.

“The survey results echo what we’ve been hearing from consumers and within the industry,” says ARAnet president Scott Severson. “The types of media that people view as the most credible are the ones that they turn to the most often for news and information.”

Online sources ranked in the middle of the pack, both for credibility and for the percentage of news and information people received from Web sites each month. Survey respondents gave online media 5.6 out of 10 points on the credibility scale, and said they receive 12.7 percent of their news and information from online sources. “As more people go online for news and information, it’s more critical than ever for sites to deliver credible content that gives Web users the information they’re looking for,” Severson says.

For those that have been asking me to start using Twitter the wait is over. You can now follow my Twitter feed on the tab to the right or you can read it online here.

I have also added a new feature the . If you are interested in being a member please .