Might be speaking out of turn here as I'm late to bed/early to rise today: It's interesting to me that several medium and large PR agencies in our area have laid off (or “reorganized”) senior staffers associated with driving social media efforts and setting strategic direction for accounts. Agencies are struggling to balance bodies and bottom line in a downturn economy. There's a risk here in the quest to keep retainers above your $4K figure. Freelancers and smaller collectives (I'm offering SEO, web design and PPC advertising through partners) are probably able to do a lot more for smaller firms, start-ups and entrepreneurs (the audience for the WebInno panel)

I know plenty of “junior staff” who do great work, but aren't given the opportunity to try new approaches or build meaningful dialog with client contacts or even media. Too often, junior staffers are given a pub list and told to book meetings and fill a calendar. Imagine what happens when the journalist or blogger is blanketed by the same requests for time with no background on the company or quick statement on why it's different & deserves attention. It's almost impossible to cut through the clutter and stand out – especially if you haven't been taught how to pitch in a paragraph or pick up a phone and serve a reporter's needs (not just a client's demands of page 1).

I get tired of bashing and backlash at bad PR, but then again, it's existence and grumpy journalists and panels make it a lot easier for me to get results for my clients .