Keith O'Brien

The dramatic decline of the economy in the second half of 2008 derailed agencies across the industry, many of which originally felt they were on pace for a record year.

Of all the positive experiences during my more than five-year tenure at PRWeek, I am perhaps proudest that I never wrote a column in the form of a series of Tweets.

Tucked inside what seemed to be the tenth recent article about people making iPhone (and iPod touch) apps was a gem.

Drops on Monday. Be sure to check it out.

Engage in conversation long enough with someone in the communications industry, and talk will inevitably turn to Facebook's redesign.

There appears to be one sane person in the current rush to eviscerate AIG CEO Ed Liddy and its other executives; too bad he's only a journalist.

It might turn out to be the worst year in recent memory for the PR industry, but there has been great progress in the use of social media to reach various constituencies.

The PRWeek Awards celebrated its 10th anniversary last Thursday (see Book of the Night, inserted). As is always the case, the event celebrated a mix of traditional and new, highlighting the industry's best and brightest agencies, campaigns, individuals, and techniques.

PRWeek had its Awards show last night. Oh, you didn't hear? More than one person told me that they were so excited by the...

Our feature this week focuses on Zappos.com and its approach to customer service.