Facebook dominated the news this week as it released its IPO filing with a view to raising $5 billion, which would value the social network at something in the region of $100 billion.

Please excuse my bluntness, but there has been a lot of tiresome nonsense talked recently about the need to redefine PR for the modern age.

Even Edelman's fiercest competitors would admit that the firm's Trust Barometer is one of the best gauges of corporate and institutional reputation out there and company boss Richard Edelman was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week to launch the 2012 edition of the report.

I'm out in Silicon Valley this week visiting some of the corporations and agencies that are blazing a trail in modern communications and PR.

It is unlikely that Interpublic Group PR guru Harris Diamond had a bowl of Corn Flakes for breakfast yesterday as he ruminated on the news that Edelman had picked up the Kellogg PR account by setting up a conflict shop to handle the business.

Ron Paul has made much play of the attraction of his policies to younger voters and he made a creditable showing in the Iowa caucus.

It's difficult to assess where the turbulent global economy is going to take us next year.

The phone lines always ring hot at PRWeek Towers in the week following our annual awards judging, which took place at the Harvard Club in New York City last Monday.

The subject of agency consolidation is one we come back to repeatedly at PRWeek, and it raised its head again following Tuesday's announcement of the acquisition of Glover Park Group by WPP.

The dust has settled on the 4th annual PRWeek NEXT Conference, which took place at The TimesCenter in New York City last week.