Threats were made against Sue Scheff and a gang mentality took hold as numerous voices began to chime in.

As Scheff continued to watch the whole thing spin beyond damage control, something just as frightening would eventually snake its way into the search engines of Google; If you typed in Sue Scheff, it wasn't her website with educational articles and resources for parents that appeared at first glance, because over two pages of initial Google results led to links that took viewers to sites that were distasteful and littered with adult content.

In Sue Scheff's new book, "Google Bomb! The Untold Story of the $11.3M Verdict That Changed the Way We Use the Internet," she details this and other harrowing ordeals involving Internet defamation and cyberstalking.

After nearly losing her home to pay for her day in court, on September 19, 2006, Sue Scheff was awarded a jury decision with a landmark $11.3M verdict, a forceful warning that ruining lives with online attacks is wrong and will not be tolerated.

To read more about Sue Scheff's story in her new book, visit http://www.googlebombbook.com or http://www.suescheff.com.

About Sue Scheff

Sue Scheff is the founder of Parents' Universal Resources Experts, Inc. (P.U.R.E.), a child and parenting advocacy organization, is a noted expert on Internet Defamation by countless mediums after winning $11.3M in a 2006 lawsuit against a woman who posted viral defamatory statements about Scheff and P.U.R.E. Sue Scheff's first book "Wit's End! Advice and Resources for Saving Your Out of Control Teen," published by Health Communications, Inc., has helped many families with at-risk teens. She has appeared on The Rachel Ray Show, ABC News, 20/20, CNN Headline News, Fox News,CBS Nightly News, CBC News: Sunday Morning, and NPR, to name a few.

# # #

— WebWireID107141 —

Throughout its 121-year history, National Geographic has encouraged conservation of natural resources and raised public awareness of the importance of natural places, the plants and wildlife that inhabit them and the environmental problems that threaten them. In the past four years, 54 articles in National Geographic magazine have been photographed by iLCP members. Photographers whose work has appeared in the magazine and who are scheduled to present at WiLD SPEAK include Michael Nichols, Brian Skerry, Paul Nicklen, Steve Winters, Tim Laman, Christian Ziegler, Frans Lanting, Jack Dykinga, Tom Peschak, Klaus Nigge and James Balog.

Tim Kelly, president of National Geographic Global Media and president/CEO of National Geographic Ventures, and Frank Biasi, director, conservation and special projects, National Geographic Maps, will speak at WILD9.

"We are excited to be part of WILD9 -- a vital forum that is closely aligned to our own mission to inspire people to care about the planet," said Kelly. "It speaks to our ongoing commitment to environmental storytelling across all of our media platforms. We constantly challenge ourselves to take these kinds of stories and find fresh ways to share them with our many audiences. It's an honor to have supported some of the conservation photography showcased at WILD9 and WiLD SPEAK, and we look forward to future collaborations with iLCP."

"This year's congress greatly expands our focus on the visual and written media professions as catalysts and influencers to raise awareness of environmental issues and on their role in achieving conservation outcomes," said WILD Foundation President Vance Martin. "National Geographic is an ideal sponsor of WILD9 by virtue of its commitment to conserving nature and traditional communities, and success in bringing issues, emotion and information to audiences regarding the beauty and fragility of our planet."

WILD9's principal theme is the key role that wilderness conservation plays in mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity and other ecosystem services critical to human well-being.

Please send requests for images to media contacts below.

WILD9 is a partnership between The WILD Foundation and Unidos para la Conservación and relies on the support and participation of many partner organizations.

The National Geographic Society (www.nationalgeographic.com) The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to "increase and diffuse geographic knowledge," the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic reflects the world through its magazines, television programs, films, music and radio, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic magazine, the Society's official journal, published in English and 32 local-language editions, is read by more than 35 million people each month. The National Geographic Channel reaches 310 million households in 34 languages in 165 countries. National Geographic Digital Media receives more than 13 million visitors a month. National Geographic has funded more than 9,200 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geography literacy.

iLCP (www.ilcp.com) Its mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. iLCP is a project-driven organization, with a vision to translate conservation science into compelling visual messages targeted to specific audiences. iLCP works with leading scientists, policy makers, government leaders and conservation groups to produce the highest-quality documentary images of both the beauty and wonder of the natural world and the challenges facing it. From poaching to global warming, from habitat loss to cultural erosion, from sustainability to biological corridors, the work of conservation photographers covers the range of threats to biodiversity and is a critical component in the conservation toolbox.

The WILD Foundation (www.wild.org) Founded in 1974, WILD is the only international organization dedicated entirely and explicitly to wilderness protection around the world. WILD works to protect the planet's last wild places and the wildlife and people who depend upon them, because wilderness areas provide essential social, spiritual, biological and economic benefits. We believe that intact wilderness areas are an essential core element of a healthy modern society.

Unidos para la Conservación (www.unidosparalaconservacion.org) Founded in 1992, Unidos is a nonprofit Mexican conservation organization that has actively promoted the concept of wilderness conservation in Mexico. Its working strategy combines the establishment of alliances with government, nonprofit and corporate partners with the promotion of a conservation culture through publications and films in a search of conservation solutions through specific action.

— WebWireID107191 —

Colin Byrne, Weber Shandwick's UK & Europe CEO, commented: 'This has been nothing short of a spectacular year for all of us here at Weber Shandwick, particularly in this challenging economic environment. To be recognized as 'International Consultancy of the Year' by two of the UK's most prestigious public relations organizations, within the same year, is a real testament to the dedication of our employees across our local, regional and global network.'

He continued: 'We are extremely proud of our achievements this year and would like to thank all of our clients and people across our international network for their magnificent contribution to an extremely rewarding year.'

These awards continue to build on Weber Shandwick's remarkable global award success in 2009, which includes a PRWeek UK Global Agency Report Card gold medal, a Cannes Lion award and an IPRA Golden World award.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 77 markets around the world. The firm's success is built on its deep commitment to client service, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, corporate/financial and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. Weber Shandwick was recognized as PRWeek's 2009 Global Agency Report Card Gold Medal Winner, named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Large PR Firm of the Year by PR News in 2008. The firm also won the United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations for a lifestyles educational campaign in India. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

— WebWireID107190 —

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK — Fox Audience Network (FAN), a division of News Corporation, and WPP (WPPGY:NASDAQ) today announced a partnership to provide marketers with more accurate and in-depth information to increase the effectiveness of their digital marketing investments.

FAN will work with units of WPP's Kantar and WPP Digital under the terms of the new partnership. These collaborations will provide marketers with better insight across inventory aggregated by both FAN and the Media Innovation Group of WPP Digital.

WPP companies will gain access to FAN's Audience Segmentation service to enrich their insights, planning and measurement offerings. The enhanced audience segmentation services will enable WPP clients to understand and reach highly customized yet anonymous groups of consumers who share relevant interests, such as autos, games, movies or music. In addition, FAN will gain access to deep consumer insights from Kantar, the research arm of WPP, broadening the information available in its Audience Segmentation platform.

'There is more data than most online marketers know what to do with but not enough insight or action,' said Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital. 'We are delighted to be working with FAN to integrate Audience Insights into the various WPP platforms, extending FAN's analytics across more publishers and more channels, online and offline, than ever before.'

'In working with WPP, we gain a valuable partner as we extend our Audience Insights platform, which already covers more than 80% of online consumers in the U.S., into the most comprehensive audience analytics service in the industry,' said Adam Bain, President of Fox Audience Network. 'Together, we will create new insights for marketers about who is visiting their digital properties and how particular audience segments are responding to marketing messages.'

Specifically the partnership includes the following:

• Compete, a division of Kantar Media, will integrate enhanced features from FAN's Audience Insights platform into its Compete PRO offering, the leading online measurement and digital intelligence service (found at www.compete.com).

• WPP Digital's Media Innovation Group will incorporate elements of the FAN media planning suite into ZAP, its proprietary digital advertising platform.

• FAN will aggregate additional retail and other information on an anonymous basis from Kantar Media into its Audience Insights platform to provide more robust audience segments to advertisers.

About WPP
WPP is the world's largest communications services group. Through its operating companies, the Group provides a comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services including advertising; media investment management; information, insight and consultancy; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing and specialist communications. The company employs 145,000 people (including associates) in 2,400 offices in 107 countries. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.

About FAN
The Fox Audience Network (FAN) is a unit of News Corporation that supports monetization efforts across the company's online content portfolio, as well as third-party publisher sites. FAN leverages proprietary advertising technology to create highly-targeted advertising campaigns for a wide range of marketers, while also delivering cutting-edge tools and services to third-party publisher partners, advertising agencies and research companies. FAN works directly with hundreds of advertisers to develop customized marketing programs that optimize both branded and performance-based strategies. The company also developed and manages a self-serve advertising platform, which is currently utilized by more than 30,000 advertisers. In all, FAN reaches more than 158 million consumers each month* and owns partnerships with more than 700 online publishers.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, September 2009

— WebWireID107179 —

Epsilon is a leading full-service marketing firm providing integrated, data-driven multichannel marketing strategies for clients across a number of industries. With forty years of rich experience, over two thousand employees and twenty offices around the globe, Epsilon works with the leading global brands enriching marketing strategies across a number of channels including email and digital, direct mail, social media, mobile and more.

'Epsilon has a long history of working with clients to measure all aspects of marketing activity and determine the best marketing strategies,' said Michael Penney, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Analytic Consulting at Epsilon. 'Social media has become increasingly important to marketers as consumers adopt new forums and technologies at a rapid pace. Epsilon helps clients understand what is being said in new channels and the implications of those comments and conversations. SM2 allows us to help improve not just clients' social media marketing strategies, but enhance their overall multichannel marketing efforts, with the best and most timely information. We are delighted to be expanding on our already successful partnership with Alterian.'

SM2 is a software-as-a-service solution designed specifically for Brands and Agencies to monitor, measure, analyze and respond to social media activity. SM2 offers comprehensive coverage of social media, automated in-depth measurement and analytics and the immediate delivery of results.

'The volume and value of conversations on social media are exploding. Marketers need to move from considering social media as an experimental channel, and start considering its impact on the entire marketing mix,' said Michael Fisher, Alterian's Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, The Americas. 'Epsilon has four decades of expertise and significant experience supporting their clients with multi-channel marketing strategies. We are delighted that they have selected SM2 to deliver insight and analysis of social media to help refine and further improve the communication strategies that they recommend and deliver for their clients. We have seen a great deal of interest amongst our partners and customers in our SM2 offering, and we look forward to building on the success of our partnership with Epsilon to-date with this new offering.'

— WebWireID107171 —

Authors whose works are chosen to be features on Scamraiders will also be entered into a drawing for $200 -- the article with the most traffic for the month wins.

"We're looking for the best of the best," said Scamraiders Founder, Jim Couri, "and we want to reward Scamraiders out there who are helping us fight corruption of all kinds. "

Complete details and additional information can be found at Scamraiders.com.

— WebWireID107147 —

J.D. Biersdorfer and David Pogue come to the rescue with the latest edition of their chock-full-of-tips, full-color guide: the world's most popular iPod book. iPod: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly, US $19.99), now in its 8th edition, provides a no-nonsense view of the latest iPod line, including the tiny Shuffle, the video-capable Nano, the high-capacity Classic, and the Wi-Fi-enabled Touch. With crystal-clear explanations and easy-to-follow color graphics, the book provides expert guidance on all of the amazing things you can do:

"The latest line of iPods, especially the Touch and the Nano, have many new features and this book introduces new owners to each one so they don't miss out on any of the fun. There's also a new version of iTunes and the iTunes Store, and this book explains all the cool new stuff you can do with your iTunes library as well as how to find your way around the newly overhauled iTunes Store," says Biersdorfer.

Here's the important stuff you need to know:

* Fill 'er up. Load your Nano, Classic, Touch, or Shuffle with music, movies, and photos, and learn how to play it all back.
* Share music and movies. Copy music between computers with Home Sharing, beam playlists around the house, and whisk your Nano's videos to YouTube.
* iTunes, tuned up. Pick-and-choose which music, movies, and photos to sync; create instant playlists with Genius Mix; and auto-rename "Untitled" tracks.
* iPod Power. Create Genius playlists on your iPod, shoot movies on your Nano, tap the Nano's FM radio and pedometer, and add voice memos to your Touch.
* Tour the new iTunes store. Find what you're looking for in a snap, and get lyrics, liner notes, and more with iTunes LP.

Even if you don't have one of the brand new iPods, this Missing Manual has plenty of information on iTunes 9, the App Store, and everything else you'll want to know. iPod: The Missing Manual is as useful, satisfying, and reliable as its subject.

For a review copy or more information please email peyton@oreilly.com Please include your delivery address and contact information.

J.D. Biersdorfer is the author of iPod: The Missing Manual and The iPod Shuffle Fan Book, and is co-author of The Internet: The Missing Manual and the second edition of Google: The Missing Manual. She has been writing the weekly computer Q&A column for the Circuits section of The New York Times since 1998.

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how- to authors. In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles. You can find him on Twitter at @pogue.

Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596804312

iPod: The Missing Manual, Eighth Edition
J.D. Biersdorfer, David Pogue
ISBN: 9780596804312, 300 pages,
Book Price: $19.99 USD, £15.50 GBP
Ebook Price: $15.99 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

About O'Reilly

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

— WebWireID107167 —

RED BANK, NJ and DENVER, CO – November 5, 2009

WHO: Joe Federbush, vice president, sales and marketing, Exhibit Surveys, Inc.

WHAT: Blue Goose Exhibitor Training Center, 'Proving the Value of Trade Shows in a Down Economy'
One of the first things to be cut in a down economy is the trade show and marketing budget. Exhibitors are under pressure from all sides to justify their participation in trade shows. Fortunately, trade shows take on a renewed importance in a tough economy and can be a huge time and money saver when trying to reach qualified prospects. In this interactive session, you'll learn about historical trends and discuss the key obstacles facing the exhibition industry in today's economy. Discover how to prove ROI by:
• Bringing true accountability and justification to your trade show and events program
• Identifying strengths and weaknesses to maximize exhibit performance
• Reviewing case studies to see how others are proving value in this economy
WHEN: November 12, 2009, 11 am – 1 pm
WHERE:
The Exhibitor's Training Center
Turnpike Business Park
7100 N. Broadway, Bldg. 3-G
Denver, CO 80221 (map)

MORE INFORMATION: (303) 430-1986 or. http://www.bluegooseinc.net/exhibitors-training/upcoming-program.html

About Exhibit Surveys, Inc.
Established in 1963, Exhibit Surveys, Inc. specializes exclusively in conducting market research and measurement for the exhibition and event marketing industry. The company has conducted primary research on more than 3,000 exhibitions and events and over 10,000 individual exhibits in all major segments of commerce on six continents. Its clients represent all segments of the event industry, including exhibition organizers, exhibitors, private events organizers, suppliers, CVBs and convention facilities. For more information, visit www.exhibitsurveys.com or call 1.732.741.3170.

About Blue Goose Inc.
Blue Goose Inc. takes your business seriously – as well as your smile. With expertise in award-winning booth design, refurbishment, and logistics management, Blue Goose provides the right booth for your objectives and budget.

The Exhibitor's Training Center is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by Blue Goose, Inc. with the purpose of further educating those in the exhibit and event industry in the 'tricks of the trade.' Monthly training programs are held to help attendees make the most of their company's marketing efforts. Instructors who possess first-hand knowledge and experience with their respective topics are provided at no cost.

Sign up for the informative monthly e-newsletter and learn more about Blue Goose Inc. at www.bluegooseinc.com.

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— WebWireID107083 —

With this in mind, a Florida-based Internet marketing company has announced the launch of PlaceYourName. com, a new service that helps users manage and control what is seen about them when their names are searched online.

Using a combination of Internet public relations, Web site development and proprietary techniques, PlaceYourName.com offers its users the ability to place their name, news and biographical content online, creating a positive search engine profile in the process.

For less than $50, PlaceYourName. com helps empower users to take control of their online image, regardless of writing ability, computer knowledge or whether or not they have an existing Web site.

PlaceYourName. com offers registered users a personalized User Control Panel (UCP), where they input their information, news and content. After approving changes made by a PlaceYourName. com editor, the information is then placed online across a wide variety of content portals.

Once distribution takes place, users then have the ability to log back into their UCP and see the new information in the search engines in real-time.

The cost, ease-of-use and emphasis on personalized name promotion are what separate PlaceYourName.com from other traditional online visibility services.

PlaceYourName. com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Search Me Group, LLC, an Internet marketing company dedicated to establishing online visibility for individuals, companies and organizations.

For more information, visit http://www.PlaceYourName.com or call 1-561-404-4790.

# # #

— WebWireID107084 —

Along with describing what the new FTC rules require and may not require of businesses and bloggers, Sifleet and Yudkin discussed five reasons it makes sense to comply with the new regulations:

1. Stay out of trouble. Although it's most likely the FTC will pursue egregious violators who have deep pockets, small players are nevertheless vulnerable to legal hassles and fines if they do not comply with the new regulations.

2. Reduce other risks. Compliance with the new rules will help things go better for you if you get called before the FTC or a brother federal agency for another issue.

3. Earn credibility. As awareness of the new guidelines spreads, potential clients and customers see you in a positive light when you're clearly complying.

4. Avoid second-hand problems. By complying with the rules, you're perceived as less liable if a rogue affiliate or reviewer acts wildly on your behalf.

5. Prevent business damage. Although those based outside the US might think the FTC has no jurisdiction over them, if they have customers, affiliates, web hosting, shopping cart services, etc. based in the US, by complying they avoid those aspects of their operation being targeted by the FTC.

Massachusetts attorney Jean Sifleet of Smartfast.com, the featured expert on the FTC recording, has decades of experience advising both startup and established businesses on safeguarding intellectual property and preventing exposure to liability. She also has a distinguished record of explaining legal issues and their business implications clearly to non-lawyers. Jean Sifleet is the author of three books, including Advantage "IP": Profit From Your Great Ideas, as well as a three-time entrepreneur.

Marcia Yudkin of Yudkin.com, the interviewer on the FTC recording, is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity, now in its third edition, and 10 other books. Known world-wide as an expert in creative marketing, Yudkin helps business owners and organizational marketers reach new and existing customers powerfully and cost-effectively.

The recorded program on the new FTC guidelines may be purchased in downloadable MP3 format for $39.97 or as a CD for $42.97, including shipping.

To purchase the MP3 or CD recording on the new FTC rules and how bloggers, publishers, entrepreneurs and business owners can comply with them, go to http://www.yudkin.com/ftc.htm .

— WebWireID106998 —

(Silver Spring, Md.) Global media leader and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will narrate Discovery Channel's all-new 11-part series LIFE, set to premiere in March 2010. The series reveals the most spectacular, bizarre and fascinating behaviors that living things have devised in order to thrive. Many of these were captured for the first time using the latest in state-of-the-art high-definition filming techniques.

As one of the most influential voices of our time, Winfrey will lend her talent to some of the most compelling imagery ever captured on film. From strange creatures, such as the star-nosed mole that hunts underwater using bubbles to smell its prey, to epic spectacles, including millions of fruit bats darkening the Zambian sky, each episode tells mind-blowing stories of survival with drama, humor and suspense.

"We are honored to have Oprah Winfrey tell the story of what is already a visual masterpiece," stated John Ford, President and General Manager of Discovery Channel. "The stories capture your imagination, curiosity and emotion as you see animals and plants up close and personal - each story more amazing. Ms. Winfrey will be the perfect complement to this blue-chip natural history television event."

More than four years in the making, filmed over 3,000 days, across every continent and in every habitat, this is life as no one has ever seen it before.

LIFE is produced for Discovery Channel by the BBC. Mike Gunton is the executive producer for the BBC. Susan Winslow is the executive producer for Discovery Channel. Discovery Channel and the BBC also created the award-winning natural history series PLANET EARTH and BLUE PLANET.

For additional press information about LIFE, please visit: http://press.discovery.com

About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (DSC) is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which reaches 98.1 million viewers in the US, can be seen in over 170 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

— WebWireID107016 —

New York — As the calendar year draws to a close, a global economic recovery is all but certain, but risks remain, according to the latest issue of the Global Economic Outlook (GEO) — the quarterly publication from Deloitte Research, a subsidiary of Deloitte Services LP in the United States. It offers perspectives and insights on the almost synchronous recovery in several economies around the world and the near- to medium-term outlook for each.
Highlights from the GEO Q4 issue include:

* Financial indicators suggest a stronger than expected recovery for most of the world's major economies.
* Credit markets' behavior will be a critical issue, as weak credit markets could substantially offset the otherwise positive impact of aggressive monetary policy.
* For the US, the recovery will be a different beast when compared to past recoveries: instead of the consumer driving the recovery, government spending and exports will lead the charge.
* A cautionary forecast for the United Kingdom, as the lingering effects of massive consumer debt will subdue consumer spending into 2011 and possibly beyond; growth will come, instead, from a boost to exports and investment.
* The strong Chinese recovery — no other major country in the world has performed as well — is being generated by massive fiscal and monetary expansion. While this is boosting growth quickly, it is also setting the stage for potential problems down the road: inflation, excess capacity, among others.
* The Russian economy is expected to grow next year. Yet the strength of the recovery will depend on many uncertain factors including the price of oil, the state of global capital markets, the fiscal and monetary stance of policymakers, and global investor confidence.
* Despite a deficient summer monsoon, the Indian recovery will likely be strong and will accelerate on account of a healthy fiscal stimulus and a robust recovery in industrial production.
* Japan will most likely see a modest and fragile growth, as it finds its footing under a new government.
* Finally, the Eurozone is already experiencing a surprising economic recovery. The region is in for some relatively strong growth due to a revival of exports and demand from trading partners, and a rise in consumer spending.

Quotes
Attributed to Ira Kalish, Director of Global Economics, Deloitte Research, a subsidiary of Deloitte Services LP

'The common thread of all our analyses seems to be a better-than-expected economic performance. Most of the world's major economies are now growing and some, like Japan and the Eurozone, are growing sooner than most analysts expected. The global crisis was notable for the near synchronicity of the downturn. Likewise, the upturn appears to be happening everywhere at once—something that is not usually the case.'

For additional quotes and to read the full report, please visit www.deloitte.com/economicoutlook.

About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in 140 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and deep local expertise to help clients succeed wherever they operate. Deloitte's approximately 169,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

— WebWireID107004 —

The XTM Suite delivers a complete range of tools for the translator, reviewer and project manager via the web. In AMD's case, the XTM Suite will be tightly integrated with their existing Content Management System, the DITA CMS Framework from IXIASOFT. XML Int'l is working on integrating the XTM Suite tools with this CMS to provide its users access to powerful translation memory tools directly within the system. As a result, AMD will be able to maximize their reuse strategy and continue to drive down localization costs.

Global product releases depend on consistent, localized product documentation that is produced on-time and on-budget. XTM is XML-based, fundamentally using industry-led Open Standards instead of the proprietary file formats common to other translation systems. Combined with AMD's CMS system, the XTM Suite will facilitate much greater leverage of the company's existing Translation Memory assets, and its workflow will reduce the amount of time AMD QA staff spends administrating work with Localization Service Providers – all potentially resulting in direct cost savings for AMD.

'We chose XTM to integrate with our CMS because it is an XML based solution, non-proprietary and that they are willing and excited to work with our CMS vendor,' said Keith Schengili-Roberts, the Manager for Documentation & Localization at AMD.
'XTM's cutting-edge, standards based translation management technology is designed to allow us to streamline our localization process. We spent the better part of a year assessing potential vendors, and we found XTM Suite to be the most cost effective solution for our needs.'

'We are extremely proud to be supplying AMD with our translation tool, XTM. It is a positive endorsement of our technology that they selected it for the critical job of product and engineering documentation localization. Managing localized content directly from within the DITA CMS Framework makes perfect sense as it improves content reuse and ensures an efficient delivery of translated content' said Elliot Nedas, Business Development Manager, at XML-INTL.

About XML-INTL
XML-INTL Ltd is a leader in web 2.0 XML based translation technology. Their modular translation Suite XTM is ideally suited to integration with Content Management Systems.

— WebWireID107002 —

DENVER – Even as businesses embrace it with zeal, Enterprise 2.0 is often derided as a buzzword enveloped in ivory-tower abstractions that obfuscate as much as enlighten.

That's why NewsGator (www.newsgator.com) today launched a new blog from the trenches of Enterprise 2.0 – yes, there are trenches – called 'Everyday Enterprise 2.0,' authored by Christy Schoon, the company's director of Enterprise 2.0 consulting. Read it at http://blogs.newsgator.com/everyday_enterprise_20/.

'I work with real businesses every day that use Enterprise 2.0 to generate concrete results,' says Schoon. 'My customers don't want to argue about what Enterprise 2.0 is, whether it's the right term, or whether it even exists. They want to know how other companies have succeeded, what they themselves can do to achieve the same benefits, and most importantly, how to do it. So I'm going to write in plain English about everyday Enterprise 2.0 from my own on-the-ground perspective working with living, breathing social computing champions at Fortune 500 companies.'

Everyday Enterprise 2.0's first and second posts are: 'Why this blog?' and 'Pimp my site.' Upcoming posts will focus on:
• Training 2.0
• Proofs of concept
• Insights from the upcoming Enterprise 2.0 Conference
• Community manager preparation, and
• The notion of 'adoption for adoption's sake.'

Schoon welcomes comments and links to other practical resources so the blog can become a community for sharing real-world enterprise social computing experiences among peers.

Schoon has 16 years of experience in Internet, business and IT, with stops at InfoWorld, CNET and Intuit before NewsGator. The company has one million paid users of its enterprise social computing software, Social Sites, and Schoon works directly with thousands of them. Businesspeople frequently ask her where to start on Enterprise 2.0, and she has three standard recommendations: 1) read Ross Dawson's sensible, plainspoken book 'Implementing Enterprise 2.0' http://fwd4.me/1qI; 2) read the Nielsen Norman Group's report 'Enterprise 2.0: Social Software on Intranets' ($298, http://fwd4.me/1qJ); and 3) if your company has at least 10,000 employees, join the 2.0 Adoption Council http://fwd4.me/1qK.

About NewsGator Technologies, Inc.
NewsGator Technologies helps enterprises and media companies leverage social computing solutions to deliver real business value. The company's enterprise social networking and widget services are in use by hundreds of the world's most recognized brands, including Biogen Idec, CBS, CNN, Discovery, National Geographic, Procter & Gamble and USA Today. NewsGator Social Sites and Enterprise Server give enterprises better ways to collaborate, share content, expand employee knowledge and improve productivity. For more information, visit www.newsgator.com.

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As a copywriter and online success coach, Dr. Kuhn understands marketing and will help business owners with search engine optimization and with optimizing their blogs for results.

As a long-time college professor, Dr. Kuhn has also developed a knack for explaining complex materials in a friendly and easy-to-follow way.

In just four weeks (plus a bonus week), Dr. Kuhn will walk her coaching students through the entire process, from targeting their audience and selecting winning keywords all the way to getting traffic and building a list -- and turning new leads into clients.

"A blog can be an amazing and powerful business building tool," Kuhn explains. "However, many small business owners aren't using it correctly -- if they have one at all. There are just so many websites and blogs out there doing absolutely nothing for their owners. I want to change that."

A complimentary copy of Dr. Kuhn's special report on how blogging can help small businesses, is available at http://www.thebloggingcourse.com and can be requested when the form appears.

Dr. Kuhn will provide an additional week of e-coaching to anyone who signs up within the first week of November.

For additional information about Dr. Kuhn, please visit http://www.LinguisticLeverage.com and http://www.RichmondWebMarketing.com

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Momentum Europe attendees will converge in Athens to discuss and learn about market-leading innovations in the many facets of content management, archiving and compliance, such as: dynamic application composition, information governance and e-discovery, secure extended collaboration, intelligent capture, records management and customer communications management. This year's conference features a comprehensive agenda that includes more than 84 breakout sessions, in-depth technical presentations, product demonstrations and EMC fundamentals courses. A detailed agenda may be viewed at http://momentumeurope.com.

Featured speaker Dimitris Mavroyiannis, Group CIO of Eurobank EFG, will discuss their implementation of EMC Documentum and how it helped support cost reductions as well as improve customer service and agility.

Scheduled presentations from EMC executives will include:

* A keynote presentation by President Mark Lewis, focused on the vision and strategy of EMC's Content Management and Archiving Division, the market for case management and ECM in the cloud.
* A technical session with Chief Operating Officer Rick Devenuti, highlighting several key products including EMC Documentum xCelerated Composition Platform, EMC SourceOne, EMC Documentum CenterStage and solutions for SharePoint.
* A welcome keynote presentation from Whitney Tidmarsh, Chief Marketing Officer, who will provide an overview of Momentum. Tidmarsh will also deliver the conference closing keynote.

EMC will hold its second annual Partner Conference at Momentum Europe on November 9, 2009. More than 350 delegates are expected to attend representing the full partner community of system integrators, ISVs and OEMs. The Partner Conference will feature both business and technical tracks enabling partners to grow their business.

Throughout Momentum Europe, conference attendees will hear from more than 30 partners about their products and services and how they complement and extend EMC's content management and archiving solutions. Top-level sponsors include C6, Capgemini and Tieto.

"Our presence at Momentum Europe is an important part of our partnership with EMC," said Nina Christiansen, Director, Global Alliances Practice at Tieto. "Our staff and customers highly value the opportunity to network and share experiences with other professionals in the ECM industry. This event also allows us to learn about the latest development in EMC's technologies, its use cases and how we can leverage it to help our customers reduce costs and improve agility."

"Momentum offers us a unique opportunity to meet Documentum users and leaders," says Boris Carbonneill, Chief Technology Officer at C6. "There is no other place where we can get customer feedback, demonstrate our solutions as well as discuss what's coming next, with the support of the EMC community."

Momentum attendees will also hear from the world's leading organizations present user case stories that are applicable across a number of industries. For more information about Momentum Europe 2009, please visit www.momentumeurope.com or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/emc_momentum.

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Cannes, France — Six 'business killers' still threaten to destroy financial services institutions in the next 24 months, whether an economic upswing occurs or not, according to Gartner, Inc. These issues need to be addressed, or they have the capacity to kill the recovery for most financial-services providers (FSPs). Analysts said that those institutions that face the 'business killers' head on will place themselves better to ensure that they not only survive an upturn, but to take advantage of future opportunities.

'It has been a tumultuous year for banks and financial services providers and some will continue to face a rocky path for the next two years - a critical period whenleading banks will take action to deal with both the recession and a possible recovery and thereby establish an unassailable lead over laggards,' said Peter Redshaw, research vice president at Gartner. 'IT departments have been fighting frantically to help keep their organisations' heads above water and they'd be forgiven for thinking that the worst is over. That may be true but it is no time to relax.'

Mr Redshaw, with Alistair Newton, research vice president at Gartner, and Juergen Weiss, principal research analyst at Gartner, examine the challenges that drive these killers, the opportunities they present and the actions financial services institutions need to take to thrive during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2009, being held here through 5 November.

While some FSPs have addressed the dangers and are now in a position to rebuild their brand and business, most others still need to confront these threats. More than 50 per cent of banks will still be in cost-optimisation mode in mid-2010 and making no plans or investments for any recovery. Gartner has identified six business killers that financial services institutions and their IT department need to overcome if they want to survive and even thrive:

1. Organisational Inflexibility and Resistance to Change
Top-down changes to governance can be initiated when senior job roles are realigned with processes and with customers - not with products or business units. Gartner predicts the emergence of roles such as a head of payments, or process improvement, or customer interactions. These are roles that are responsible at a strategic level for linking the people with the appropriate processes and systems across the FSP and at a lower level being managed on a daily, operation basis by business process management (BPM) suites.

2. Cost-Driven, Revenue-Shy
Many FSPs focus too much on costs rather than revenue as the emphasis shifts to efficiency rather than effectiveness. 'For all the huge investments in IT, cost/income ratios and most other metrics have barely improved in Europe in the last ten years,' said Mr Redshaw. 'Part of the problem is that every time one process is streamlined and automated, a new product or a new channel pops up and has to be supported by IT. Much of the cost improvement in recent years has been due to making lower provisions for loan losses – not a good strategy for the future. FSPs should base their targets on profitability, not just cost management.'

3. Tactics Win Over Strategy
Many FSPs focus too much on short-term thinking without having a wider strategy in place. Examples are a strong quarterly result emphasis and the lack of a coherent IT strategy. Banks miss a thorough analysis of the financial supply chain and the relevance or position of their bank within it. They also neglect supply-chain-management changes in distribution networks such as the rise of social networking and the crowd-sourcing implications. FSPs need to avoid two extremes: first, assuming that unpredictability means that strategies are worthless, so they become purely reactive and tactical; second, assuming that unlimited flexibility is a desirable state.

4. Internal Focus and Customer Neglect
Trust and confidence in traditional FSPs has been severely dented during the current crisis. Some FSPs are perceived as direct causes of current misfortunes – lost money, lost jobs, etc – and may be actively targeted for boycotts or even sabotage. However, hardly any FSPs actively offer advice to customers that is specifically designed for this recession. Instead, they devote a greater proportion of their efforts to internal initiatives designed to cut costs, make operations more efficient, shore up balance sheets and ensure regulatory compliance. The focus is inwards not outwards but FSPs should identify and work to customers' processes rather than their own.

5. Risk: The Tail that Wags the Dog
Risk management has gained significant importance in many banks and insurers as a consequence of the financial crisis such as additional stress tests for financial institutions and informal cross-border consultations. Although the six European financial services regulations, including the Capital Requirements Directive and the Third Anti-Money-Laundering Directive, do not deliver any value to FSPs, they account for 14.1 per cent of FSPs' IT spending. 'FSPs can't wait for instructions from regulators; ignorance is not an excuse for inactivity,' said Mr Redshaw. 'New legislations should be factored in when FSPs define new products, build up new sales and service channels or decide on organisational changes; however they shouldn't lead to a situation where the risk-tail wags the dog.'

6. Starved of Innovation
Around one third of FSPs is investing in future economic recovery but FSPs are not necessarily good at innovation. Gartner research from May 2009 conducted among 92 executives at banks worldwide showed that the most important innovation goals are to improve product or service quality, to extend a product range, to replace products and services, to comply with regulations and to protect market share. However, only 30 per cent of FSPs in North America, 53 per cent in APAC and 66 per cent in Europe have established a formal innovation process.

'FSPs must create a more outward-facing set of objectives for IT and a culture that has incorporated innovation best-practices at its core. IT strategies and projects need to be risk-aware but they also need to be innovative and bold,' said Mr Redshaw. Most importantly, IT departments at FSPs will need to support a new operating model from their board that is designed to cope with a world that has low growth, small margins, high volatility and heavy regulations.

Mr Redshaw explores the challenges FSPs face in the Gartner video at http://www.youtube.com/gartnervideo#p/u/1/30-TO4uPPfQ. Gartner analysts will further discuss the threats posed to financial-services establishments at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2009 in Cannes, 2-5 November.

Follow Gartner
Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Gartner?ref=ts. FriendFeed at http://friendfeed.com/rooms/gartner, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc using #Gartnersym, on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27772229@N07/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/gartnervideo.

About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

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Unable to embark on her regular worldwide promotional tours this year due the arrival of her first baby this autumn, HarperCollins and Skype are bringing Cecelia together with her fans through real-time Skype video. Cecelia will join events live from her home in Dublin and will appear on screens at selected retailers in central city locations. Events will range from celebrity-hosted evenings to invite-only retailer events. Fans will be able to speak to Cecelia and buy pre-signed copies of her new books. The tour kicks off with an event at the new Liverpool Waterstones store on Friday 13th November with further events scheduled in Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Sydney and Singapore.

Cecelia Ahern has sold 12 million books in over 48 countries in only five years. At 28, she is one of the biggest success stories in commercial fiction. She is also the creator of the successful TV drama series, Samantha Who?

Kate Fitzpatrick, Digital Marketing Manager says: "Our partnership with Skype has given Cecelia a fantastic opportunity to reach her fans in all corners of the globe at a time when she is unable to travel. As a first truly international PR event for HarperCollins the use of Skype has proved that distance doesn't have to be a barrier for fans to engage and interact with their favourite authors."

"Skype is delighted to make it possible for Cecelia to connect in a meaningful way with her fans even though she can't be with them in person," said Jonathan Watson, Skype's marketing manager. "We hope this is first of many virtual book tours we will facilitate with Harper Collins."

Schedule of events:

* Waterstones - Liverpool, UK (Friday 13 November)

* Thalia Bookstore - Frankfurt, Germany (Monday 16 November)

* Johannesburg, South Africa (Monday 18 November)

* Shearers Bookshop - Sydney, Australia and Kinokuniya - Singapore City, Singapore (Thursday 19 November)

HarperCollins UK publishes a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction, to block-busting thrillers, from fantasy literature and children's books to enduring classics. It also publishes a great selection of non-fiction titles, including history, celebrity memoirs, biographies, popular science, dictionaries, maps, reference titles and education books, and its digital business is thriving. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins publishes some of the world's foremost authors, from Nobel prizewinners to worldwide bestsellers. In addition it publishes the works of Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It was the first major UK trade publisher to go carbon neutral in December 2007.

HC UK and International is responsible for the UK and Ireland, India, Australia and New Zealand and is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language book publishers in the world. HarperCollins Publishers is a wholly-owned division of News Corporation, the media conglomerate and parent of Times Newspapers Ltd, British Sky Broadcasting and Twentieth Century Fox.

About Skype
Skype is software that enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Download Skype to your computer or mobile phone at skype.com.

Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY).

Access to a broadband Internet connection is required. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.

Skype, associated trademarks and logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.

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WASHINGTON - The first people to paint their nails were the Chinese, around 3,000 B.C. The earliest typewriters were the size of pianos. The bathing suit first appeared during the Greco-Roman era, then disappeared, resurfacing in the late 19th century. Queen Elizabeth l owned more than 2,000 pairs of gloves. These and a myriad other facts are to be found in a new book from National Geographic, publishing this fall, that gives the intriguing story behind hundreds of customs, events and everyday objects.

AN UNCOMMON HISTORY OF COMMON THINGS (National Geographic Books; ISBN: 978-1-4262-0420-3; Nov. 17, 2009; $40; hardcover), by Bethanne Patrick and John Thompson, is a wide-ranging compendium that reveals the curious origins and far-reaching implications of things we take for granted every day. Who invented underwear? The sandwich? Sneakers? What ancient society came up with time-release deodorant, glitter eye shadow and pregnancy tests? Where did we get the custom of handshaking — and why did George Washington disdain it? Which tool was the first one added to the Swiss Army knife — and what particular need did it fulfill?

This delightfully different reference book blends entertaining text, colorful illustrations, handy timelines and peerless research to explore a wide range of subjects, from holidays and health to food and footwear to toys and transportation. Would you believe that indoor plumbing dates at least as far back as 2600 B.C.? That we can thank medieval scribes for punctuation, capital letters and the handy space between written words? Did you know the American front porch is an architectural tradition from Africa...that an early version of pizza was baked on ancient warriors' shields...and that the word "ketchup" comes from the Chinese "ki-tsiap," meaning "fish sauce"?

Many of the book's revelations run counter to widely held beliefs: For instance, Viking burials typically did not involve a ship set ablaze at sea...tall buildings were not the first structures to be called "skyscrapers"...the original wearers of "loafers" were anything but lazy...and fax transmissions were possible before the American Civil War.

The foreword is by Henry Petroski, author and civil engineering professor at Duke University. "In all the artifacts we read about in this book, we can see the creativity and ingenuity of our human ancestors. Everything was created, invented, and developed for a purpose: Everything is the result of a kind of everyday engineering.

"With its wealth of information and a great deal of food for thought, this is a book that will reward the reader with old memories of things past and with new knowledge of things of today. And like any book worth reading, it will change the way we look at the world and the people who inhabit it and how they themselves have changed it," Petroski writes.

AN UNCOMMON HISTORY OF COMMON THINGS is a lively and rich read for history buffs, pop culture lovers and all seekers of trivia or little-known lore. Whether dipped into at random or read from cover to cover, this quirky reference book will inform, amuse, astonish — and make one look at everyday things and traditions with a fresh eye.

Bethanne Patrick is a freelance writer and book critic who blogs about publishing as the Book Maven. She also hosts an online interview show for PBS affiliate WETA. She has written for The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, The Writer and People magazines and has authored several children's history readers. She lives in Arlington, Va.

John Thompson is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including "Dakotas," "Almanac of American History," "America's Historic Trails" and "Wildlands of the Upper South." His assignments have taken him to almost every U.S. state and have covered a wide range of natural and historical subjects. He lives in central Virginia.

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"Freelance Theater is about tackling challenges common to freelance writers, but in a new way," said Yolander Prinzel, one of Freelance Theater's co-founders and the blogger behind Freelance Writerville (FreelanceWriterville.com). "It's designed to take a humorous approach to serious topics while giving freelancers practical ideas they can incorporate into their own businesses. The first episode, for example, deals with a current hot button issue among freelance writers -- working too hard for too little money and struggling to get out of that cycle. "

Prinzel partnered with freelance business writer and the blogger behind All Freelance Writing (AllFreelanceWriting.com), Jennifer Mattern, in developing Freelance Theater. The two freelancers share a no-nonsense approach to helping other writers navigate the business aspects of freelance writing -- a theme carried through to the Freelance Theater shows.

The first episode in the MadLance series is "The Dead Don't Write," an approximately ten minute audio play tackling the issue of "vampire clients" in honor of Halloween. Visitors to FreelanceTheater.com can listen to a streaming audio version of the episode directly from the site or they have option to download an mp3 version to listen to on their computer or their favorite portable device.

About Freelance Theater

Freelance Theater began development in July 2009 and was launched in October 2009 by Jennifer Mattern (a freelance business writer and professional blogger) and Yolander Prinzel, ACS (a freelance financial writer and FINRA series 7, 66, and 2-15 licensed financial representative). With a bit of silliness, sarcasm, and an occasional slap on the wrist, the shows' writers / hosts will present fictional stories designed to wake writers up to industry issues with possible solutions and advice to help them thrive in their own freelance writing careers.

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