Is the PR world moving forward with open source tools? You bet.

PR: Mike Manuel's 'Young PR Pros Go Forward' points us to a relatively small but very cool idea that will probably grow into something BIG:

"Erin (Caldwell) mentioned she had this pet project in the works that was a community site for students and young PR professionals that would enable them to connect and share information with each other (a peer network) about careers in our industry. Erin's project, while still in its early stages, quietly launched this week, it's called "Forward."'

If you read Erin's bio, you will notice this bit (why it is relevant is just 90 seconds away):

"While most of her experience lies in new communications and social media, Erin is more interested in how these new tools are changing how we do business and how they fit into a comprehensive PR strategy. She is also passionate about helping people embrace new media and is enthusiastic when it comes to making technology less intimidating and more accessible to those who can benefit from it."

If you still don't believe that Marketing is evolving, if you don't believe that social and new media tools are becoming an integral part of the business landscape, think again.

Also, (via Andy Woolard) read Sam Flemming's inspired post about how PR firms are now monitoring WOM - particularly BBS & blogs:

"More often than not, blogs and BBS research is often discussed in terms of their power to start or amplify crises. PR firms should, and in fact are, paying attention to BBS and blogs as a "medium" that should be monitored because the opinions expressed can have a significant impact on their clients' reputations." Read the entire post here.

(And yes, Sam gets extra-credit for quoting me in his post.)

Next, read Neville Hobson's L'Oreal Snaps Up British Icon, which brings up some valid points about traditional PR's love-hate relationship with legalese:

"Reading the official announcements on both companies’ (L'Oreal and Body Shop) websites involves an awful lot of hurdle-jumping with disclaimers, cautions and conditions galore before you can get to the actual press releases. I never knew there was so much regulatory, legal and jurisdictional concern over a relatively-straightforward acquisition announcement. Tightly-controlled communication."

Here's a tip for companies who still burden their PR folks with heavy-handed legal statements: Make the legal stuff easily available, (like a link or reference to a separate page/section), but don't let it get in the way. 99.99999% of your users/customers/visitors just want to read what's going on without having to jump through hoops.

Lastly, check out this other Neville Hobson piece on measuring communications here. Nev points us to a great little how-to post from Angela Sinickas, over at IABC. It goes a little something like this:

"A lot of communicators ask me where to start with their measurements, how to connect what we do to the outcomes our organizations are trying to achieve, and how to take the right amount of credit for communication’s impact versus other things the organization is doing to achieve the same outcome." Read the rest here. (Angela has some tips for you.)

Today's other great reads to start your week:

Marketing Wisdom: Tom Asacker's Colin Powell on ones position (which isn't about Colin Powell at all, but Al Ries' uninspired advice to GM.)

Branding: John Winsor points us to the Apple vs. Microsoft branding video. (If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check it out.)

Brand Integration: Bernd Schmitt's Brand Entertainment: Here to stay?

Strategy: The BrandBuilder's Shatter Conventions.

Management: Shel Holtz's Frontline employees wanted to hear from CEO and Who's #1.

Blogging: Chris Carfi's Elitism in the Media, Blogging and Podcasting.

That's it for today. Have a great Monday, everyone.