Benefits of Social Media 'Contagious' -- According study published last Thursday in New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging, personal attributes can be contagious in a social setting. Co-author James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, said, "We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person as friends who are right next door."

PR to Standardize Award Judging -- After rampant accusations of conflict of interest and other shenanigans like PRS chapter presidents stacking the deck with the awards programs, one group has decided to stave off criticism and standardize the procedure. The Association of Organizational Communications (AOC) has just posted their judging criteria.

Broad Adoption of SM Now an International Phenomena -- Like no other time in history, thanks to Web 2.0 and Internet social media tools, free speech and democracy is spreading globally. As a result, the mantra of netcitizens now is, "no one can put this genie back in the bottle."

Open Nature of Social Media Lauded -- Also like never before, the open architecture that is Web 2.0 is attracting all peoples for every corner of life. Some social scientists now are claiming that this is exactly what America the "Melting Pot" was designed to be.

Scientists Claim Medical Explanation for Blogging A-Listers -- It was announced today that doctors from John Hopkins University have been able to identify the exact genes responsible for these types of people. Hikida Toyota, a leading researcher there said, "This is an important first step for further study of the combinations of factors that underlie these attributes."

Here, we are pleased to bring you the Second Edition of: PR TREND LINKS.

Again, we're not about to foist the empty placeholders regularly employed by other top bloggers (Rubel, et al.). No, this isn't because we can't think of anything to say.  Rather, we're connecting the dots to bring you the links that hint at the emerging trends in the PR business. These are the true hidden stories that are presently reshaping this rapidly-changing industry.

Without further ado, here are five fresh off the wire:

PR Billing at All Time High -- According to the StevensGouldPincus Annual Benchmarking Survey, PR firm profit margins at their highest level ever! On average, firms had an operating profit of 22 percent in '06. The factors attributed to the increase include: tightening the reigns on salaries and bonuses; getting juniors to work faster; and getting all staff professionals to bill prolifically. Clients are feeling the change.

Excitement Builds for Business Blogging Conference -- Chicago, September 17-19: This is the premier conference on business blogging in the Midwest this year. See you there.

Web 2.0 Sees Huge Return in Community and Family Values -- If there's one thing that this iteration of the Net has brought to the masses... it is the tremendous facility it has with creating genuine community. These new tools and their always-on asymmetrical nature has resulted in an huge abundance of time for family and friends.

Travel PR Focuses on Daring New Hot Spots -- Tired of that trip to the Jersey Shore? This year take you family on a trip of a lifetime. Thanks to PR, there's now a resurgence in the spirit of exploration.

The Era of Naked Conversations May Be Fading -- The huge fad inspired by the runaway business bestseller "Naked Conversations" by celebrity bloggers Robert Scoble and Shel Israel may be getting a little long in the tooth. Apparently, communities throughout the country are now beginning to crack down on the practice. File this one under TMI.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Josh, Sarah and Amy for forwarding these links.

If you come across a link of interest that you think best articulates the rapidly evolving PR business, please send them to Links AT strumpette DOT com. Thanks.

- Amanda

We are pleased to bring you a new feature here on Strumpette: PR TREND LINKS. Unlike the empty placeholders other top bloggers (Rubel, et al.) throw out often when they've got absolutely NOTHING to say... we're going to bring you the links that hint at the emerging trends in the PR business. These are the true hidden stories shaping our ever-changing industry.

Without further ado, here are six fresh off the wire:

Traditional PR Regains Popularity -- In the age of the Internet, the creative magic that once was the hallmark of the industry is now returning. The International Herald Tribune has an interesting article about its resurgence in the hot Asian market.

PRSA Pushes Continuing Education -- The Public Relations Society of America has just launched a major initiative to help groom the next generation of practitioners. Here from the Associated Press, the St. Paul Minnesota Chapter demonstrates a few of their new and exciting programs.

WOMM Adapts to Fill Crisis Communications Need -- Certainly, one of the HOTTEST new areas to emerge in PR in the last decade is Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM). However, up 'til now, all those efforts have been to influence proactively. Well, according to an article in LiveScience, researchers at Harvard and McGill University have now developed a technique for countering negative WOMM.

PR Industry Launches Initiative to Bolster Male Ranks -- Great article from Reuters about an effort in Australia to attract males to the public relations business. By conservative estimates more than 80 percent of the rank-and-file of the industry is now female; and of the remaining 20-ish percent, sexuality is most often quite... well... ambiguous. It's great to see someone taking the initiative to put a little healthy balance back in the system.

Video the Next Big Thing for PR 2.0 Crowd -- Forget podcasting! The PR 2.0 geeks are now racing to fill the void in their lives with video. There's a great article in Saturday's LA Times about how a group of entrepreneurs are now busy videographers. Like with most social media, they have yet to find a business model but it has thus far led to a lot of connections, networking and fun.

PR Sees Average Age of Consultants Drop -- Another article from Reuters about how a younger generation is now behind the wheel driving client account work and steering the industry. It is a VERY exciting time to be in PR.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you come across a link of interest that you think best articulates the rapidly evolving PR business, please send them to Links AT strumpette DOT com.  Thank you.