Key to these studies is actually investigating what "poverty" is defined as. First, the income rate does not include additional funding that the government supplies for food and housing. Additionally, most US citizens "in poverty" have refrigerators, two televisions, mobile phones, cable, and many even have a gaming machine. They also have access to medical care. In short, the United States has redefined what poverty actually is... and it's wealthy compared to the rest of the world.

How will you be able to effectively link a visitor to the advertising? Or you providing some kind of coupon? Or 'mention this ad'?

This is the perfect conversation to be happening on a blog for advancing the PR profession. To some extent, the comments above actually provide proof that there 'is a battle'. It's playing out right here in these comments. My two cents is that, as I look at social media and reputation management, there's one single sector of the marketing industry that's poised to adopt these mediums... and that's PR professionals. However, as also mentioned above, I see many working within their comfort zone rather than adopting these new technologies. For the PR pros who are here touting their social media usage - that's fantastic! But there are so many more out there (I won't mention some of the largest, national PR agencies here in Indy) who are NOT adopting these technologies. Even worse, they're 'poo-pooing' social media to their clients. That's who I believe Kyle is speaking about. It's a similar arrogance that I saw in the newspaper industry as online media was on the rise. We did not invest, we did not adopt the technologies, and - as a result - the newspaper industry is now dying a quick death. The irony is that they had the professionals, the capital, and the reach to drive innovation. Instead, they never thought their Titanic would go down. I think Kyle is right - PR professionals who don't take the time to understand Twitter, Facebook, RSS, blogging, social networking, etc. are doing their clients a disservice. These are all fantastic mediums to gain exposure and build public relations. That's not to say ALL PR professionals aren't doing it, but there's enough that it's a concern. For those of you who HAVE adopted these technologies and mediums, I guarantee you'll be getting much more business as traditional PR agencies fade away. Great conversation!

Good for you for standing firm to your convictions. This is very 'old school' thinking - thinking that those who hold the knowledge hold the keys... and the money. Knowledge is free - and anything found at the event can be found online. Ultimately, though, a person who takes the time to promote the content from an event is providing free marketing for the event. If I read a bloggers' transcript of how amazing an event is, I look forward to going.