CONTENTS:
1. Acrobat 6.0 and why you need more than the free reader.
2. BookByte: Learn more about the power of PR.
3. Take a peak at what Spire2 recently finished.

It's worth moving up from Acrobat Reader

Editors Note: I promise to lay low on technology in my next issue and focus on other communication issues.

Software Buying Tip: I have found Amazon.com to be the best deal on software since these purchases qualify for free shipping.

Adobe Acrobat 6 offers some excellent tools. If you have only used the free Acrobat Reader in the past, these additional features make it worth the cost.

Easily create and combine documents for review
Acrobat 6.0 provides one-button Adobe PDF file creation from Microsoft Office applications and from Internet Explorer for Windows®. You can also combine spreadsheets, presentations, images, and more from multiple sources or multiple pdfs into one document for easy distribution.

Streamline review management
6.0 gets slick with one of the most intuitive methods for initiating, participating, and tracking document reviews. Simply create a list of reviewers and email the pdf. The how-to pane walks reviewers through the simple steps of commenting on documents and emailing back to the moderator. It only has one hitch. Participants can't partake in reviews with just the free Adobe Reader.

Free trial offer
For those getting by with just the reader, it is painful to upgrade. Adobe is offering a FREE 30 day trial of the Professional license (I recommend the Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard when you go to buy unless you have a desire to create dynamic pdfs), so give it a test drive for free.

Editors note: You always need to keep learning to stay creative. We share the wealth, and offer tidbits on marketing books we've read.

Al and Laura Ries makes quite a compelling case in The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR on why advertising should not be the tool of choice for building a brand. The logic is sound, as no one believes the claims of advertising, and the more it screams the less belivable it appears. Advertising is best used to reinforce an existing perception in the mind.

The most applicable idea to draw the book is not to emulate large companies marketing programs. When you are Nike or Target, a missed marketing opportunity is nothing to worry about because of their size and clout.

This book helps open your mind to the power of PR. After reading, you'll be compelled to think about how to integrate PR into your marketing strategy.