BOSTON, MA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - May 23, 2008) -

NEWS FACTS

• SHIFT Communications -- an award-winning independent PR agency -- released the newest version of its Social Media Release (SMR) template.
• The SMR template, first published by SHIFT in May 2006, aimed to evolve traditional press release formats for the dawning Social Media age. It has been covered by publications ranging from PRWeek to BusinessWeek, adapted by all major newswires and used by name-brands and billion-dollar corporations such as Novell (a SHIFT client), Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Verizon and Nutrisystem.
• SMR v1.5 embodies a fresh look and new features:
• Atomized content -- RSS feeds for each substantive content block, i.e., core news, different multimedia elements, etc., empower users to borrow/share diverse, individual content.
• Aggregated engagement -- a permalink to the newsmaker's online newsroom aggregates conversations and directly-related posts.
• Updated technologies -- new universal "Share This" widgets assist with social networking. An OPML feed allows readers to subscribe to a company's official blogs.
• Integrated context -- a "Sphere It" link sources related updates from the blogosphere and mainstream news, while "3 Links That Matter" provide company perspective.
• As with the first version, the new Social Media Release template is freely available; no copyright protections apply.
• The new template was recently submitted to the Social Media Release Work Group hosted by the International Association of Business Communicators.

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QUOTES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO TODD S. DEFREN, A PRINCIPAL AT SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS (Click here for Todd Defren's LinkedIn profile)

"We're honored that The Holmes Report, American Business Awards and BusinessWeek among others tout the Social Media Release template as revolutionary," said Todd Defren, a principal at SHIFT Communications. "Version 1.5, the next evolutionary step, further democratizes content and aggregates conversation."

Please contact Parry Headrick to arrange an interview and/or for additional quotes.

ABOUT SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS

SHIFT Communications is an award-winning, privately-held national public relations firm representing some of the best-known enterprise and consumer technology brands, including Akamai, Novell, Quantum, RealNetworks and Shimano. SHIFT pioneered the world's first Social Media News Release and Social Media Newsroom, changing PR forever. SHIFT Communications' 100+ employees are located in the Boston, Mass., and San Francisco, Calif. metros. For more information on SHIFT's high-tech public relations and consumer public relations, visit http://www.shiftcomm.com.

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