This document summarizes recent news in social media, digital media, PR, and current events. Key points include: Facebook enabling facial recognition on uploaded photos; a German girl's public Facebook party invitation that 1600 people attended; Anthony Weiner's tweet of an inappropriate photo boosting Twitter usage; LinkedIn being the most valuable social network profile; and Apple releasing iCloud and an unlocked iPhone 4.

1. orange nuggets Chunks of Newsworthy Goodness July 1, 2011

4. Millionaire Maltese passes away

5. Bob Barker denounces Sea World [video]

6. The iPad, the iPhone and the iCloud

8. Social Media Time to reconsider snail mail A German Facebook user accidently made her digital birthday party invitation public. The invitation went out to 15,000 Facebook users, and though the young girl cancelled the invite, 1,600 of her “friends” still showed up, ready to PARTY!

9. Social Media Weinergate: Best thing to EVER happen to Twitter Representative Anthony Weiner of New York helps twitter.com have the best week in its history. Weiner accidently sent out a photograph of his…umm….namesake to the entire twitterverse. At first denying that he was the one to tweet the picture, Weiner later admitted to taking the photo, and mistakenly tweeting the photo publicly. This incident marked the most comments twitter.com has ever seen, trumping Bieber fever and even the death of Osama Bin Laden.

10. Social Media State of the union: Social Networks LinkedIn said to be most valuable social networking profile to have. Facebook is the only social networking site to decline in importance. 61% of consumers are more likely to talk about a product on Twitter, compared to 49% on Facebook. *Information from mediapost.com

11. Social Media How often should brands communicate with consumers? (According to consumers) *Information taken from Facebook and Twitter users by Mediapost.com

12. Social Media Location-based applications prove relevant in QSR and transit Quick Service Restaurants grab highest amount of check-ins on location based application, MyTown. Foursquare, meanwhile, has the highest number of check-ins in transit locations.

13. Digital Cats can now play with the iPad thanks to Friskies® new App. Watch the video here.

14. Digital New in Apple® Apple® users can now sync all of their information (photos, files, music, etc.) to all Apple devices via a personal network, the iCloud. Apple has also released an unlocked iPhone4, which allows interchangeable SIM cards and global service options. The 16GB unlocked iPhone is being sold for $649.

15. Green/Outdoor Google goes green Google invests $280 million to finance solar energy installations across the U.S. The large price tag makes this Google’s largest investment in renewable energy projects so far. Invest in a pair of KEENS and help disaster victims For every pair sold from June 17-July 3, the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance and KEEN will donate $5 to the American Red Cross to help spring storm victims in the Midwest and South.

16. PR & Media Relations Bad news for journalism… good news for PR? A federal study found that local reporting has waned. From the findings: "Coverage of state governments and municipalities has receded at such an alarming pace that it has left government with more power than ever to set the agenda and have assertions unchallenged.” Word of mouth beats out social media: A study found that word of mouth was more powerful in motivating social causes. Nearly 2/3s of Americans reported that being told in person was typically how they learned about causes and social issues others wanted them to be involved.

17. PR & Media Relations Someone who could really use some PR help: Newt Gingrich Presidential nominee Gingrich, was recently abandoned by his entire circle of advisers, who left as a result of “differences” over the campaign’s direction. It’s apparent even years of experience and loads of money can still result in PR disaster. An embarrassing YouTube incident, the emergence of his six-figure debt at Tiffany’s, avoiding speculation and disappearing on a two-week holiday may have led to the meltdown.

18. Current Events America dubbed most hilarious country According to a global poll of 30,000 people across 15 countries, Americans are the funniest people on Earth. The Spanish took second place. It’s no laughing matter for the Germans, who took last place. One American who keeps entertaining: Sarah Palin Sarah Palin’s response to “Who is Paul Revere?” Or, even better: the “best of” her 24,000+ emails that the Alaskan gov’t just released.

19. Current Events A multimillionaire pooch dies at the age of 12 (or 84 in dog years). After receiving a $12 million fortune, the dog retired to Florida and had a full-time bodyguard. Bob Barker advises not to “come on down” to Sea World in a PETA TV spot, citing that the orcas are mistreated and perform “dumb tricks.” Watch the video.

20. Thank you We hope you can now go out in the world and pretend you actually know what’s hip. These chunks of newsworthy goodness come out every two weeks, and we promise to catch you up on the latest trends, news and funny happenings in the marketing and advertising world. For more information about Swanson Russell's Real Connection™ approach to advertising, public relations, interactive and branding services, visit www.swansonrussell.com. If you haven’t had enough… watch Eli Pariser’svideo on “Filter Bubbles.”