SAN MATEO, CALIF., August 5, 2010 – SugarSync Inc., makers of the award-winning SugarSync file sync, backup and sharing service, today announced that Internet security service company Webroot is leveraging SugarSync as its “behind the scenes” strategic partner powering the new cloud sync service featured in Webroot® Internet Security Complete.

“Following a competitive partner evaluation process, we knew SugarSync was a brilliant choice,” said Mike Kronenberg, CTO at Webroot. “SugarSync offers a highly-evolved feature set with sync, file sharing, and complete storage for total peace of mind. Your data is always available to you, anytime, anywhere, on any device. It’s highly complementary with our security suite.”

Continued Kronenberg, “As a white-label solution, SugarSync’s advanced APIs and commitment to a smooth integration process was key to our product development.”

“Webroot is an iconic leader in the Internet security industry and a long-time advocate for consumers. We are very excited to launch this new solution and offer people around the world a seamless and secure way to take advantages of all the benefits of the cloud,” said Laura Yecies, CEO at SugarSync. “Cloud back-up is a natural extension to any security suite, and Webroot has taken a significant lead by going beyond storage to offer an array advanced sync and share services to give people easy access to their data wherever they go.”

Webroot Internet Security Complete is designed to deliver unparalleled Web-based protection that protects the person rather than just the PC.  A standard one-year subscription of Webroot Internet Security Complete protects up to three PCs for $79.95/£49.99 and can be purchased online at http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer.html and in in select retail stores.

ABOUT SUGARSYNC

SugarSync is a powerful syncing and online backup service providing always-connected consumers and busy professionals a powerful way to organize, manage, share and access all their files on-the-go, instantly and securely from any Mac, PC or mobile device. SugarSync users may selectively sync files in any folder to all or certain devices to seamlessly match the way people organize their folders and manage their digital lives. SugarSync’s file sharing and collaboration tools also allow users to share any folder or file with a simple URL via social networks, email, instant messaging and more.

SugarSync supports virtually all computer and smartphone operating systems, including Windows, Mac, plus boasts native apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and WinMo. This breadth of support ensures that users can choose to work from virtually any device from any location.

The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. For more information, please visit www.sugarsync.com.

ABOUT WEBROOT

Webroot is a leading provider of Internet security for consumers and businesses worldwide. Founded in 1997, Webroot is headquartered in Colorado and is the largest privately held Internet security company in the United States. The company employs more than 400 people globally and has operations across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Consistently rated among the best security offerings available, Webroot’s products include email, Web and archiving security services for businesses, and antimalware, privacy and identity protection for consumers. For more information, visit http://www.webroot.com or call 800.772.9383.

©2010 SugarSync Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot is a registered trademark of Webroot Software, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

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The new sleek, black Sonos S5

A trip to Westin Napa for a wine country weekend

Can’t make it to Napa Valley? With a TastingRoom.com you can bring a wine tasting experience to Dad’s living room

An adventurous Southern California weekend on Catalina Island, with a new hotel, restaurant, beach club and Zip Line adventure

Wrapsol to protect his new shiny iPhone or iPad

Is dad a ski or snowboard fanatic? Jet up to Mammoth Mountain on Horizon Air for a weekend on the slopes. Give him an extra treat with a stay at Westin Mammoth

Life’s not always like a box of chocolates – add a little more fun this year and treat dad to an extra special Father’s Day.

In a sign of the times, this newest edition addresses social media with 42 entries about terms such as app, blog, avatar and RSS. There’s also a segment dedicated to Facebook and related actions, including fan, friend and unfriend.

And ever the hipsters, IM, Googled and Mashup – terms already widely used — are now ‘officially’ recognized by the AP.

But no longer just for the media industry, parents can now turn to the Stylebook to decode the befuddling language so popular with their children. Sadly, many of these have become regular staples in our adult dialogue as well:
BFF – Best Friend Forever
C – See You Later
LOL – Laugh Out Loud
ROFL – Rolling On Floor Laughing

And a few more worth adding to the lexicon:
BRB – Be Right Back
G2G – Got To Go
IDK – I Don’t Know
NSFW – Not Safe For Work

Find the new AP Stylebook online here.

Last year Armstrong returned to professional cycling  and embarked on a brilliant social media campaign from the back of the team’s tour bus. During the Giro d’ Italia – Italy’s version of the Tour de France – Lance and teammate Levi Leipheimer recounted what happened during that day’s stage with a short video interview that was posted to the team’s website as well as Lance’s Twitter and Facebook accounts: no reporter, no scripted footage, just a raw and unedited recount of the good, bad and ugly.

The result? Fans watched, talked back and joined in. Today Armstrong’s Twitter account has amassed nearly 2.5 million followers, which is about 28,000 less than USA Today’s daily circulation and a half million more than the Wall Street Journal. Lance has nearly complete control of his ‘brand’ and the ability to speak directly to an engaged audience. And when Lance talks, people listen.

Earlier this year when ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser suggested on air that motorists run down cyclists he signed up to be a recipient of Lance’s Twitter Wrath:

Rarely if ever one to eat crow, Tony issued an apology and continued to backpedal through a live on-air interview with Lance later that week.

Fast forward to yesterday and Versus TV, which is broadcasting the Tour of California. With the most action-filled stage just two minutes from concluding the network decided to switch to pre-game hockey.  Lance, who had lobbied the race organizers to move it to May, was not a happy biker.

Perhaps I’m wrong but my guess is that Versus anticipated Lance and his legion of followers would lift the network as opposed to throwing rocks at it. Cutting from the end of a sporting event to watch the warm-ups for another?  Bad move. And in the highly regarded corporate communication strategy of “sticking your head in the sand until this blows over” Versus neglected to issue an apology or even “my bad” statement. Worse move.

Perhaps companies will soon realize that social media also brings positive and/or negative consequences in the  form of social media wrath. But in the meantime, luckily cycling fans have Lance watching their back.

Key takeaways from this opportunity include the USA Today Travel Deputy Managing Editor’s top ten travel trends of 2010:

1. Bargain Travel – travel deals are still expected

2. Health & Wellness Vacations

3. Culinary Travel

4. Adventure Travel – softer adventure key for families and Boomers (52% of Adventure Travelers are women)

5. Eco-Travel

6. Group Travel

7. Women-Only Travel

8. Cruising

9. Religious Travel & Pilgrimages

10. Volunteer Travel

Our job as PR practitioners is to make the media’s jobs easier, as newsrooms are constantly being re-purposed, often seeing a downsize in staff yet an upswing in outlets they must maintain. This results in less time spent on story exploration and more time spent on all the different platforms. Therefore, think like a journalist, know your outlets and create pitches that are newsworthy and current.

How is this accomplished? According to the panel, be consumer-oriented, think better, smarter, cheaper. Speak to interesting touch points such as a Kid’s Club, or freebies offered to guests, and not just the destination as a whole. Ask yourself before pitching, “Who Cares?” and “Why Now?” Talk to different departments within an outlet to find the best fit for your story, but always be transparent on who else you’re approaching when doing so. Be clear and concise, use hyperlinks in email pitches, and make sure the subject line is clear over clever, plus states the location of what you’re pitching, since geography plays a big part in piquing interest.

The panel also encouraged PR practitioners to forget the hard sell and instead demonstrate expertise, even if it means seeking out other possible competitors that are doing something similar. Think in longer trends, and make sure to do your math correctly when pitching, it’s the writers and editors that receive the backlash when you don’t.

Ms. Quintos relayed that editors are now seeing a “Return to Travel” this year, a welcome trend for all of us in the tourism industry.

1. Don’t be a Showoff

2. Don’t Use Poor Grammar or Spelling

3. Don’t Get Too Personal

4. Don’t Auto-Tweet

5. Don’t Leave Air in the Conversation

6. Don’t Overtweet

7. Do Shout Out to Users Who Mention You

8. Do Monitor Keywords and Competitors

9. Do Make and Informative Profile

10. Do Fish Where the Fish Are

Nokia http://www.nokia.com/press. What we like: “For Broadcasters” section – “Easy access to Nokia video & audio material, soundbites, broadcast quality clips and more.”

Seagate http://media.seagate.com/. What we like: Seagate Social (bottom right) – handy links to all social mediums that Seagate is on. Also like the links to the two blogs – for consumer and enterprise.

Google http://www.google.com/press/. What we like: the layout – there’s a clean left column for easy clicking to the resource or materials a journo is looking for. Also like the reviewers guides link for suggestions on how to assess products.

Red Lobster http://www.redlobster.com/press/. What we like: Story ideas! E.g.) Red Lobster’s Tips for pairing Wine with Seafood. Imagine the possibilities here.

Sony http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room. What we like: This is a big company with lots of products. Where to start? They overcome this by vertically organizing their press room. Also, they have a link to executive speeches. You can imagine easy access to public presentations, as well. Also like the “Add Sony as a Friend” with click ways to become a part of social channels.

Nike http://www.nikebiz.com/media/. What we like: very clean tabs for clicking through to what you need. Email or print option for releases. (Download in Word would be another to consider.)

We scoured the net for best case practices and have identified some basic guidelines:

>Organization is Key
>Make it visually stunning
->Interaction is a must

We also compiled a list of items that are worth considering adding to your press room:

>Aggregate all product information in/from microsites
>Awards/ Recognitions
>Calendar of Events (Industry/ Company/ Product Specific)
>Case Studies
>Company Information (general)
>Company Timeline
>Customer Success Stories
>Customizable Downloads – releases, photos, videos, product trials (if software)
>Developer Tools and info on APIs
>Executive speeches and presentations (that are public, of course)
>Fact Sheets
>Guidelines/considerations on how to review a product
>Image Gallery or a link to Flickr
>Links to Related Blogs and Communities (Industry/ Company/ Product Specific)
>Links to Company/ Employee Blogs
>Links to Investor Relations page and Contact Us (easy jumps for consumers, IR)
>Media Contacts (by country/region)
>Press Releases
>Product Information and Sell Sheets
>Recent coverage/publicity
>Search Boxes (for your site, press room or in general)
>Social Media Feeds (Twitter/ Facebook/ Digg Updates)
>Story Ideas
>Video Gallery
>YouTube Channel

In our next blog post we’ll list our picks for favorite company press rooms and take a video tour of a few.

Fallow from Trefethen Family Vineyards on Vimeo.