I'm back in the office after a wonderful holiday break packed with lots of quality family time. Like many of you, I was on the move: Over a 9-day period, I drove a total of 1,040 miles and flew 1,164 miles, trekking through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

As a follow-up to a previous post, thanks to Santa, I will now receive the Sunday New York Times to my doorstep, so if my 2008 New Year's resolution holds, I will become that person who can say they read the paper each Sunday!

I'm a movie buff and in the last few weeks I've seen a few noteworthy films: No Country for Old Men, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Juno, but the most surprisingly enjoyable was the documentary Helvetica, which was recently released on DVD. The film traces the history of the sans-serif font, from its creation 50 years ago at the Haas Foundry in Switzerland to its prolific use today. Helvetica is ubiquitous: You’ll find it on everything from street signs to corporate logos. Interviews with designers across Europe and the United States propel the discussion of the font, providing conflicting interpretations of Helvetica's success through the decades. Add it to your Netflix queue today!

"The Internet is an increasingly effective weapon in your arsenal of communication tools," said public relations guru Molly Cate at a recent Nashville American Marketing Association meeting on the topic of e-Campaigns. Cate and Kristen Hayner shared tips on how to maximize Web publicity and navigate communication plans online, especially if your business is ever faced with a crisis. Here's a list of their online communications Do's and Don'ts:

Do:

• Define your goals and assess your landscape at the start so you are ready to play
• Be candid and transparent
• Approach each opportunity as a conversation
• Be flexible
• Hire an expert
• Experiment with the online platforms

Don't:

• Speak in corporate-ese
• Wait until your Web presence is a problem
• Succumb to the speed of the Web and feel pressured to respond to opponents immediately
• Underestimate your input online with the social media tools available

We at Hammock don't specialize in crisis communication, but we do have expertise in the social media tools—or ammunition—that the speakers endorsed. We share the same thought: Whether you are an association who wants to communicate more directly with your members, or a company who wants to engage their customers, it's time to hop online, get connected and join the conversation.