In addition, the company has added a number of value-added services designed to make management of its online newsroom product even more convenient for clients.

New services include:

PublishCactus

$19 per item
Clients do the writing and NewsCactus does the posting. Includes all newsroom modules: home page description, company overview, news releases, news highlights, in the news, multimedia files, press kits, important links, and photo with caption modules.

WriteCactus

$149
Up to a 400-word news release written by an Accredited public relations practitioner and published to the client's newsroom.

KeywordCactus

$199
NewsCactus helps clients claim top search placement based on keywords. Includes a news release along with development of keywords and description along with a media contact list and distribution to the contact list through NewsWire One.

ManagedCactus

$999
A completely managed online newsroom solution that includes the monthly subscription, up to four news releases per month, media contact list development and distribution through NewsWire One.

DistributeCactus

$225
Clients can order Business Wire distribution of any NewsCactus news release and NewsCactus takes care of the details.

NewsCactus offers a generous referral program where each new client referred by an existing NewsCactus client results in both companies receiving a free month's subscription.

NewsCactus provides the industry's most cost-effective, easy to implement and administer online newsroom. Its features include social media compatibility and incorporate a number of multimedia tools and additional links that can accompany each news release. Companies looking to secure additional search results for services, products, keywords or team members turn to NewsCactus to supplement existing online positioning efforts.

Every time a client publishes an announcement to their online newsroom, the announcement is also distributed through RSS feed on the NewsCactus News Network.

This doubles the opportunity for online impressions, first from the client's own newsroom RSS feed, and second from the much larger, NewsCactus community-wide RSS feed.

Because of its design, NewsCactus naturally secures high search placement for client press releases. By adding the NewsCactus News Network to its list of features, NewsCactus becomes an even more powerful search placement tool.

For an explanation of what social media is, visit Wikipedia.

The term is a bit ironic, since all media (and the communications model) is really social. But perhaps what social media describes is the utilization of technology to now share and comment personally on information from others.

Gone are the days of media gatekeepers who decide what stories are important and air them during the evening news or publish them on the morning newsstand. The 24-hour news cycle demands a more vigilant approach and social media demands that ‘traditional’ media pay more attention to what ‘the people’ are talking about.

Want proof? Consider how bloggers and YouTube have helped shape this year’s U.S. presidential election debates.

Enter the NewsCactus Online Newsroom Solution

Companies and organizations can utilize the NewsCactus newsroom plug-in to enhance press releases with social media tags.

The following social media tags are currently included in NewsCactus media rooms:

• Digg It!
• Bookmark it!
• Seed Newsvine
• Reddit
• Stumble!
• Furl

As with all technology, change occurs quickly. That’s another reason the NewsCactus online newsroom solution is advantageous, because clients don’t have to keep up with changes in the social media landscape. They can simply rely on updates and continual tweaking by NewsCactus programmers to know that the most popular social media tags are incorporated into clients’ online newsrooms.

Making it so your corporate announcements can be shared by others opens the door for increased visibility of your products or services. It also positions your organization as technology friendly and cutting edge.

If those characteristics are important to your key audiences, they should be important to you as well.

Bottom Line

NewsCactus incorporates social media tools, thereby providing clients with multiple ways of interacting with key constituencies.

Now NewsCactus newsrooms come complete with FeedBurner statistics that include information like the number of RSS subscribers and how they subscribe to the newsroom feed.

NewsCactus clients also benefit from yet another way reporters can receive information, and that's in their email inbox. If key journalists aren't yet using an RSS reader - don't worry, they will soon - they can receive newsroom announcements in their inbox by subscribing with an email address.

NewsCactus clients will receive monthly FeedBurner reports that include the email addresses of those who have subscribed to their newsroom feed.

This new functionality makes it even easier for corporate communications, marketing and public relations professionals to distribute announcements and be assured they're being received.

The duo brings 25 years of combined experience to bear in the new online forum.

"The NewsCactus Blog will be a place where we can share our expertise with the marketplace," said Codella. "We plan to chime in on industry trends and provide easy-to-follow instructions for professional communicators to make the most of technology and communicate effectively using social media."

The NewsCactus Blog will also feature how-to articles for NewsCactus clients and an ongoing discussion of the many benefits of online newsrooms.

The NewsCactus Blog is located at http://blog.newscactus.com. Those interested in the discussion are invited to join in.

NewsCactus is a plug-and-play Web template that drives and displays company news. Its goal is to keep media and other key audiences informed of company announcements, team members, products and services. In so doing, it not only provides current online content, but because of its design and utilization of RSS NewsCactus greatly improves search engine placement.

Online newsroom services like NewsCactus put corporate communicators, or public relations practitioners (whether in-house or at an agency), in complete control of his or her jurisdiction. There's no waiting for IT to upload a press release or update old information. The newsroom is easily managed by the communicator through an intuitive online interface.

NewsCactus is the only online newsroom solution developed by an Accredited Public Relations practitioner.

Because of its design, simplicity and ability to secure top search results, NewsCactus is one of the most powerful, cost-effective self-publishing Internet tools available.

The study referenced by the article was done by the Arketi Group. Surprisingly, their research shows that 93 percent of journalists use the Web to find news sources. 97 and 98 percent of them read publications and read the news online, respectively.

Some wonder how an online newsroom can be part of a media relations pitch. This is how.

With nearly all journalists surveyed admitting to reading news and looking for sources online, it's easy to build a case for both having and maintaining an up-to-date online newsroom.

Online newsrooms, or media rooms or press rooms as they're sometimes called, are a key tool in the communicator's arsenal. Often the process for maintaining content on newsrooms becomes so bogged down in the tech world that the communicator feels powerless.

With the tools offered through NewsCactus, there's simply no reason a communicator should ever feel hog-tied to an IT department for publishing company news.

If you don't have an internal system that's working, perhaps now's the time to consider an online newsroom service.

Journalists are using the Web. So should you.

"This partnership provides IPA with a valuable tool for the distribution of section news and announcements," said Kelly Davis, APR, chair of IPA. "We're thrilled to provide section members a substantial discount on NewsCactus monthly subscription rates, further enhancing the value of IPA section membership."

As part of the 2008 sponsorship, NewsCactus has agreed to provide free newsroom installation and set-up along with a deeply discounted monthly subscription rate to all IPA members, making the service very affordable for independent public relations practitioners as well as their clients.

To sign-up, contact NewsCactus online. Be sure to mention you're a PRSA IPA member to receive this special offer (membership will be verified).

An online newsroom - also known as a pressroom, mediaroom, press center or media center - is often a journalist's first stop when writing a story about a company or organization. In fact, when surveyed, nearly all journalists agree that displaying news and information in an online newsroom is expected, especially of large entities.

NewsCactus is included in the list of newsroom providers.

For a small monthly subscription the NewsCactus online newsroom solution is available to any company or organization. The newsroom is customized to match the design of the entity's public Web site, making a seamless connection between the newsroom and public site.

NewsCactus newsrooms can be deployed almost immediately, providing a valuable tool to public relations, marketing and corporate communications professionals.

NewsCactus includes the most important newsroom features at the industry's most cost-effective rates.

In addition, the new client that signs-up because of an existing NewsCactus client's referral will also receive a free month.

"It's our way of saying 'thank you' to existing clients and 'welcome aboard' to new ones," said NewsCactus partner, Pete Codella, APR, president of Codella Marketing.

NewsCactus will honor this referral program until further notice.

NewsCactus offers a simple, yet powerful tool that serves as a highly cost-effective way to improve search engine rankings, while providing clients with an easy way to self-publish news releases, articles and other information.

Although NewsCactus newsrooms are powerful tools, they are simple to use. NewsCactus was developed by an Accredited Public Relations practitioner so that communicators with little to no Web design experience can update and maintain their own newsroom without IT support.

Online newsrooms are important tools that can increase online visibility and Web site traffic while facilitating better media relations. Newsrooms provide journalists an easy-to-use source of information that is always available. When polled, journalists agree that they always look for an online newsroom when doing research for a story.

“Our clients needed an easy way to self-publish online. We created NewsCactus, which we consider to be the market’s most cost-effective, easy to administer online newsroom solution,” said Pete Codella, APR, developer of NewsCactus.

“Giving professional communicators complete control of how and when they update their newsrooms allows them to keep their companies agile enough to respond to situations as they occur,” he continued. “Communicators are in charge of crafting and distributing messages and information, it only makes sense to put them in control of the tactics that let them do just that.”

The staff at NewsCactus has extensive experience in public relations and Internet marketing.  The white papers will be available on the Web site and are intended to educate visitors about the about importance of online newsrooms, emerging Web trends and technologies, and how the application of these factors is important to establishing a brand online. 

The white papers will be written on a variety of topics.  The first white papers will cover subjects such as self-publishing, RSS and the varied advantages of online newsrooms. 

NewsCactus was developed by Codella Marketing LLC, a strategic marketing communications firm, and Image Domain Inc, an online advertising and Web development agency.

Such is the mission of NewsCactus, an affordable database-driven online newsroom.

“It’s a terrific media relations tool,” said Pete Codella, APR, one of NewsCactus’ principals. “NewsCactus was developed to harness the power of the Internet for public relations practitioners, their clients and organizations. With limited programming knowledge, a professional communicator can have an online newsroom up and running in less than a day.”

Benefits to maintaining content in an online newsroom include:

• Information is available 365/24/7 to media representatives, investors and interested publics
• Utilization of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and social networking links
• It’s more traditional and easier to manage than blogging, yet still receives high search-engine placement
• Frequent updates create greater online visibility
• It builds an information archive for your organization

Born out of necessity and nurtured by the utilization of new technology, NewsCactus lives up to its name, providing News That Sticks™.

NewsCactus is available by monthly subscription.

Developed by public relations veterans, NewsCactus combines today’s technology with the proven utility of an online newsroom to create the ultimate media relations tool. It’s available every day at any time. Its contents are searchable by Internet search engines, interested reporters and every key audience with Internet access…nearly everyone.

NewsCactus’ news release features include:

• A news release archive with published or scheduled for future release status
• Unique key contacts, important links and a photo with caption for each news release
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and social networking links
• Print or e-mail from within the newsroom

In addition, NewsCactus features a News Highlights section and Multimedia Library for audio, video and graphic files to supplement news releases.

NewsCactus is available by monthly subscription.

“For years we’ve worked with clients to maintain news release content on their Web sites, with only limited effectiveness,” said Pete Codella, APR, principal of Codella Marketing LLC. “The challenge has been working with clients to not only implement but also keep current the interrelated elements of a good online newsroom. After careful research of online newsroom solutions and what reporters need most, we determined our clients would be best served by creating a new solution. That solution is NewsCactus.”

Born out of necessity and nurtured by the utilization of new technology, NewsCactus lives up to its name, providing News That Sticks™.

The online newsroom service includes these sections: Home, Company Overview, News Releases, Multimedia, In the News, Press Kits, Contact, Important Links, and Search.

Clients may upload as many PDF press kits as desired and tailor the appearance of each page with a unique photo-and-caption module.

NewsCactus is available by monthly subscription.