Infographics are hot in the PR industry and it's easy to understand why - in a world where you can count on seconds of an audience's attention, at best, the infographic simplifies a concept that would have taken tedious paragraphs to express in words. Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. Armed with your data and graphic designer, we suggest eight triggers that might call for pulling the infographic out of your public relations toolbox.

Keep reading for Top 8 Triggers for Using Infographics

Graphic credit: PR Daily

Supporting worthwhile causes is an inherent perk for PR professionals, but golfing in a tournament to benefit the American Widow Project was one of my all-time favorites and will no doubt remain one of my most memorable, heartfelt experiences.

The American Widow Project (AWP) is a non-profit organization that supports the new generation of those who have lost a military hero. The 3rd Annual AWP / Kangaroo Express Golf Tournament and Skydive united nearly 20 military widows for a weekend of bonding, healing and recreation. Each hole in the golf course was dedicated to the memory of a loved one and the widows' poignant messages added a sombering, reflective moment to the quiet tranquility that accompanies a good round of golf.

Kangaroo Express and Coca-Cola are wrapping up their third annual fundraiser for Victory Junction, a summer camp for kids with chronic medical conditions founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam; this camp was his dream. This year's campaign was an outstanding success, raising more than $634,000 to send kids to camp!

The latest report from the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism confirmed that as of the end of 2010, more people get their news from the Internet (41 percent) than from newspapers (31 percent) - and the ad dollars followed. I get most of my news online and enjoy unique ways of receiving information digitally that cannot be replicated in print.

Someone asked me recently, why do I love what I do? The short answer is that I love helping clients share the stories that are shaping history - and in the process I'm constantly learning new ideas and perspectives. One example is the smart grid, which I have had the opportunity to explore by working with Sensus, a global smart grid technology company.

Our high schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21st Century, we will keep limiting -- even ruining -- the lives of millions of Americans. -- Bill Gates

Last week I had the honor of visiting a leadership class at the Renaissance School at Olympic High School in Charlotte to talk about a topic that all PR professionals will understand: the challenge of channeling creative output in a way that accomplishes an objective. Renaissance is one of the five schools that comprise the Olympic Community of Schools and focuses on the Arts, Humanities, Social Justice issues, and cultural awareness.

This fall I had the opportunity to travel to New York and support our client CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the only national provider of furniture rental, as they participated in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice. After a long wait, we are excited to share that the episode has aired!

It's no secret that trade show and conference attendance has suffered during the recession, but these events still play a critical role in an organization's marketing strategy. They present an opportunity to network with peers, learn about your competition and share your successes, and they remain one of the best opportunities to connect with a concentrated group of your target audience. But with every dollar closely guarded, it's important to make sure you get the most out of your experience.

I had the pleasure of hearingDani Burns speak last week at the Charlotte PRSA Young Professionals luncheon. She shared her valuable insights on building your personal brand and advice on managing your online presence. Dani raised a great point when she spoke about using Google reader to aggregate blog content, using the tool to gather information in one place where it can be read at your convenience. This led me back to something I’ve also been thinking about: the power of learning from the ideas and challenges that my peers are sharing via their blogs, content that I have come to think of as my continuing education.

PR pros, have you joined the PR Week Fire Brigade? Paul Armstrong, author of the Don’t Fear the Firehose blog, is directing conversation each week on some of the hottest topics in PR. This week’s topic: Content isn’t king anymore. Free is.