One of this morning's must reads is a guest post by FutureWorks principal and PR 2.0 blogger Brian Solis over at TechCrunch.

In his post, "The Evolution of the Press Release," Solis breaks down press releases into four neat categories: Customer-Focused News Releases, Traditional Releases, SEO Press Releases and Social Media Releases.

Surely, there can always be some overlap in these categories, but the tactics outlined are a rock solid starting point.

A stat we've seen tossed around lately, Solis cites a recent Outsell study that found "over 51% of IT professionals reported that they get their news from press releases in Yahoo and Google news over trade journals."

With newswire releases popping up more and more on Techmeme and other news aggregation services, it's time well spent to make sure your release is finding its way to the right people.

(Yangon, Myanmar after the cyclone via Doctors Without Borders)

In absence of the usual buried bad news on Friday of things like toy & food recalls, and Nasdaq violations, this edition of For Immediate Release Fridays highlights five releases of the good work being done for the very bad disaster in Burma/Myanmar.

The name Burma vs. Myanmar is an interesting communication story in itself. The military junta changed the name to Myanmar in 1989. You'll notice some pundits and heads of state refuse to use the M-word. While the U.N. recognizes it, many western countries including the U.S. do not. The E.U. uses "Burma/Myanmar"

Myanmar Relief Fund: California Relief Organization Bypasses Bureaucratic Barriers, Has Aid Workers in Myanmar

Global Community Service Foundation to Aid Burma's Youngest Cyclone Victims

Burma Humanitarian Aid Update from InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S.-based humanitarian and development agencies

Salvation Army Relief Efforts Ongoing Locally In Myanmar

UNICEF REPORT: Desperate Conditions for Children in Camps Without Clean Water as Cyclone Aftermath Worsens

This edition of For Immediate Release Fridays uncovers a few pieces of buried bad news including a problem with soy milk, another smack by the EPA of Scott products, some empty chairs at E*Trade, a chapter 11, and the strange pilfering of a radioactive gauge from the back of a truck:

Department of Environmental Protection issues a warning about a stolen moisture density gauge containing radioactive material. The object in question was taken from the bed of a flatbed truck in Philadelphia

After going IPO just one year ago, Superior Offshore (cool stock sympbol, Nasdaq: DEEP) files for Chapter 11. The company provides subsea construction and commercial diving services for the oil and gas industry

E*Trade announces resignation of their CFO, and their General Counsel

Undeclared milk protein may be found in 11-ounce chocolate Silk Soymilk

EPA orders Scotts to stop sales of two more pesticides with false or misleading labels

In better news, we must not be in a recession. A bottle of 1959 rose Dom Perignon went for almost $85,000 at auction

(Montana rock-country band The Clintons love Hillary so much they're giving away their tribute song)

This edition of For Immediate Release Fridays includes complaints against the New York Times and John McCaine, the quiet beginning of an investigation in to the House of Representatives Page program, and Wal-Mart's reaction to the emerging story of toxins in hard plastic drinking and baby bottles:

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) complains about New York Times coverage of biotech treatment costs

Wal-Mart voluntarily removes plastic bottles with bisphenol A (BPA) from shelves in Canada, though not in the U.S. till next year. If you haven't heard of the BPA problem yet, its about to hit the news with a wallop. BPA is used in hard plastic Nalgene bottles, baby bottles, and the insides of tin cans

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader John Boehner announce independent review of the House Page program. Some time ago there was a Pages Gone Wild scandal that brings to mind Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator"

Howard Dean/DNC to John McCain: release more than just two years of your tax returns

In better news, Montana-based rock/country group, The Clintons, have released a free MP3 of "Hey Hill (If You Ever Dump Bill)" on their website. Does

(American Idol Raises a Heap of Cash for Charity While Jerks Protest)

For Immediate Release Fridays was designed to highlight the age-old strategy of releasing news on Friday night with every intention of burying it so the press wouldn't bother. We fully realize the folly of such strategy in the era of the Interpipes, so we included releases that are either funny, or just badly timed.

This one is classic. Two full days after the fact, a pro-life organization which I will neither mention, nor link to, with a director I will not name, is protesting American Idol's single evening charity haul of over $60 million dollars.

Said "organization" is protesting such "immoral" charities as the Children's Defense Fund, Malaria No More, and Save the Children. Terrible, selfish people like Bono, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Simon are involved in the evildoing!

Please condemn the following charities with every extra cent you have to give:

Children's Defense Fund
Children's Health Fund
Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Make it Right
Malaria No More
Save the Children

This edition of For Immediate Release Fridays includes no meat or toy recalls, just a few bad items related to high fuel prices. Complaints about top Hillary Clinton strategist and Burson CEO Mark Penn may warrant another post:

EntreMed pharma (Nasdaq: ENMD) reprimanded by NASDAQ for dropping under $1 per share

Continental Airlines to charge $25 extra pieces of checked luggage, except for members of SkyTeam Elite, Elite Plus, Presidential Plus, oh nevermind

The Right to Bear Arms people are all up in arms over early prison release program

Despite a decrease of some costs of owning and maintaining a car, the cost to operate one jumped to 54.1 cents per mile

In better news, if you care about things like gem-encrusted Rubix cubes and other luxury object to die for, you may want to upload the new Universe of Luxury podcast on your diamond-encrusted iPhone.

Kodak issued a press release today touting its cutting-edge apporach to social media, and how the company is among the first to name a female Chief Blogger.

Lori Grunin at CNET was not impressed:

Sometimes, you get a press release that's so accidentally, astonishingly funny that you can't stop laughing long enough to make fun of it. This morning's latte-through-the-nose nominee is the deadpan announcement "Kodak Names Chief Blogger: Company Extends its Revolutionary Approach to Product Innovation with Cutting-edge Approach to Social Media."

According to the release, "Just over 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies have public blogs. Fewer still have Chief Bloggers, and Kodak is among the first to name a female Chief Blogger." Wow. I had thought that writing, customer service, and public relations jobs were chock full 'o women, but now I discover that Chief Blogger was a job title heretofore out of my chromosomal reach. So much more rewarding than CTO or CFO.

Does your company have a "Chief Blogger?" Would you have handled this release differently, or is Lori being overly harsh? Let us know.

UPDATE: Peter Himler has some excellent historical info on Kodak PR.

(image cred)

Press releases often contain ridiculously bad marketing speak. Nothing new there. But the first line in this press release really caught our eye:

Lumonall, Inc. (OTCBB: LUNL), a global purveyor of photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) emergency signage and guidance systems, is pleased to announce that it has retained strategic PR firm News North America. In business for over 25 years, News North America provides 100% guaranteed pick-up of media-requested, newsworthy content.

Really. 100% guaranteed pick-up of media-requested, newsworthy content. First, what does that even mean? Ok, so I'm a member of "the media." And I don't really care about glow in the dark emergency signage and guidance systems (at the moment, at least). So I guess they're down to 99.999999999% guaranteed pick-up of media-requested newsworthy content. Phew, glad we got that straight.

(Einstein's green bagels for St. Patty's)

This look at bad news issued on Friday night includes a pharma company hitting back at the Times, funky seafood at two supermarket chains, a sex trafficking case (not Spitzer + Kristen), and National Lampoon's search for earnings:

Eli Lilly calls assertions made in a New York Times story 'flat out wrong'

Both Stop & Shop, and Giant supermarkets announce voluntary recall of potentially funky Slade Gorton brand langostinos

National Lampoon (Amex: NLN) counting on "Bag Boy" for improved earnings. I didn't know the makers of Van Wilder II were beholden to shareholders.

The pimp known as "Magnificent" pleads guilty in New York / Connecticut sex trafficking case

In better news, you can again enjoy green bagels with your green beer on St. Patrick's Day.

In this edition of For Immediate Release Fridays, we bring you an attempt to soften disturbing news about pharmaceuticals in the water supply, Boeing complaining about Grumman, troubles at a coal mine, and a pharma price fixing suit:

Eleven pharmaceutical companies cough up $125 million in average wholesale pricing (AWP) suit. According to the release:

"The published AWP is used to set the price that consumers making Medicare Part B co-payments and Medicare pay for the drug, as well as insurance companies and other third-party payors. The lawsuit contends that consumers and third-party payors paid more than they should because of the drug companies' false AWP reporting."

American Water Works Association says not to freak out to much when you read the upcoming Associated Press series about trace pharmaceuticals in the water supply

Mining company reports two roof falls, reports them with innocuous headline: "Patriot Coal Provide Update on National Mine"

Boeing unhappy about the results of the Air Force's explanation in choosing Northrup Grumman to build new aerial refueling tankers.

As always, we like to bring you something positive. According to this release, the viral Pied Piper of "beatbox" flute will be performing at the Woodwind & Brasswind music store in Indiana. The dude has racked up 23 million views on youtube. Remember Inspector Gadget? See below: