The present is a great time to be in the public relations industry: never before have so many people done so many things while in contact with so many others.

Thanks to social media and the continuous miracle that is technology, we never do anything alone anymore (with a few obvious exceptions, ahem).

There was a time when television was a passive pursuit that involved tuning into a favorite program and ignoring the rest of the world. That dynamic, however, has changed. Watching TV has become an active–even interactive–experience.

So it makes perfect sense for TV ratings monolith Nielsen to join forces with Twitter, creating a new ratings system that will generate metrics for viewers who comment on TV shows and those people who read or interact with said comments.

It’s fun to open a bottle of red wine and log onto Twitter while movie stars walk down the red carpet to accept awards in clothing worth more than your apartment. It’s entertaining, cathartic and always good for a laugh.

But if the Oscars aren’t your thing, there is always the NFL, which suffered a major public relations disaster this weekend as the league’s less-informed (and, let’s be honest, flat-out racist) fans took to Twitter to vent their displeasure about President Obama’s speech in Newtown, CT, taking precedence over the New England Patriots vs. San Francisco 49ers game. Wow. Not exactly the image the NFL wants for its fans.

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The ongoing dispute between AMC and Dish Network that resulted in Dish’s 14 million customers losing access to the home of “Mad Men“, “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad” early this summer isn’t showing any signs of resolution. In fact, in the above PSA-style ad, AMC takes its side of the argument to next level, appealing to viewers not affected by the dispute in an apparent effort to gin up some positive PR.

It’s basically the snarky, for-profit equivalent of those familiar ads for holiday season charity efforts: “You know how much you love your Thanksgiving feast AMC shows? Well, many others, perhaps even some in your very own neighborhood, aren’t as fortunate. Please consider inviting them into your home to share your dinner ‘Breaking Bad.’”

The ad then points out that Dish customers are still paying the same price for their TV packages as they were before AMC was dropped.

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We’ve heard about the power of digital fanfiction to elevate popular literary brands like Harry Potter, Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey. But what about fan art based 0n movies and shows?

AMC’s cult hit “Breaking Bad” has inspired its own ongoing art project called Breaking Gifs—and this week, the Los Angeles-based Gallery 1988 will feature a series of posters and other works by painters, print-makers and graphic designers who chose to pay visual homage to their favorite show. Check out some images here, here and here.

While the exhibit’s organizers did not appear to work with AMC in any official capacity, their event obviously provides a nice organic PR boost for the show, the gallery and all the artists involved. Members of the cast and crew–including show runner Vince Gilligan–even stopped by the exhibit on opening night to say hello—and why not? Everybody loves a little free PR.

P.S. Did we mention that we really love this show?

If you’ve ever “liked” Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead or The Killing (yeah right), chances are you’ve received some version of the “Tell Dish Network to keep AMC!” message this summer.

That’s because Dish refused to agree to AMC’s supposedly unreasonable demands for a contract extension, effectively forcing a blackout of the channel and related properties (IFC, WE tv, Sundance Channel) for all subscribers. Note: AMC still claims that an unrelated lawsuit stretching way back to 2008 is the real culprit.

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