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Long time tech editor Bill Machrone (left) succumbed to brain cancer on Sunday. He was 69. We remember him and point out some of his accomplishments. You can also review an obituary by Michael Miller, who worked with Machrone for decades at PC Magazine. 

Al Jazeera posted an excellent article on Medium about How to pitch them. It’s well-written and pragmatic, filled with suggestions for both freelance writers and PR pros. These guidelines apply to all media. Why don’t more outlets do this? 

Paul interviews David about his 21 years of writing a weekly Web Informant email newsletter. Last year David summarized his efforts in this piece with lots of links back to the early days.  

PR pro Lisette Paras (right) sent us a couple of  great questions. We previously mentioned that PR pros rarely send images for stories. We talk about the importance of images and offer some suggestions for what makes sense for our needs. Lisette also asks about C-suite demands that PR pros support the brand’s lead generation efforts, and wonders if that’s appropriate for the profession. We think it is. The more you can quantify the ROI of your work, the more secure your job will be. 

About David Strom

David Strom is a former editor-in-chief of Network Computing and Tom's Hardware who has written two computer networking books and thousands of articles about B2B IT.

About Paul Gillin

Paul Gillin, host of FIR B2B, is a veteran technology journalist and a thought leader in new media. Since 2005, he has advised marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. Full bio