In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following highlights some of the most popular tweets from the chat:

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, weigh in on the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Between Pinterest’s rise to fame as the third most popular social network in the U.S. by some accounts and Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of the mobile photo sharing app Instagram – a company that was just two years old – it’s easy to see that if content is still king, visual content rules the social web in 2012. There’s been a lot of interesting discussion about the trend toward more visual content/learning, and strong visuals are clearly here to stay as an increasingly important element in any PR program.

As solo PR pros with budgets that are often more limited, the ability to find free, high-quality images online for use in blog posts, presentations, and on social networks – and edit them using free tools –  is now more essential than ever. But don’t just search Google Images and copy something from there (this is tantamount to stealing).  There are many resources and tools available for no cost, high quality visuals – our favorites follow.

Free Image Downloads

1. FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Quickly downloading photos from this online database of free images is especially easy since no registration is required. Though each image on this site can be purchased as a higher resolution file, internet-ready images are available for immediate download free of charge, provided you adhere to the site’s Terms of Services and provide attribution to the original photographer. On FreeDigitalPhotos.net, this means inserting a hyperlink to the contributor’s profile page if the image is to be used online, or publishing the following credit along with photos used in printed materials: “Image: [NAME] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”

2. StockFreeImages.com
Though there’s one extra step to using this site in that you have to register first, this online collection of 431,000+ images operates similarly to FreeDigitalPhotos.net: give proper credit to the author, and use of the image is entirely free. On this site, an HTML credit line is automatically generated upon download that looks something like this: “© [NAME] | <a href=”http://www.stockfreeimages.com/”>Stock Free Images</a>”

3. Stock.xchng
Like the resource listed above, users must register and sign in to access the 350,000+ quality stock photos by more than 30,000 photographers found on this site. All images here are entirely free as long as users stick to the rules found in their Image License Agreement, which specifies where/when you can and can’t use an image. There’s also an option to contact the photographer if you’d like to use their image for purposes other than those allowed in the agreement.

4. Compfight
It’s a common misconception that all images on Flickr are freely available for use. Not true! Compfight is a search tool that allows you to filter Flickr images and view only those available through Creative Commons or for Commercial use (depending on your needs).

On Flickr, the “license” terms for each image are in the right sidebar – click the words “some rights reserved” to see the details. Some images are shared with permission to “remix” (which means you can crop it, or add a title on top of it, for example), while some are not. Most “some rights reserved” images ask for attribution.

5. iStockphoto’s Free Photo of the Week
Every week this site posts a new image, accessible from its home page, that it makes available for free (to give users a reason to keep coming back). You may not have use for the image today, but it never hurts to download these into a folder and save for the future.

Of course, sometimes paying a relatively small fee (usually around $2, depending on size) to a site like iStockphoto.com or Shutterstock for the perfect image is worth it. But if you’re just looking to jazz up a boring PowerPoint or illustrate a blog post, the sites above can often fill the bill.

Free Photo Editing

Our long-time favorite editing tool, Picnik, was shuttered by acquiring company Google in April (some of its features have been incorporated into Google+).   We’re currently trying out the following:.

1. PicMonkey
PicMonkey is certainly an appropriate Picnik replacement, as the service was actually started by former Picnik engineers. PicMonkey is free and doesn’t require registration (checkout the rather advanced human touchup tools – it’s hard to beat a good teeth whitener and wrinkle remover!).

2. BeFunky
Another photo editing site where registration isn’t required, BeFunky comes with all of the basics like the ability to fix red-eye or bad lighting, but also insists that it has “more effects than any other photo editor, and features you won’t find anywhere else.”

3. Aviary
Aviary is a suite of powerful creative applications that you can use right in your web browser. This site allows for photo editing with tools like the Image Editor, Screen Capture, Vector Editor, Image Markup, and more

Do you have any favorite resources or tools we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In addition to the downloadable transcript in PDF, the following highlights some of the most popular tweets from the chat:

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, weigh in on the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

1. How much “social media” presence will you have during the holidays (btwn Christmas & New Yr). Same as always or taking break? #solopr

2. What do you use for accounting software? Looking to switch at year end — Pros/cons? #solopr

3. How do you organize biz cards/new biz leads? organize leads, business cards, etc.? Programs used? #solopr

Be sure to check out thetranscript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1a. What news release/news wire services get your high ranking? Free or for a fee. What has worked for you? #solopr

1b. Do you ever get inbound media interest solely from an announcement over the wire these days? #solopr

2. How do you handle a client that thinks they can control the media’s coverage (the angle, or picking the shot, for example)? #solopr

3. Does your work slow down at any point in December? If so, when? #solopr

Be sure to check out thetranscript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. What tool, if any, do you use for online bookmarking/sharing? #solopr

2. If low-profile prospect asks for references from your high profile clients, & you don’t want to share contact info, what to do? #solopr

3. Will you send a snail mail, ecard, enewsletter or other holiday greeting? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

In that time, there have been some opportunities missed because of the public nature of our various channels. Many of you have also stated this – there are things you’d prefer not to send out to the whole world, but you’d be happy to exchange this information with others in our community.

To meet these needs, we’re happy to unveil the premium Solo PR PRO membership site, now in public beta (at special beta pricing). Specifically for us, this premium PRO content offers road-tested deliverables and downloads, a members-only Forum, a special upcoming Show Me the Money! series on setting rates, and much more.

Why do we need a PRO membership site? I did a quick video to explain the reasoning, and some of the benefits:

If you can’t view this video, watch it on YouTube.

Though some of the Solo PR PRO membership site features won’t be available until after the first of the year, we wanted to go ahead and share this beta content with you at a low initial rate (locked in for life for those who sign-up early), which will increase slowly over time for new subscribers as more content is added. That way, you can start putting the current content to use as you plan for 2012 (never too early to start!).

What does it cost?
As indie consultants, price is always a key consideration – as it should be. Though we’ve seen membership sites that cost $50 a month or more (and they have generic content that often doesn’t apply to indie consultants like us), we’re doing our best to keep costs low so everyone can participate.

The deal: While we’re still in beta for the next few weeks, you can join for just $14 a month, and be a Charter member! The cool part is: you’ll lock in this monthly rate for as long as you maintain your PRO membership (but, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, you can cancel any time). We’re also offering a money-saving Annual Subscription for just $120 for the year. In addition to the price break, the Annual Subscription offers the tax benefits of purchasing now for the year ahead.

For more details of all the offerings and to sign-up, just visit: Become a PRO Member.

We’re excited to offer something that can help you be more efficient, effective, and profitable in your business, and we fully expect that this content (especially the fee-setting info) will help many PRO members increase their profits by thousands of dollars in 2012. That’s the mission that will drive everything around this effort.

If you have any questions, just let us know in the comments. Hope you can join us!

1. When you build a blogger outreach program and compile lots of info (Alexa Rank, Page Rank, etc.) how much do you share w/client? #solopr

2. Can Klout scores be a way to help clients show competency/authority? #solopr

3. Have you been following the Netflix saga? How would you have advised a company to behave differently? #solopr

4. What should a company that wants to break apart its business do from a PR/branding perspective? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. Would you ever advise a client to blog negatively about a person or competitor? #solopr

2. I’m bored with my current work and feeling burned out. How do I get the mojo back? #solopr

3. I’m interested in working with an intern. Is it too late to get one for the fall? Things I should know? #solopr

4. Has anyone used MyMediaInfo? Thoughts? Any other similar svc you’d recommend? #solopr

5. What events are you doing to this fall? How do you choose? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. Post by @vanessacamones said “Say No to Silicon Valley’s Bully” http://ow.ly/5y1Xv re: M. Arrington- thoughts re: blacklisting? #solopr

2. Do you think that PR and social media generated internally are most often more successful than external contractors? #solopr

3. What’s the best thing a young brand can do when starting a new regimen involving traditional PR and social media? #solopr

4. Dropbox changed their terms of service, giving them sweeping rights to access your docs (h/t @cloudspark) http://blog.dropbox.com/?p=846 They also have had security issues. If you use, have you changed? Other tools to rec? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that our previous transcript service is down, so this week’s transcript is in reverse chronological order. We’re working to find an easier to read format.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.