TAMPA, Florida - Affari Edge, a local authority on the use of social media, announced today the awarding of a grant of $5,000 in social media consulting and training services to The Children's Home, Inc. "Giving back to the community is a core principle at Affari Edge," said Dave Sizemore, a partner at Affari. "Because of our expertise with social media, we felt we could help a local organization explore this new technology. We selected The Children's Home because of both its ties to the community and the innovative ways they want to use social media."

Social media is a name attributed to a collection of technologies including but not limited to blogs, podcasts, virtual communities, wikis, and virtual worlds that enable people to communicate with each other online in ways that mirror off-line interpersonal interaction. Prominent examples of social media also include sites such as MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Wikipedia, Digg, and many more.

"These new platforms are natural extensions of any organization's marketing and public relations efforts," said Wendy Robbins, managing partner with Affari Edge. "By using these new technologies, we can help The Children's Home build and sustain a close-knit on-line community. We're excited about working with an esteemed organization, helping supplement their communications efforts."

"At The Children's Home," added Amy Tramer, Director of Grants and Foundations for The Children's Home, "we're interested in using social media to encourage more interactive communication with our clients and supporters, especially through the use of foster family blogs, alumni discussion forums, and online support communities. We believe social media will also help expand our word-of-mouth marketing and further our branding with like-minded individuals and groups."

The Children's Home, Inc. is a child- and family-centered organization positioned to care for struggling families and children seeking the comfort of a loving family. With roots that can be traced back to 1892, they have provided a safe haven for children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment; helping more than 6,000 children realize their dream of a family, and caring for more than 25,000 children in the community. The Children's Home is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving the Central Florida region.

Affari Edge is a full-service advertising agency offering a comprehensive range of advertising and public relations services. Affari Edge is made up of creative gurus, with extensive business experience, from small business ownership to leading different aspects of some of the largest empires in corporate America. The mix of business background with creative expertise leads to superior results. Affari means business. PARAGRAPH

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