The Buyer Group PR + SEO News

The Buyer Group has dedicated 2009 to the search for Tiffany Sessions. 20 years after her disappearance, The Buyer Group’s online PR and social media skills are at work, in search for a missing friend.  Read on for today’s coverage on CNN.

College Student Went for a Run, Never Came Back

By Rupa Mikkilineni
Nancy Grace Producer

NEW YORK (CNN) — Tiffany Sessions was a 20-year-old junior studying economics at the University of Florida in Gainesville when she decided to go out for a run. She never came back.

College student Tiffany Sessions has been missing since February 9, 1989.

Sessions left her off-campus apartment about 6 p.m. February 9, 1989. She told her roommate she’d be back shortly and took her Walkman with her.

It was the last time anyone would see her.

That was 20 years ago, a time when no one had cell phones, Blackberries or Web sites to aid in tracking a missing or abducted person.

The only clues came from people who recalled seeing a young woman fitting Sessions’ description walking down the main street just before dusk.

Sessions’ jogging route usually took her down Gainesville’s main street to a small dirt trail that cut through the woods. The loop was 1½ miles each way and took her about an hour.

Police and family believe that she was abducted near the woods. After extensive searches, no clues were found: not her remains, not her Walkman, not the clothes she was wearing.

“Much of the area in the last decade has been paved over, with new construction, making a search today very difficult,” said Detective Bob Dean of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. However, investigators are still searching and working this case actively.

Searchers were out as recently as late December, seeking clues with newer technologies.

“We have used ground sonar equipment, even,” Dean said.

Over the years, there have been some possible suspects — people who came forward and confessed — but police have ruled them out as credible suspects.

One potential suspect was a man who was in jail for killing a 5-year-old girl. He’d written a letter to police, claiming he was responsible for Tiffany Sessions’ disappearance.

But when questioned later by police, he denied writing the letter, even though handwriting analysis indicated that he had.

“Although police don’t think so, I still believe this guy could have something to do with my daughter’s disappearance,” said Patrick Sessions, Tiffany’s father.

Don’t Miss

• The Tiffany Sessions Project
• More cold cases
• Nancy Grace show page
• CNN.com/crime

According to Patrick Sessions, who has been closely involved with the police investigating his daughter’s case, the man who confessed was a sex offender who had been released just a month and a half before Tiffany Sessions disappeared.

The cold case unit of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has taken over this case. Patrick Sessions observed the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s disappearance by making renewed appeals through the media.

Police and family urge anyone with more information about Tiffany Sessions or information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance to call the tip line at 352-367-4161.

A $25,000 reward is offered.

Tiffany Sessions was last seen wearing red sweatpants, a white sweatshirt with the word “Aspen” on it, a gold Rolex watch and a black Sony Walkman. She was 5′3″ and weighed 125 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She has blonde hair and brown eyes.

Nancy Grace adds heat to cold cases.

8 & 10 PM, HLN see full schedule »

To see the full story click here.

Online PR Expert Talks About Twitter, Online Reputation, and Search Results

Deerfield Beach, FL – February 23, 2009 – What happens when employees mix personal Facebook and Twitter accounts with company news and client communications?  Well first comes the drama, then the Google search results you might wish you never had.

Florida online public relations agency CEO, Lisa Buyer, will be speaking on the advantages and pitfalls of social media at PubCon, the executive conference lead by search and Internet marketing gurus in Austin, TX on March 12, 2009 at 2:55 PM.

As part of a panel discussion on Moving Old Brands Into The New Social Media, Buyer will present a case study on “Social Media In the Hands of Irresponsible Employees,” a topic focusing on the PR effects when employees’ personal social media usage ends in negative company search results. The lecture will also cover proactive guidelines to prevent this from happening as well as brand reputation management.

“Today’s online PR and branding strategies need to take into consideration the effects of social media channels and how they can influence a brands online reputation,” said Lisa Buyer, The Buyer Group CEO.

Working from a real world experience where an employee’s personal Twitter posting, a professional blogger, and a client’s search engine results collided, Buyer will explore how to best utilize the power of social media without leaving companies vulnerable to circumstances that can have a negative effect on their online PR.

PubCon Austin takes place March 11 – 13, 2009.  For more information visit: http://www.pubcon.com/.

About The Buyer Group
The Buyer Group is a member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, South Florida Interactive Marketing Association, Agency Management Roundtable, and is recognized as a Google Advertising Professional Company.  For more information about The Buyer Group and its interactive public relations and branding services call Lisa Buyer at 954.354.1411.

Connect with The Buyer Group
Follow Lisa Buyer on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lisabuyer
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer

On Valentine’s Day The Buyer Group kicks off online PR ways to share the love. What a better way to communicate with potential customers than with the power of social media? The Buyer Group is happy to share our expertise and social networking know-how with your company and help you show your love where it really matters!

• Share the love and become our fan on The Buyer Group’s Facebook Fan Page!
• Follow us on our journey to spread the love with The Buyer Group Twitter!
• Show some love to get some love with The Buyer Group’s Spring Discount blog for Beverly Hills Aesthetics.
• See the love Online PR can bring you by visiting our Beauty and Breast Implant blog for Dr. Wigoda.
• Feel the love and check out the great new site from Shop To Earn featuring online PR from The Buyer Group.

Interested in finding some online PR for yourself?  Contact us today!

Father Uses Social Media to Find Missing Daughter After 20 Years
Patrick Sessions Launches Official Tiffany Sessions Blog and Outreach

Gainesville, FL – February 9, 2009 – When missing person Tiffany Sessions (http://tiffanysessions.com/) disappeared from Gainesville without a trace on February 9, 1989, there was no Amber Alert, no Web sites displaying pictures of missing kids – and no social media to spread the word across the country with a few keystrokes.

Tiffany Sessions is still missing, her case is still open, and real estate developer-turned missing children advocate, Patrick Sessions, is leveraging social media tools to help police find missing children and especially the daughter he last saw when she was 19-years-old.  Refusing to give up on his daughter, Sessions is launching the “Official Tiffany Sessions” Web site blog on February 9, 2009, the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s disappearance.

A $25,000 reward is being offered by the Sessions family for information leading to the remains of Tiffany Sessions and the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her abduction.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a press conference on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM in the Patrol Squad Room of the Sheriff’s Office, located at 2621 SE Hawthorne Road to mark the 20-year anniversary of the case.

“There was no Facebook when Tiffany was in college. No cell phones to trace her whereabouts. No MySpace pages to investigate,” Sessions says. “I am launching this Web site blog in hopes that someone out there knows where Tiffany is or can offer new leads that will help us find her.  We believe social media can play a vital role in finding missing children everywhere, including Tiffany.”

Tiffany was last seen leaving her apartment at Casablanca East Condominiums in Gainesville at 6 PM on February 9, 1989.  She told her roommate she was going to take a walk along Williston Road.  She was carrying a black Sony Walkman, but had left her keys, wallet, and identification at home.  Over the years there have been many conflicting stories, theories, and testimonials about what happened after Tiffany left her apartment – but no concrete evidence was ever discovered.  At the time of her disappearance, Tiffany had blonde hair, brown eyes and stood 5’3 tall, weighing 125 pounds. Tiffany was last seen wearing red sweatpants and a white, long-sleeved sweatshirt with the word “ASPEN” stitched across the front in green letters.

The Alachua County Sheriff Office’s Cold Case Unit has done an intense amount of work in the last two years on the Tiffany Sessions Case #: 01569-89.

“This is still a viable case with several new leads being developed and explored by members of the Unit. This 20-year anniversary of Tiffany’s disappearance is a time to remember and recommit ourselves to resolving as many unsolved missing persons and murder cases as possible,” said Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, who was originally part of the case in 1989 as the Gainesville Police Department’s public spokesperson. “It is my hope that our efforts in this case, in addition to solving a crime, will bring a measure of comfort to the Sessions family. We hope our dedication to this case will honor the tragedy they continue to endure and some day give them answers to the haunting questions about their loved one’s place or demise.  Tiffany remains forever young and forever a constant reminder to our community of the love and support of a family during her life and in her absence. We remain steadfast partners with her family in solving this case.”

To learn more about the missing persons case of Tiffany Sessions, including the details surrounding her unexplained disappearance and links to contact legal authorities with pertinent information, visit http://TiffanySessions.com.  In addition to serving as a vital resource for Tiffany’s case, the Web site will also act as a resource for other parents and friends coping with the disappearance of a loved one by providing phone numbers and links to missing persons organizations.

“I’m hoping that you all will think about this and if you were in the Gainesville area or have any information about what happened to Tiffany, or if any of your friend’s do, to please go to the links on the site and let the appropriate people know,” Sessions said.  “I really need your help and I really appreciate if you could pass this on.  We can use social media to help solve this case and bring hope to many parents with missing children.”

Media Contacts:
Please see the following sources for more information and/or interviews:

Patrick Sessions – Miami, Florida
Tiffany’s Father, 305-609-6443

Jason Sessions – Jacksonville, Florida
Tiffany’s brother, 904-386-8380

Alachua County Sheriff’s Department
Public Information Office:
Steve Maynard, 352-367-4041
Send Tiffany Sessions Leads to:
rdean@alachuasheriff.org, 352-367-4161
Case #: 01569-89

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
Larry Ruby     LarryRuby@FDLE.State.Fl.US, 386-418-5411

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
800-843-5678

Tiffany Sessions Media Contact
Lisa Buyer lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com
The Buyer Group, PR/SEO, 954-354-1411 x14

Florida Foreclosure Attorney Launches Social Media Channels
Oppenheim Pilelsky Law Firm Uses Social Media for Florida Foreclosure Topics

Fort Lauderdale, FL – February 3, 2009 – Hanging out online is no longer for teenagers and college coeds, the professional adult is tuning in to social media.  Research shows adults are taking over social networking sites.  On that note: Oppenheim Pilelsky P.A., a boutique law firm focusing on Florida foreclosure law, introduces today its social media outreach program with coverage on Twitter, YouTube, and Yelp, in addition to its blog focusing on South Florida foreclosure trends.

Social media networks harness the power of the web in an interactive way, allowing for more “face-time” with consumers. Recent findings from the Pew Research Center say the percentage of adults who have profiles on at least one social-networking site has skyrocketed to 35 percent, up from only 8 percent in 2005.  With a majority of teens (75 percent) regularly visiting social networking sites like Twitter and YouTube, adult usage is likely to follow suit.

“The social media channels give our prospects and clients an additional way to learn about our  services and keep up-to-date on Florida foreclosure law trends,” said Roy Oppenheim.

Users attending to the Oppenheim social media sites have up-to-date information about South Florida foreclosure news, guidance and information.

“So far, I’ve enjoyed using the social media channels to report my legal opinions on trends in the news such as Florida foreclosure defense,” said Oppenheim.  “These outlets allow me to release information to the public through an interactive, less-formal medium.“

South Florida Law Social Media Channels
Follow Roy Oppenheim on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/oplaw
Subscribe to the Oppenheim South Florida Law blog: http://southfloridalawblog.com
Watch Roy Oppenheim on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/oppenheimroy
Rate Roy Oppenheim on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/oppenheim-pilelsky-p-a-fort-lauderdale

About Oppenheim Pilelsky, P.A.
Founded more than nineteen years ago by a husband and wife legal team, Oppenheim Pilelsky, P.A. is uniquely positioned as one of Florida’s leading boutique law firms, focusing on Florida real estate and foreclosure law. Serving the greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida-area and serving high-profile national, international and local clients, the firm is proud to have the highest (A-V) rating, conferred by Martindale Hubbell® Law Directory – the most respected directory of lawyers and law firms in the United States.

For more information about Roy Oppenheim and Oppenheim Pilelsky, P.A. visit: http://www.oppenheimlaw.com or call 954.384.6114.

Oppenheim Pilelsky, P.A. is located at 2500 Weston Rd, Ste 404 in Weston, FL 33331.