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Ready for amateur hour? On Wednesday, Netflix closed down a Toronto street for its big Canadian launch. The company had a crowd of “onlookers” assemble; these “onlookers” were paid extras. Whatever one may think of this, it is common practice. What isn’t common practice is that the media, specifically Canada’s national newspaper, got hold of the instruction sheets Netflix gave the extras. (The company has apologized.) What a way to enter a market. — Jackson Wightman&nbs…

Heading to the mall this weekend for a little (or a lot of) holiday shopping? Wouldn’t it be nice to visit some stores where the employees are kind and helpful? Newsweek compiled the top 10 retail stores with the finest customer service ; the list is based on the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. How many do you frequent — and how can your brand learn from these retailers?

Follow these steps to convince the boss that simple and clear writing is best.

No. 1 on the list: Poking. “It annoys a lot of people,” writes communicator Terry Levine . “I find it cute and unobtrusive, to a point. Do feel free to poke a friend to say ‘hey.’ Do feel free to poke back. But that’s where it ends.” How do you feel about Facebook pokes?

Vocus released a wide-ranging survey today that tapped 1,800 marketing and PR pros. Among the findings: 42 percent of respondents said their budgets will remain flat in 2010, while one-third indicated their budgets will increase. Meanwhile, 80 percent indicated social media will be a key focus next year.

A Twitter chat is a great way to build a larger following and help establish your voice in the industry. So what are you waiting for? Oh, right, you’re not sure how to do it. Good thing there’s this  post from MarketingProfs to help you get started.

DENSO Manufacturing Michigan Inc. is hiring a corporate communications specialist responsible for all written communications.  Read more about this job.

Call it PR pitch meets social media sharing. Ford social media chief Scott Monty and his team are creating personalized pitches for reporters with sharing tools so reporters can share the pitches with others. Besides being a great PR effort for Ford, it’s a potential new trend for the entire PR industry to watch and evaluate. It’s certainly a far cry from the spammy pitches. — Claire Celsi

The list, from the Mr. Media Training blog, includes the head of MSNBC, the founder of WikiLeaks, ex-CNN host Rick Sanchez, Christine O’Donnell, and Alvin Greene, the Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina. Check out the gaffes that got them on this list .

If crisis strikes, do you have a real-time mindset for social and traditional media? Marketing and PR consultant  Heidi Cohen says a flexible crisis-management plan is needed. “Without the ability to quickly mobilize the appropriate staff and other resources, the crisis can easily escalate beyond the level necessary,” she writes. Cohen shares five recommendations, which include internal and external communication, social media monitoring, and approval processes. — Susan Young

Jump onto Twitter at 1 p.m. Central today. Ragan Communications CEO Mark Ragan will be giving away three webinar registrations to the first-ever PR Daily webinar taking place Nov. 18, which will feature The New York Times personal tech columnist David Pogue. Here’s how it works. Mark will pose a trivia question involving some fun topic, i.e., literature, current events, movies, famous people, etc. The first of his Twitter followers to submit the correct answer wins. So does the 10th and the 30th follower…

Have you seen the new video series starring Jack Black and America Ferrera? Black stars as Nathan Spewman, a “professional mis-informant,” who spreads conservative lies — from the existence of “death panels” to Obama’s being a secret Muslim. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is heading up the campaign, which will now ask those who’ve signed up to take action and “stop the lies” of other “professional mis-informants” in their lives. — Claire Celsi

Consumer Reports has released its first-ever naughty and nice list, “a collection of customer-service policies we like or loathe because they strike us as particularly consumer friendly or not so friendly.” Walmart made the nice list, while Best Buy is getting a lump of coal.  Check out the other winners and losers.

Only thing missing is a sea of side ponytails and a good John Hughes movie in the VCRs — you still remember those, right? Check out this fun list from  Adweek of 21 ads that will certainly make you swoon from fondness over the unforgettable ‘80s.

Johnson & Johnson, whose savvy crisis communications rescued the Tylenol brand from ruin in 1982, was back at it last week. “On July 3, just three days after a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended sweeping limits on acetaminophen, the generic name for Tylenol and some of its rivals, J&J ran full-page ads in USA Today , The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers,” Vanessa O’Connell and Shirley S. Wang reported for The Wall Street Journal . &#8220…