"Five People to Watch" in Newsday.com   Karen Thomas is president of Huntington-based Thomas Public Relations Inc., which was founded by her in 1993 to specialize in public relations for international high-tech companies. Her clients include Olympus America in Melville; Macintosh software company Intego in Paris; and Linux company Merlin Software of Canada. Before she started her firm, she was vice president of a high-tech firm owned by her father and became a fixture at computer trade shows, where she is now famous for publishing the Official KarenNet Party List, a free guide for the press that reveals secret party locations and other information. Her press parties, notably the Thomas PR Annual Pool Party, held before the PC Expo computer trade show in New York, are legendary. She has been quoted in many magazines and books, including Michael Rooney's tome "The Guerrilla Guide to High-Tech Trade Shows.” "The future of public relations is becoming more and more Internet-driven. Only a few years ago, Thomas PR was still faxing and mailing releases. Now we almost entirely communicate to the press through e-mailed releases and notes. And the press loves it!” The contents of all photos, graphics, and text are protected by copyright and may not be used or reproduced without prior express written authorization from the publisher.