In this week's PR Fuel eNewsletter, Ben Silverman wrote what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. One of his many "thanks" struck a chord with me and I just had to share it with all of you:

“... a survey conducted by BIGfrontier Communications Group in Chicago. The survey found that startups which utilize public relations campaigns are 30% more successful in finding financing than startups that do not. The same study also found that 78% of the companies in the first group planned to spend some of their funding on public relations and that only 18% of startups had a public relations program in place during the fundraising stage. That latter figure presents a huge opportunity.”

In bad economic times, agencies like Dittoe PR are fortunate to have amazing clients that realize the value of media coverage. Whether coverage comes from bylines, case studies, interviews, press releases, word of mouth, social networking or analyst briefings – our clients see the benefit of working with us.

One startup we have currently begun working with is Indianapolis-based Precise Path Robotics. Co-founded by serial entrepreneur and local businessman Scott A. Jones, Precise Path has developed a robotic technology that will change the way we maintain the outdoors. The company’s first product, the RG3 greens mower, is geared towards the golf industry as it perfectly cuts greens autonomously – making greens more consistent while increasing ROI and productivity for the golf course superintendent.

The RG3, however, is just the tip of the iceberg! Imagine the possibilities with this technology Precise Path has developed: commercial and residential snow removal, highway line painting, sports field line/logo painting, a robotic lawn mower for the home – that works fast and cuts straight lines!

Precise Path is working with us because they know you can’t get something for nothing. You can’t increase sales or gain funding by not doing anything. With the help of public relations professionals, Precise Path is making a name for itself and gaining interest from golf superintendents to robotic technology gurus, and venture capitalists to consumer electronic buffs.

So this Thanksgiving, I’m personally thankful for Precise Path Robotics, Useful Networks, Corinex Communications and Fidelitone Logistics – as all four of these companies value the work we do for them day in and day out, and realize the value of public relations in their business strategies. 

I hope you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – and that you are able to enjoy the holiday with the people who mean the most to you. Blessings!

I read a very interesting article in this fall’s issue of The Strategist and it’s really stuck with me. The article, “From manager to leader: The nine action steps to get you to a leadership role,” asserts that “…making the leap from manager to leader may be the most important move in one’s PR career” and lists nine actions we can all take to become true leaders.

1. Articulate the values. By what standards does your organization live? Here at Dittoe, our mantra can be taken off of the blackboard in co-founder Liza Dittoe’s office: Do what you love. Love what you do. We live by this “golden rule” and not only does it make our job more fulfilling and fun, but we are – as a whole – very successful because of it.
2. Create a vision. Real leaders are constantly looking beyond tomorrow to visualize what their company can be and where it is headed. Once you have your vision of “after tomorrow” it’s necessary for the entire team to buy into it – so it becomes our vision. This is crucial for PR firms during such uncertain economic times. Without a vision, how can you set goals and objectives – how can you measure success?
3. Build trust. People don’t follow other people because their title is president or CEO – they follow them because they trust them. If you can’t trust your leader, there’s no buy-in to the company’s vision.
4. Provide inspiration. People follow people who inspire them. Be inspiring. If you think about it, three body parts are used by employees on a regular basis: heads, hearts and feet. If a leader can cause people to think about the possibilities and imagine what we could do together, feel the passion to attain it and then act to make it happen – then they are truly successful.
5. Act courageously. It’s one thing to think or say “this is where we are going” – it’s another thing to make it happen.
6. Share the credit. Let your team share the spotlight.
7. Establish empathy and listen. I can’t tell you how important this is. Who wants to work for someone who never listens to your concerns or suggestions? A good leader understands his or her team’s motivations, worldviews and aspirations.
8. Be open. There are two ways a leader can do this: 1) be approachable, and 2) admit failures. No one knows everything, and trust can be gained when leaders admit they don’t have the answer. After all, we’re all human.
9. Empower your followers. Learn when to let go. There are more leaders to be found in your team. There’s no such thing as an organization of one. Encourage followers to create their own vision.

For more details on what to do once you become a leader, check out the whole article by Ken Jacobs online. I think you’ll find it just as interesting and inspiring as I do.

It's been a long time since I've logged into my blog, but in honor of one of the greatest holidays of the year I thought I would "spook" you with a blog post. 

Dittoe Public Relations is not only is the best public relations firm in Indianapolis with talented professionals, but when it comes to Halloween we are an expert at these skills too. 

Today, many of us transformed our look into a "SPOOKTACULAR" costume for our office party. 

Happy Halloween from Dittoe Public Relations!

  

Meet my boss, Liza Dittoe...

After being told she looked a lot like Sarah Palin, without trying to, Liza decided to be the Vice Presidential nominee for Halloween.  This picture, taken at a Halloween party last weeked, is now available on the Indianapolis Star online and has resulted in an influx of calls to our famous boss.

Here's what the Indy Star's eNewsletter reported yesterday afternoon:

"When it comes to look-a-likes, actress Tina Fey has nothing on Liza Dittoe, founder of Indianapolis-based Dittoe Public Relations. Dittoe also looks a lot like Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Said Dittoe: 'Everywhere I go I'm told I look like Palin, so I decided to dress up like her for (a Halloween) party. I found her glasses at Wal-Mart.' Dittoe said she won the party's first-place female award. She said she is enjoying a little spotlight after years of being behind the scenes."

Liza has been getting invitations to appear on local morning news programs and even professional sports events - because of a Halloween costume! 

Now that all of Indianapolis knows about our famous boss, we're experiencing a little bit of Dittoe pride here at the office.  You see, we've known forever how famous and connected Liza is.  Check out these pictures... taken before most of us knew who Sarah Palin is.

So there you have it, that's my famous boss: Liza Dittoe.

This morning in my inbox I found one of my favorite newsletters, "The Firm Voice," from the Council of Public Relations Firms.  Most of the time the articles are more for owners and presidents of PR firms but I am usually able to find some morsel of wisdom in each edition.

Today was no different.  "The Firm Voice" offered a link to Cision's free white paper on "What Never to Do When Targeting the Media."  I highly recommend all PR folks out there download this document as it is really helpful.

"A lot of PR people and agencies just blast out blanket e-mails to anyone on the lists they bought. That's glorified spam. The e-mails that work are those that are targeted. They open with something like, 'Dear David, I saw your story about cell phones and thought…' This shows they did their homework. If you take the time to personalize your pitches or e-mails to us, you will get a thousand times more bang for the buck in terms of responses." - David Pogue, Columnist for the New York Times

Dittoe PR is an anti-spam agency.  You won't find one of our email addresses on the Bad Pitch Blog or mention of our firm any journalist's rant on poor PR techniques.  However, it is important to stay up-to-date on all things public relations related and this white paper is worth a download, no matter how amazing you are at your job.

Last night I did something I never did before, by choice... I watched C-SPAN. I tuned in to watch Sen. Hillary Clinton speak at the Democratic Convention as I wanted to hear how she planned on convincing her passionate supporters to vote for Obama (as opposed to voting for McCain or not voting at all).

The crowd in Denver ate up Sen. Clinton, cheering, applauding and even chanting her name during her 35 minute [or so] speech. I found the video her daughter, Chelsea, narrated to be very interesting and personal. The pictures of a loving mom and wife put a very different image in my head of the Hillary I've always been skeptical of. For a moment, I almost forgot about the scandals of the Clinton presidency as I watched her husband mouth the words, "Love you, forever and ever," to her from his seat in an upper level suite. Her rhetoric was exciting and the response of the audience proved to be more than I had expected.

 

As I watched her speak, I couldn't help but think, "Whoever wrote this speech knew what they were doing... How can I use words of my own to get media contacts this excited about my clients?"

 

Writing a pitch, whether you email, fax, mail or say it over the phone, takes time. You have just a few seconds to capture the attention of the journalist or blogger so you have to make the most out of the subject line and first sentence of the pitch or else you'll lose them. This is much easier said than done!

 

Unlike many public relations firms who provide little PR training to their new hires or interns, Dittoe PR works one-on-one with each new employee to explain and demonstrate how we do business every day.

 

What it essentially comes down to is: Do your homework. Read recent articles from the media contact you are planning to pitch - does their beat fit with your story? If the contact does prove to be a legitimate match, then write a personalized pitch. Every pitch we send out, even if the story angle is similar, is different because we recognize that no two journalists or bloggers are alike and what interests one may not even so much as raise the eyebrow of another. We spend a tremendous amount of time on writing targeted pitches and researching contacts. Because of this, you will not see Dittoe PR on any "SPAM" list.

 

I guess you could say that Sen. Clinton's speech got me excited about public relations. I came into work today with more confidence and excitement than normal. Now, did she convince me to vote for Obama? Time will tell. For now, my goal for the day is to come up with the most creative pitch that will truly get journalists and bloggers excited about my clients.

Today I came across an article at EvanCarmichael.com on effectively using PR tactics. I thought it was really worth sharing with my colleagues and so now you’re the lucky ones subjected to it as well. It’s written by Maggie Holben, but I’ve summarized the main seven points below. Check out the entire article when you have a few minutes to spare (I’ve included the link to it at the end of this post).

“It’s up to you to make use of proven PR tactics to help build awareness and credibility of your brand. Here are seven tips to help jumpstart your PR efforts, or improve existing programs:

Focus On Your Newsworthy Attributes: You’ll have far greater success garnering news coverage if your announcement is based on a proven news hook, rather than being full of puffery and information only of interest to you.

Keep Your PR Tool Kit Up-To-Date: The more information you are able to provide an interested reporter, the more likely your encounter will result in thorough, accurate and engaging coverage.

Utilize Newswire Services: Newswires can give your news release added exposure to both the media and potential customers searching the Internet for your products or services as the release remains posted online.

Become Skilled At E-mail Campaigns: E-mail is, on the whole, the most preferred form of communication for reaching the news media (versus unsolicited phone calls, text messages or podcasts to busy journalists).

Make Use of Leads Services*: The leads service is a special PR tool that allows reporters on deadline to reach out to companies and individuals for information and interviews.

Share Your Expertise via Articles: Write or ghostwrite articles for your clients about their particular area of expertise.

Win Awards To Attract Attention: Quite frequently, the prestige of receiving one or several industry awards offers the “awareness lift” necessary to secure a profile or full feature about your company or organization.

I’m pleased to report that none of this information is groundbreaking or newsworthy to me but it’s a great reminder. If anything, it reaffirms my belief that Dittoe Public Relations is truly one of the best PR firms around because these seven PR Tactics are the core of every plan we develop for our clients. Keep in mind, it’s possible to do each of these tactics and still not gain the coverage you and your clients are looking for – so the trick is to do all of it skillfully and to the very best of your ability.

Check out the full-version of the article here.

* If you want a recommendation of a U.S. and Canadian leads service, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to share two valuable services with you!

Yesterday I had my first soccer practice of the season - except instead of being a player, I'm now the coach. This fall, I decided to assistant coach a U-14 girls team here in Indianapolis. I've been wanting to get involved in coaching for a while now, and I think this will be a great, fun opportunity be around a sport that I love and share my passion for it with others.

It was strange being the one instructing instead of being one of the players, running around and listening to a coach's directions. While I think I have a pretty good knowledge of the game and ability to teach it to others, one thing I'm completely unfamiliar with is working with 12-14 year-old girls. Besides my brother, who is now 16, I have no recent experience being around that age group. I tried to think back to what it was like at that age - in seventh and eighth grade. Honestly, I had a tough time remembering the things that I talked about with my friends, the types of activities I participated in outside of school and sports, and what my maturity level was like. The thing I probably remember best from being a young teenager, though, is playing soccer. I remember playing in countless tournaments, competing against our team's biggest rivals, and spending hours upon hours with my teammates out on the field - at practice and in games.

Playing soccer was probably my favorite thing to do for much of my childhood. I loved the game itself - from the footskills to the strategic aspects - and I thrived on the competition. My favorite times playing the sport were always when we would have a tough game against a very good team. I wanted to be challenged to the limit and be forced to perform at our very best in order to come out victorious.

I really hope I can help teach these girls to love the game as much as I did and to coach them to be the best that they can be. I think this fall will be a lot of fun, but I'm sure it's going to be challenging too. I know there will be times when I'll want to just step on the field and show them how it's done. And, I'm sure I will do this to some extent in practice (I always had far greater respect for coaches who played with us and were actually able to do the things they were instructing us to do). However, when it comes to the games, I'll have to hope that my demonstration, examples, and instruction will be enough to help guide and teach the girls how to improve their game and to play together as a team. Hopefully we'll go out there and dominate!

There is always a bit of excitement in the air when starting to work with a new client. I began working for my newest client, CareerScribe, at the beginning of this month and I can feel anticipation building as the launch of the Alpha version of their Web site is quickly approaching. 

 

CareerScribe is the future of hiring and career management.  It leaps and bounds ahead of any other online job resource site. It has everything you like from other sites but brings the art of searching, interviewing and hiring into the digital age…the ‘YouTube generation’! And it’s launching right here in Indianapolis – recently ranked by Forbes as one of the hottest growing business communities!

To check out this site and/or create your own profile please visit: http://www.careerscribe.com/

Have you ever used NO-AD sunscreen on vacation?  It's really good stuff... great value for the money too because the bottles are ginormous.  What makes this sunscreen really different than Banana Boat, Panama Jack and Coppertone is they don't advertise - hence the name "no-ad."

This company has relied on word of mouth marketing for years.  I first started using it when I was in middle school because I saw a friend with a hot pink bottle of 15 SPF.

While it makes for an interesting case study, NO-AD is also very unique.  Many companies are creating "word of mouth" marketing campaigns which rely heavily on social media sites like Facebook or MySpace, emails (like those sent out by Indianapolis-based ExactTarget), blogs (like your's truly here) and SMS text messaging.  NO-AD really relied on good, solid, old-fashioned word of mouth.

On the American Marketing Association's Web site, Marketing Power, they currently have a survey posted which I found to be extremely interesting.  They ask, "What is your most effective word-of-mouth technique?"  The responses are what got my attention:

• Social Media Sites - 22%
• Email - 54%
• Blogs - 16%
• SMS - 8%

Honestly, I voted for blogs.  I have experienced a great deal of success in gaining coverage for my clients in blogs.  Many blogs have a daily traffic snapshots reaching over 2.2 million making their online viewership greater than the printed circulation of the same company or other reputable media outlets in the same space.

I believe people are more likely to believe the word of a blogger than some group on Facebook or some email they've received.  Emails have a leg-up on blogs though... many campaigns are opt-in and all [should be] opt-out compliant.  To find a blog takes more effort than just checking your inbox - I'll give you that!

I am sad to see that SMS isn't appearing to catch on as quickly as I had anticipated.  I've yet to participate in any opt-in SMS campaign and I really don't think it's for me.  I equate it to receiving a phone call from a telemarketer right when I sit down for dinner.  There's never a good time to receive a random text message from a stranger... not for me, at least!

So what about you?  How will/would you vote?

This morning, I saw a video on Inc. magazine's website talking about "How to choose a PR agency." This was interesting to me, coming from the agency side, to look at what clients must think about in deciding to work with us. So I started thinking about each of the five "tips" given in light of Dittoe PR and our clients.

1.Use references.
Talk to friends and business contacts you know and trust to see what firms they think will be a good fit for your organization. I know we've gotten several of our clients through references and word of mouth. Since we're located in Indianapolis, it's easy for companies here to see our work and for Dittoe to attract the attention of more local clients.

2. Does a PR agency know your business?
Engage the PR agency in dialogue about your industry and business challenges. Ask them how they would likely approach your account. Dittoe works with a wide variety of clients but has particular expertise in the high tech industry. However, after working with several clients in the education industry recently, we've gained a great deal of knowledge about this industry over the past year. Similarly with working with other clients, we're continually learning as much as possible about the marketplace and various industries in order to be able to serve an increasing range of clientelle.

3. Test the chemistry between your company and the agencies that you’re looking at. Who do you think you’ll get along with best and be able to work well with? With any business partnership, it's very important to understand one another and be able to communicate well. Dittoe has a wide range of clients and therefore a wide range of client relationships. Some clients like to talk on the phone with us every day, while others will go days or sometimes even weeks between emails with us. It's our responsibility to understand our clients' needs and cater specifically to them, communicating in the method they prefer.

4. Be a partner. Make sure to let the agency know all the relevant information they might need in order to best tell your story. This is very important to a PR agency. Since what we do is "tell our clients' stories" essentially, it is critical that we have all the necessary information to paint a picture for the media. Clients who withhold information from us are doing themselves a disservice.

5. Define success. Make sure you and the agency have the same goals in mind. It is important for Dittoe to know what our clients expect of us and what will make them happy. That way, we can set our expectations - and help set theirs realistically. All clients usually say they want to be on Oprah, but unfortunately that rarely happens. Landing coverage like Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times is incredible and we're always so excited when stories like these run for our clients. Also, knowing where a client would most like to be featured is important. Some clients would actually prefer to be included in trade publications - written specifically for people in their industry - instead of national newspapers or magazines written for the general public.

Dittoe PR is very good at what we do, and we know how to achieve media coverage successfully for our clients. Anyone looking for a PR agency who would like national exposure should give us a look!

On July 28, Laura Olson, a reporter from the Indianapolis Star wrote the article, "Indy-area volunteers not stingy with time." She stated in the article, "Indianapolis is one of the top 10 metro areas in volunteer hours per resident, according to a federal report released Sunday."

Many Indianapolis residents are always itching to learn more about where they can volunteer their time and services.  I know of a great volunteer opportunity that you can partake in at any time of the year and as much or little as you would like! 

Eagle Creek Park on the Northwest side of Indianapolis is looking for volunteers to help out at the park doing various activities.  Some of them include taking children on hikes, gardening, working at the marina, working at the newly built Discovery Center, answering phones, taking care of animals and setting up for art shows that exhibit four times a year at the Discovery Center.



If you or someone you know is interested please contact Rosie Johnson, the volunteer coordinator at Eagle Creek Park.  Her number is (317) 327-7148.

We've all done it. You see a homeless person on the sidewalk or at an intersection and you give them what little change or maybe cash you have in your wallet. Maybe you've even given someone your doggy bag from your nice dinner out. Ultimately you feel sorry for the person and try to offer assistance without really getting involved, right?

My friend Matt did this for an "amputee" and Vietnam War veteran who was seemingly down on his luck in Louisville. Hours later, Matt was astounded to see the man stand up out of his wheelchair and run off with some very real legs and with all of the cash he was given. Matt was upset and everyone who witnessed it commented they would never give money to a homeless person again. 

While finishing up her masters, one of my best friends worked for a company committed to helping homeless people here in Indianapolis. Sadly, one day her purse was stolen out of her office. Though it was later found, the man seen taking it was one of the people her company had offered its services to in the past.

It's hard to help people when you know the odds of them taking your help and actually using it to better themselves (buy food, clothes, etc...) are slim to none. A friend of my Dad's offered to take a homeless man in my hometown of Greenville, SC to McDonald's and buy him lunch - anything he wanted. The man stared at him in disbelief and said, "Just give me money, man."

Unfortunately, many people who are forced to live on the streets face addictions ranging from alcohol to gambling. Their addiction is a disease, and any money they receive goes to feed it. Other large portions of homeless people in the U.S. are victims of foreclosures, bankruptcy and sadly - many are mentally ill.

OK - so why my rant on homeless people? Here in Indianapolis, we have a problem. You don't see it every where... but downtown, especially at night, there are a lot of folks who have nowhere to sleep, no shelter and no dinner. The worst part of this mess is the city is forcing them to get out from underneath the bridges that provide them with the only shelter available and is not providing them with any alternatives.

Every city has a dark side - a side tourists/visitors never see. By placing nice hotels close to attractions like museums, malls, monuments, sport & concert arenas and convention centers most visitors never have to see the "bad" part of town. But what about those of us who live in these bigger cities? We drive through rough areas sometimes. In fact, we probably drive out of our way to avoid them. I say it's time we stop driving around the problems plaguing society and make a change.

Write to your mayor today if you agree with me, and ask them what their plans are to provide the homeless with shelter and increase safety for citizens throughout the city - regardless of race, religion and income.

For those of you in Indianapolis, write to Mayor Greg Ballard here.

Last week, Dittoe's insurance company sent out a representative to our office to perform an annual "health screening" of all the employees ensured. We were informed that we would each have a finger pricked to draw blood for analysis and that we needed to complete surveys about our nutrition, lifestyles, etc.

During this process, I started thinking about how healthy I really am. While I feel like I've always been a pretty healthy eater and have always been involved in playing sports, I think I definitely owe it to myself to re-evaluate how healthy I currently am and to make necessary changes to my diet and excercise plan if necessary.

When I look at my diet, I know one thing I could stand to improve is eating more fruits and vegetables. I like the way I feel when I'm eating healthy, and I like most fruits and veggies. The difficulty lies in actually working these foods into my diet. I often seem to buy too many fruits or veggies which I'm not able to eat by myself, and they go bad. Or I won't feel like taking the time to cook or prepare veggies with dinner so I'll go without eating any. In taking a step back, though, I realize there are plenty of ways to work fruits and veggies into my diet fairly easily.

For the past week, I've tried to make a conscious effort to do so, and I've been happy surprised by how well it's gone. I bought cans of V-8 juice that I can drink with lunch at work - that give me a serving or two of veggies in each can. I bought and made an effort to eat green pepper and carrots with several dinners. And when buying fruit, I doled out portions that I knew I could eat before it went bad. (For example, I separated a smaller amount of grapes to buy from the huge, family-sized bags they're generally sold in.) The best part of my efforts to eat more fruits and veggies though, was that I allowed myself to buy berries. I generally don't buy raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries at the grocery store because of how expensive they are - even though I LOVE them. But this week I decided I was going to buy them anyway - because they're healthy and provide a nice break from eating an apple with every lunch. Yum :)

The second part of my self-imposed health evaluation was my exercise schedule. Growing up I played sports year-round and never had to worry about getting enough excercise. In college, 90% of the people I knew were extremely sports-oriented. I participated in intramural sports, ran with friends, and played pick-up sports all the time. A group of us even had a routine abs class - which one of my friends, who we affectionately dubbed the "Minister of Pain" led - that we held 2-3 times each week. Now that I'm living on my own, though, the responsibility to excercise falls solely on me, and without sports to play or a running partner it's much less fun, and it's more difficult to motivate myself to exercise.

This past May I ran the Mini Marathon in Indianapolis, which was a great excuse to get myself on a strict training schedule. For twelve weeks leading up to the race I ran at least three days a week, cross-trained on the non-running days, did a core/abs workout twice a week, and lifted twice a week. I was in the best shape I had been in for years! Unfortunately, once the race was over I reverted to my typical routine of just running when I felt like it and when the weather was ideal and not lifting weights at all.

So this week I decided I need to make a concerted effort to keep a stricter exercise schedule - where I make working out a priority. Even though I really dislike running on a treadmill, when it's 90 degrees outside that is the only option I have. So I've been doing that for several days over the past week, in addition to lifting some light weights. I'm also trying to attend the spinning class taught by my co-worker Christy Oberley at least once each week. It's a GREAT workout and is a lot of fun - and I know Christy will give me a hard time if I don't work hard!

It feels good to be healthy, and I know I'm doing a good thing for my body by remaining conscious of my health. Eating well and exercising gives me an increased energy level, puts me in a better mood, and gives me concrete goals to work toward with regard to my health. So thanks, insurance company, for coming to Dittoe PR and getting me thinking about healthy living!

This past weekend I headed home to South Carolina for the wedding of my best friend of over 20 years. 

She was the first friend I made in Greenville.  Last year she stood with me as I said "I do," and this year I was there for her.  It was an emotional experience for me -- and a lot of fun as I was able to hang out with her all weekend long and meet some of her new friends.

After the rehearsal dinner the entire bridal party headed out to celebrate with a few drinks, fresh oysters and live music downtown.  While getting to know everyone I quickly discovered what a small town I'm from... and what a small world we live in.

One of the other bridesmaids is dating a guy who will be in Indianapolis this week working at the new Lucas Oil Stadium.  I gave him some tips on where to go for dinner (St. Elmo of course!) and told him where he could find a good drink or two.

Another bridesmaid is getting married to a guy who lived with one of my best friends from high school while attending Clemson University.  We called him together and laughed while telling stories about him and some other folks we both had in common.

It was wild to know that I had so much in common with people I had never met before!

Overall, the weekend was great.  My friend looked amazing and the reception was a blast.  We did a little dancing, even though the humidity had us all sweating from the moment we stepped outside!  It made me miss home and everything "southern" I've been missing out on since I left for college. 

Who knows... maybe I'll run into someone from home up in Indy now.  If I learned anything from this past weekend, it's that it really is a small world after all.

Last night, along with several of my co-workers from Dittoe PR, I attended a dinner with the Two Million Minutes team and some special guests. This client account of mine is unique in that we get to meet people involved in the film from all over the world. This week, the two Chinese students from 2MM, Xiaoyuan and Ruizhang, are visiting Indianapolis as part of their first-ever trip to the United States.

Since Xiaoyuan sat at my table, I got to talk to her about her education, extra-curricular activities and the comparisons between China and the United States. I was very impressed with her English, as I had shown up to the dinner expecting our entire conversation to be translated by a Chinese/English interpreter. We were, however, able to talk freely, and she understood many topics that were brought up.

We talked about all the media attention Two Million Minutes has received here and how our national PR campaign has brought a lot of excitement to Dittoe. I asked about what she was studying in college and learned that she is a business major but also likes the arts. As a violinist and ballerina, she certainly has artistic talent.  

My favorite part of the night was when Xiaoyuan was asked to play her violin for the group. She had been asked to bring it with her from China and was happy to play a couple of songs for everyone. Now, let me preface this by saying that she had told me she'd been playing since she was four years old (she's now nineteen). Despite hearing this I didn't realize just how good she would be. The first piece she played was a fun, Irish dance song which made me want to go dance a jig at an Irish pub. I love Irish music, so I really enjoyed this one - and everyone clapped along as she played. The second piece seemed to be much more difficult and involved. It was a classical piece, and I was just amazed by how fast her fingers moved and the wide range of notes she was able to play.

It was pretty eye-opening to hear about China directly from Xiaoyuan as well. She mentioned the "one-child policy" which dictates that families residing in urban areas may only give birth to a single child, in order to curb the population growth. She also talked about how much more crowded it was in Shanghai than in Indianapolis.

Despite living across the world in a very different place, she also mentioned being familiar with American television shows such as Friends and CSI as well as some of the same athletes from around the world whom Americans watch. She mentioned that she loved to watch Rafael Nadal play tennis, her favorite sport.

It was definitely an interesting experience having dinner with these visitors from China. I learned a lot, and I hope the other Dittoe girls and I helped make their first dinner in America an enjoyable one!

They finally get it. I've tried to explain to my three best friends from college what the term Public Relations  means and what a Public Relations Practitioner actually does.  I've explained, given examples, had them meet my fellow peers in PRSSA and even brought them to my the PRSSA Relay For Life event(thanks again Ginny!).  As a teacher, nurse, and dietitian none of them have stepped foot in the communication school. 



I knew what my friends were going to be doing in their future careers but their lack of knowledge about my career choice was frustrating for me. Then I started to tell them what I do all day for eight or nine hours a day, and they all seemed interested in all the projects I presented to them. Then one night I asked them, do you really know what I'm talking about?  They told me the truth- "not...really."   

When I told them about my new client Katrina's Children, they began to understand the practice of Public Relations. Katrina's Children is a new documentary featuring nineteen children from different neighborhoods in New Orleans. The film examines the impact of Katrina on their lives and is told ENTIRELY from their point of view.  It is such a powerful documentary, and I encourage everyone to at least check out the trailer of the film.   





 It was a client that hit home to my college friends.  We attended college at The University of Alabama, so our school was canceled for a few days when Katrina made her way up through Mississippi and then upward through Alabama. 

We actually had a pretty sweet 'hurricane party' to make things a little bit better. I never thought I would really experience or come close to experiencing a hurricane due to the fact that I lived in Indiana my whole life- a state with NO BEACH!  This was my first time experiencing a hurricane- or the aftermath of one. We did get released from school for Hurricane Rita- but I played it safe and drove back to Indiana.

Back to the point- thanks to Katrina's Children, my friends from college have finally figured out what I do "in life" as we say.  I work at the best Public Relations firm in Indianapolis, specializing in high tech PR. 

It's not every day someone tells you what a fantastic job you're doing for them. Fortunately for me and the rest of the team at Dittoe PR, we hear it more than most people.

Part of me was jaded by corporate America. At 25 years old, I came to expect I would never receive a hardy handshake, pat on the back or even a complimentary email after performing above expectation. Continuously striving for perfection and approval in the eyes of my supervisors grew old and I soon became disenchanted with my role in the company. Not a good sign, right?

I regularly write about how lucky I am to work at Dittoe, how this is my dream job, how Dittoe is truly the best Indianapolis PR firm... What you may not realize is, I mean it.

Today I received the best compliment I have received to-date from a client. After sharing some good news with them I received a one-word email that will have me smiling for the rest of the week: "PHENOMENAL."

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia

Working at Dittoe has changed my life. No, I'm not going to get all sentimental on you but I am serious.  I thought I'd be doomed to a lifetime of working 9-5 at some job I hated. You know the feeling, waking up every morning wanting to call in sick, dragging yourself into the office and then spending your time counting down the seconds until quitting time.

Now I look forward to coming into work each day. I get excited thinking about the emails sitting in my inbox, messages in my voicemail and the ideas I came up with the night before to help bring more coverage to my clients.

Each day is another opportunity to ask, “What can I do now?" and provide the best service to my clients - the kind of service they've come to expect from Dittoe.

What's even more important is I want to work hard for my clients because they get excited when I'm successful and that excitement is what keeps me going. My hard work resulting in a "phenomenal" reaction is plenty reason for me to continue working my tail off here.

Please do me a favor today... when someone around you at work or even at home does something really well or impressive, tell them. It will make their day and encourage them to do it again.

When I take a look at today's date - June 13th (Friday the 13th!) - I realize how quickly the spring has gone by and that the official beginning of summer will occur next week. Even more amazing to me is the fact that next week will also mark one year of working at Dittoe PR for me.

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since I moved to Indianapolis from Boston and joined the working world. Just over a year ago I graduated from Notre Dame and my friends spread out around the country (and outside the country!) to places like New York, Chicago, LA, Minneapolis, Dallas, and even Japan! The friends I had done everything with for the past four years - living together, going to countless meals, studying, playing sports, going on vacations, and enjoying many nights out - were going our separate ways to pursue careers in many different fields. I have friends who are now in medical school, law school, working in finance, accounting, consulting, teaching, psychology counseling, film production, engineering, and several friends in the navy and air force. It's pretty neat how wide a variety of interests and career pursuits have come out of a group of people who seem so similar in many ways and spent so much time together during college.

Although we're so spread out now and only get together several times a year (for those who are lucky and relatively close to each other), each time we do see one another it really feels like a continuation of our time at Notre Dame. It's like no time at all has passed - for the way it feels, we may as well have been hanging out at one of our senior year houses in South Bend the day before. That's what is so great about having such great, close friends - even though we're not together all the time like we used to be, we can still talk and hang out as though nothing has changed. I know I'll stay in touch with a lot of these friends for the rest of my life - and that we'll still be meeting up at ND football games when we're 50.

I'm taking a trip up to Notre Dame in a week, and I couldn't be more excited. Every time I return to campus, I feel like I am welcomed back home. I still get goosebumps sometimes when I drive up Notre Dame Avenue and see the Golden Dome shining in the sun. Not only is Notre Dame itself very special, but I'm always able to see some of my friends who are there for one reason or another. Each fall now, when a new freshman class begins their time at Notre Dame, I'm sure I'll continue to feel slightly jealous that they still have that time ahead of them. But I also know I will always be a part of the "Notre Dame family" and when I meet fellow alumni, we can talk about familiar experiences even if we never met while in school there.

Next summer, I'm getting married in the Basilica at Notre Dame. Since my fiance and I met while at school there, we both love Notre Dame and could think of no better place to get married. It will also be wonderful to gather many of our close friends together back at ND - and will probably be the first time we'll all be back on campus together since graduation.

Just over a year after graduation, it's strange to realize I've been away from Notre Dame for an entire academic year. In many ways, it feels like a lot has happened since graduation. But at the same time, it seems like just yesterday I was in the midst of college and called Notre Dame "home." I think I will always feel at home when I visit for years to come. In the words of the Alma Mater, "Golden is thy fame, and our hears forever Love Thee Notre Dame!"

One of the top ten worst things to do in a person's life has got to be moving, and I have to tell you that I've done it way too much over the past six years. 

First, there was moving out to Indianapolis from Sacramento, CA.  That was no easy task!  Imagine me, my mom, my grandma and 12 pieces of luggage (11 for me and one for my mom and grandma to share!)- boy was that a trip! Since then I have moved six times, and my next move will mark lucky number 7. 

Anyone who knows me and has lived through one of these horrific moves can tell you that I am the world's worst person when it comes to packing my stuff up and moving... I'm slow, distracted and pretty much impossible. I just love it when you come across that lost picture or shirt that you haven't seen in years and you begin to think about how it is that you could have possibly lived all of this time without it. Now imagine that happening at least fifty times throughout the course of your move, and spending a few minutes with each piece to reminisce and you've got it... me on moving day (or should I say moving week)!

I begin my next moving extravaganza this weekend, and the best part is- I've already had some of the girls at Dittoe PR volunteer to help me move! They have no idea how nice they're being by offering to help, but I have a pretty good feeling that after reading this post, they'll be renigging on this offer. It's a good thing I'm only moving a few short miles!