Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2009

I had the pleasure of attending the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for Orange County/Desert Cities last night along with Robyn and Hilary. This was my first time attending the event after hearing so much about it, and exceeded my expectations with the gorgeous venue, the great presenters and emcee and of course, the fabulous company. Each of the finalists were recognized with a video that played before the announcement of the winners in each category. This year’s finalists were especially impressive with their growth and success in the face of the current economic recession, and it was moving to see that the “American dream” (in which we can often lose faith because of dismal headlines and depressing stories) remained alive and well.

My One Year Anniversary With HKA!

One week from today marks my one year anniversary at HKA. It seems like just yesterday I was walking through the big blue HKA door for the first time, and now, here I am with the rest of the team preparing to welcome a new account coordinator who I’m sure you will be hearing from very soon.

This year has been one of many changes, and I’m grateful to have experienced many of those changes along with my colleagues here. As I approach this milestone,  I’m remembering how it felt to be the new girl on the block and experiencing events like PROTOS, the MS Walk with Ruby’s Raiders and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for the first time. In only one year I’ve learned so much about PR, my colleagues, the media, our clients and their industries, but I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that you can never stop learning. Although we’re a small agency, we all bring such diverse backgrounds to the table, and just as all of us are teachers, all of us are students. Joining the agency a year ago, I would never have thought I would have something to teach a PR maven with 25 years of experience. Our president, Hilary Kaye is a seasoned PR pro who has enough contacts to fill a couple phone books, and teaches me new things about PR without even trying. But even so, she remains open to new ideas and often turns to the rest of us for advice on social media tactics and tools. I hate to toot our own horns here, but it’s great to be part of a collaborative environment where we all have something unique to add and there’s always something new to learn.

It’s been a great year, and I know there are lots of exciting things in store for the upcoming months. So cheers to my one year anniversary with the team, and I look forward to what’s to come!

Mainstream Media Embraces Linking

The New York Times Published this story yesterday about how many mainstream news outlets such as The Washington Post, NBC and The New York Times itself are starting to embrace the act of linking to other websites (including competitors), a practice that was previously avoided to prevent driving users away.

All I have to say is, “FINALLY!” I think it’s great that the mainstream media is taking a tip from bloggers, who have thrived on links. Links may drive traffic to other sites, but the traffic ultimately comes back when readers realize that the particular outlet is providing breaking and interesting news, whether they are churning it out themselves or are directing readers to a different outlet. Also, linked sites usually return the favor. Blogger Jeff Jarvis puts it best in the article: “Link unto others’ good stuff as you would have them link unto your good stuff.”

“Short cuts should never take the place of plain old thought.” – The Bad Pitch Blog

One of the most popular (and infamous) blogs among public relations professionals, the Bad Pitch Blog, recently posted some thoughts on how although PR tools such as HARO, news wires and social networks like LinkedIn help us connect with the rest of the world in a quick and efficient manner, they have also lead some of us to believe that these tools are actually doing our work for us, effectively replacing traditional communication. Traditional communication – remember that? When we actually got to know someone and had to forge a real relationship with them instead of just clicking “Add as a friend?”

I’m a huge advocate for all new media tools and developments, but I also agree that we can’t rely on them to completely do our jobs for us. In PR and in any industry, these tools will never completely replicate real relationships and personal communication. One piece of correspondence that had a memorable impact on me was when I interviewed a woman for a magazine article, and shortly after the piece ran, I received a small handwritten card from her in the mail thanking me for taking the time to meet with her. There’s a reason why letters in the mail make us happy (especially when they aren’t bills). There is more effort behind actually writing something out on paper, folding it, placing it in an envelope with a stamp and dropping it in the mail box, rather than typing out a short “thanks” at 100 words per minute and clicking “Send.”

Although these new media tools are great developments and make our jobs a lot easier, we should never disregard the value of personal communications. That reminds me, I better start working on my Christmas card list.

My thoughts on the Race for the Cure

I’m sure that Inez and some of my other colleagues here at HKA will have more to blog about on the Orange County Race for the Cure, which was yesterday (Sept. 29) at Fashion Island, but I just wanted to say that it was a great experience and I’m so grateful to have been part of such an amazing event.

Although I had a hard time waking up before the sun in order to get to the Race nice and early, and I was running around with a photographer all day making sure we didn’t miss any important shots, it was surprisingly a lot of fun, and being around all of the breast cancer survivors, their loved ones, volunteers, Komen team members and of course my fellow team members from HKA, was truly inspiring. There was a great article about the Race in the Orange County Register today, and in case you couldn’t make it yourself, there is a neat slideshow as well.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has already raised over $2.8 million in donations from the Race, and fundraising continues until October 17th. If you would like to contribute, visit the online donation page. And to learn more about Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Orange County chapter, visit http://www.komenoc.org.