#Wisconsin born, Northern #IN raised, #Indy resident, #Eastcoast enthusiast. I absolutely love eating here every year: http://www.auntcarriesri.com/

Spent 4 yrs @uindy. Participated on @UIndyCPB #speechteam @UIndyTopDog @UIndyPRSSA and @UIndyMinute. BS in Communication, minor in Poli Sci.

My interest in govt communication led me to intern @Indianasos #FF to #teamoutreach @melanie_woods @burtonjeremy and of course @ToddRokita

I am a huge @Packers fan. I might live tweet during a game #GoPackers, #Win or even #Superbowl2012. Definitely a #Cheesehead4life

Eager to connect with other #PR pros. Now transitioning to membership in @prsahoosier. Find me, @timcoxey, & I’ll send you my #twitbizcard.

Looking forward to learning & growing professionally with #Borshoff. Excited to work on many #publicaffairs projects with a skilled #team.

Is the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) on your radar? Until earlier this month, it wasn’t on mine. How could I have missed the think tank commonly called “snicker?”  After all, one of the founding fellows is social media guru Shel Holtz. I learned about SNCR at the PRSA Digital Impact Conference in New York City, where several of its fellows presented on the latest in digital trends and award-winning case studies.

The global nonprofit research and education foundation and think tank was founded in 2005 to focus on the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications and their effect on traditional media and business models, communications, culture and society. SNCR is comprised of professional communicators, members of the media, business leaders, scholars, futurists and technologists – all focused on research, education and the establishment of standards and best practices.

Its website, www.sncr.org, hosts a robust assortment of resources, including surveys, case studies, white papers on best practices in social media, and more.

Media is constantly evolving, so it’s good to know there is a group dedicated to keeping up with and assessing new trends.

When I bought out my first partner at the end of 1986, two years after we started the firm, I was exhausted and panic-stricken, so I sought advice from my mentor here in Indianapolis.  He asked, “Who is the preeminent professional in your business?”  I told him immediately, “Chet Burger.”  He advised, “Call him up and see if he’ll meet with you to talk about growing and managing a firm.”  I bought a ticket to New York City for March 17, thinking that I’d go to the parade if I couldn’t schedule the meeting with him.  Then I called his firm and asked to speak to him.  He took my call!  I said that I had planned a trip to New York and wondered if he would be willing to meet with me on the 17th.  He agreed.

The hour that he spent with me changed my life, personally and professionally.  He spent most of the meeting (55 minutes, to be exact) asking me about myself, my firm and my community.  At the end of the meeting, he spoke briefly about his firm’s services, personnel, etc.  He walked me back to the lobby, took my hand and said, “This is how you do business, Myra.  You ask the right questions and you listen to your client.  It’s about them, not you.  If you do talk about yourself and the firm, make it short.  Keep the conversation’s focus on the client, not you.”  Wise counsel from a most generous man.  I will forever be indebted to Chet for meeting with me that day, a day I will never forget.

Chester Burger passed away March 22, 2011, at the age of 90.

As a member of Borshoff’s social media team, I try to stay up to speed on the latest and greatest offered on social networks. Recently I downloaded the newest edition of TweetDeck and was informed that I had the chance to break the microblogging barrier by going over the 140 character limit. “Hmm…” I thought. As much as I like the idea of being clear and concise in tweets, TweetDeck now encourages me to forget all that. Introducing Deck.ly.

Sometimes it’s hard to say everything you want in a short space. Deck.ly allows you to complete that thought. The Twitter Team at Borshoff wasn’t too sure if we should embrace or reject the new benefit. So we decided to see what it has to offer and/or what issues we would run in to.

Here’s how it works: If you keep typing past the character limit, instead of a – #, you see a + #. For example, the last tweet from Borshoff was +6 over the character count. When I went to RT it from @jkoumpouras, this is what displayed:

RT @borshoff: @borshoff‘s @bschultzie, @erikcajohnson & @myrabcook were honored as @HoosierPRSA past presidents at yesterday… (cont) http://deck.ly/~0pE7i

The “…(cont)” is new. If you click on the Deck.ly link, it brings up the whole tweet again in a web browser, picture and all.

No issues appeared when using Deck.ly. In fact, it’s nice to know that I can use at least +1 or +2 characters when I need to. Still, I will try to stay within the 140 character limit going forward. After all, as PR professionals, we like to keep our writing crisp and clear.

If you haven’t yet upgraded, here’s a link to download the newest version of TweetDeck (including Deck.ly).

2010 marked my first year as a full-time professional at Borshoff. I learned something new every day, developed my communications and business skills, and discovered personal and professional strengths—as well as areas of improvement.

With a year under my belt and 2011 upon us, I know exactly what my 5 PR resolutions are for the new year:

1. Meet my professional network. As an active Twitter user, I wish I could put names and faces together more frequently. On occasion, like at Hoosier PRSA luncheons or social media breakfasts, I see someone’s nametag and put two and two together. The relationship grows once you have both online and face-to-face interactions. This year, I plan to be more intentional about meeting my growing professional network in person and further developing these important relationships.
2. Speak up. Although I’m a young professional among many accomplished veterans, I plan to be more proactive in sharing my thoughts, concerns and ideas. It’s important for my colleagues and clients to know I’m thinking proactively and outside the box. And who knows? Perhaps my idea may be one that others have never considered.
3. Get involved. Borshoff is big on community involvement, and it’s important to me too. Whether I decide to join a not-for-profit board or committee, volunteer or attend events, I want to be active in my community.
4. Become an expert.  It’s vital to be excellent at a lot of things in our field: writing, proofreading, project and time management, and problem solving. In 2011, I resolve to dig into something I know little about or don’t know how to do. I might just master the flip cam or learn a software program that I can teach my coworkers.
5. Find balance. As many full-time employees have already discovered, often the workday goes well beyond 5 p.m. While it’s essential to keep promises and maintain responsibilities, it’s also important to do something for me outside of work — whether it’s exercising, trying a new Starbucks drink or taking a 20-minute power nap (outside of office hours, of course). When you take care of yourself, you’ll be better able to serve  your clients.

If I accomplish these 5 resolutions, I know that 2011 will be just as great as 2010. Now you know my goals for the new year, what are yours?

Several Borshoff staff members and clients recently attended the presentation of the Hoosier PRSA Pinnacle Awards, which recognize outstanding public relations work completed in 2009.

We were excited to be named the recipients of two Pinnacle Awards…and even more excited that our clients were there with us to accept the awards!

We received Pinnacle Awards for:

• Wishard Health Services’ Senior Care Campaign
• Carle Foundation’s Hospital’s green initiative, titled “Healthy People. Happy Planet.”

Click on the links to read earlier blogs about our award-winning campaigns.

Some people have MBA after their name, others CPA or LEED. For me and my profession, it’s APR. In October 2009, I became one of only 5,000 public relations professionals who hold the APR mark, which stands for Accreditation in Public Relations.

Although Borshoff doesn’t require it, our agency places a high value on professional accreditation and advanced degrees. All four of our principals and several of the account staff have earned Accreditation or an advanced degree (or both). In fact, Borshoff has more accredited professionals than any other agency or company in Indiana.

Plus, I knew it would be a benefit not just to me and my employer, but to my clients as well. The Public Relations Society of America lists these advantages of hiring an APR:

• We are bound by strict ethical guidelines.
• We are senior-level strategists who have demonstrated skills and abilities necessary in today’s public relations executive or manager.
• We have successfully completed a challenging review and examination process.
• We are required to maintain our Accreditation through professional development and education.
• We have committed to enhancing the profession.
• We have demonstrated the desire to succeed.

About the time I wrapped up the APR process, a blog post on Journalistics (which would be on my blogroll if I had one) took up the question of whether you need APR. The writer polled the audience via Twitter, and the majority felt APR was worth the time. Overall, out of 249 responses, 67 percent think the APR is worth it, while only 26 percent don’t.

I’m with the majority. The preparation for APR alone was worth it, as it sharpened my skills and boosted my confidence. But the three letters after my name – priceless!

Borshoff recently won industry awards including a Pinnacle Award from the Hoosier Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and several awards from Healthcare Marketing Report.

Borshoff was recognized with a PRSA Pinnacle Award for the Indianapolis Prize media relations campaign. The Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to empower people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation. Media exposure for the Indianapolis Prize increased more than 300 percent from the initial media relations campaign for the 2006 award, and earned media placements in USA Today, National Geographic Weekend Radio, CNN Radio and Voice of America, among others.

Healthcare Marketing Report recently announced its 2009 winners, and Borshoff was recognized for work with Wishard and St. Francis. Most notable was a Gold award, the highest honor, for Wishard’s Five Factors print ad series. In total, Borshoff received recognition for the following work:

• Gold – Wishard Five Factors print ad series
• Bronze – St. Francis Community Benefit Report
• Bronze – St. Francis Mooresville grand opening
• Bronze – Wishard Five Factors TV spot
• Merit – St. Francis Doctor’s Day Card
• Merit – St. Francis Spirit of Women event