While we're on the topic of PR ...

My company sponsors a fabulous program in Northern Utah, for girls in grades 6-9. It is called "Expanding Your Horizons," and is based on conferences begun by a national group in California: http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/. It is an amazing opportunity for young girls to meet women in STEM professions, participate in three fun hands-on workshops, all while mingling with girls their own age - no boys allowed.

It's sad but true that too many girls seem to take "the easy way out" (I know I did). That is get married - then you have another income and you don't have to worry. The problem is (one of the problems), no matter what you think, you don't know what will happen with that marriage. And not just that one or the other of you may decide to leave at some point. Your husband may become disabled, or he may pass away - you never, ever know. Girls need to be prepared to be prepared to take care of themselves - and maybe even their family. It's a lot better feeling to know you can rely on yourself than to hope you can rely on someone else.

So my PR point today is showing the number of ways my company has used technology (PR) to advertise and promote this conference, which, by the way, 500 girls from Cache Valley to Davis County are attending. We have used e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, newspaper ads and radio. Also some snail mail that went to schools (because some firewalls are so strong that our e-mails bounced). It was a MASS mass-communication effort - and it worked. At least 10 of our workshop presenters and/or assistants attended EYH when they were younger - and now they are working in STEM-related careers.