tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26101939153587273302024-03-05T08:18:30.473-05:00ConnectingThoughts and updates about our awesome technical communityCassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-772049412306150082018-08-01T18:32:00.003-04:002018-08-04T13:00:45.316-04:00(Another) Long-Overdue UpdateThe most rewarding part of being a recruiter is helping people grow their careers. I have coached and mentored dozens of people informally and love watching them achieve their goals. In April 2013, I joined Improving Columbus as a Technical Recruiter and quickly became their community liasion as well. During my 5 years there, I worked with some of the smartest, friendliest, and most trusted people I've known. I saw them become community and company leaders. I’m proud and humbled I helped that growth by encouraging people to challenge themselves and keep learning.<br />
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Last February, I gave a talk called <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/cassandrafaris/career-growth-questions-youre-afraid-to-ask" target="_blank">Career Growth Questions You're Afraid to Ask</a>. As I talked about the reasons to change careers, I realized it was time to take my own advice and look for a new challenge. I wanted to transition out of full-time recruiting and into something that included more of the career coaching and community outreach work I love. I quietly began reaching out to people I admired to explore my options.<br />
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In a happy coincidence a few weeks later, <a href="https://testdouble.com/join" target="_blank">Test Double</a> approached me about a role that focused on employee mentoring and engagement.
It was the ideal next step in my career! I gladly accepted the position. In addition to mentoring, I help with Test Double's community outreach, account management, recruiting, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. The role is evolving and growing as the company grows. It's an amazing place to be. As an added bonus, I get to travel more. Essentially, I now get to combine all of my passions into my day job!<br />
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I’ve known the people at Test Double through Twitter and the tech community for awhile. I'd admired their commitment to not only creating good code, but also being good people. I’m really excited to work with them directly now! I keep saying that I went from one company full of smart, friendly people to another one. It's amazing to work somewhere that counts Empathy as a core value, enables autonomous work, and has a robust career mentoring program.<br />
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For those who don’t believe that social media is important to your career, I probably wouldn’t have met Test Double's co-founders and employees without Twitter. The initial invitation to discuss this role came even came through a Twitter Direct message.
Since all of Test Double’s work is done remotely, I’m scheduling more coffees and lunches in Columbus and traveling to speak at conferences regularly. Let me know if you want to meet up!
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-63221318576830837692014-05-06T17:32:00.002-04:002014-08-04T21:51:37.346-04:00Save the Date: Dog Food 2014Dog Food 2014 is scheduled for September 29-30. Exciting changes are in store for us this year!<br />
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Previous attendees know that the Columbus Microsoft/DeVry building was getting a little cozy. So this year, I'm happy to announce that we're moving down the road to <a href="http://www.quest-centers.com/" target="_blank">Quest Conference Center</a>.<br />
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We'll still have all of the high-quality technical tracks focusing on Microsoft development, administration, infrastructure, mobile, and cloud technologies that you've come to expect. With the new space, we're also offering lots of new things!<br />
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<li><b>Keynote Speakers:</b> We're talking with some great keynoters & will announce them once they've confirmed.</li>
<li><b>Breakout Spaces:</b> Some of the best conversations happen in the hallways between conference sessions. We'll have spaces available for them.</li>
<li><b>Business Services Track: </b>We're adding a track for executives, leads, management, and others who work in the business services end of technology.</li>
<li><b>Sponsor Tables:</b> Sponsors will now have the option to set up a table & have giveaways.</li>
<li><b>Dog Food After-Hours:</b> On the evening of the 29th, we'll have a happy hour & jam session.</li>
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This year, there will be a registration fee of $50 to help cover the cost of conference center, wifi, food & beverages. Registration opens on August 13 and will sell out quickly.<br />
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For additional information, please visit <a href="http://dogfoodcon.com/">http://dogfoodcon.com</a>, or get in touch with me via Twitter, LinkedIn or Email. </div>
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-87597604315169236532013-10-13T17:43:00.002-04:002013-10-13T17:47:57.679-04:00Dog Food Conference 2013In the tech industry, when a team uses its own products or services, it's called dogfooding. The idea is that if a company or team wants to promote its products and services, it should use those products and services itself, or "eat its own dog food". <a href="http://www.dogfoodcon.com/" target="_blank">Dog Food Conference</a> started in 2008, based on this idea. Its founders wanted to create a Midwestern conference by and for those who work with Microsoft technologies.<br />
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Dog Food 2013 is scheduled for November 21-22 at the Microsoft Office in Columbus, Ohio. It features tracks on ALM, Azure, collaboration tools, infrastructure, mobility, .NET, security, SharePoint and SQL BI. Conference speakers are technical professionals who use these technologies in practical, real-world situations every day. </div>
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In 2012, the Dog Food steering committee decided to give back to the community. The conference now features a food drive called Dog Food for Human Food. Attendees are asked to bring donations of nonperishable food to benefit Mid-Ohio Food Bank and LifeCare Alliance. </div>
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Conference registration opens October 21 at 10:30am Eastern Time.<br />
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I hope to see you there!</div>
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<i>For the most up-to-date conference updates and information, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/dogfoodcon" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and watch the #dogfoodcon hashtag. </i></div>
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Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-34802008900217877552013-08-06T17:00:00.000-04:002013-10-13T17:45:32.264-04:00Long-Overdue UpdateTime flies! It's been 4 months & I just realized I never followed up on my last post. So, here's what I'm up to.<br />
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I'm now the Talent Manager for the Columbus branch of <a href="http://www.improvingenterprises.com/" target="_blank">Improving Enterprises</a>. I'd known of Improving for some time due to their presence at user groups and conferences. I'd taken Girl Develop It classes at their office. I knew that a lot of really good people worked for the company, and that they had a culture focused on teaching, learning and having fun. When they asked me to interview, I couldn't pass up the chance. </div>
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During the interview and hiring process, I learned that my recruiting would be referral-based and focused on building long-term relationships. I learned that I'd be supported in my involvement with IT community groups and events. I learned that I'd work closely with our developers and other technical professionals during the candidate interview process. I also learned that I would be the only dedicated recruiter, meaning I would be directly responsible for helping the company grow. That last part sounded a bit scary, but it was also exciting and challenging.<br />
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Since May, I've interviewed and hired some great people, participated in several conferences as an organizer or sponsor, and am learning how to better connect with technical professionals. I'm facing new challenges and figuring out how to balance new commitments with previous ones. I'm also having a lot of fun in the name of "work". Ultimately, I'm doing the things I've wanted to do since I began recruiting.</div>
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-27733066684802047482013-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:002013-09-24T23:16:54.364-04:00My Recruiting JourneyIn the spring of 2011, I was recruiting temporary warehouse employees for a staffing agency. For a number of reasons I won't get into here, I decided to leave that position. I knew I wanted to continue recruiting, and was drawn to the IT industry's innovation, creativity and growth potential. I started applying for Technical Recruiter jobs online. I had a few interviews and a few more rejections, presumably due to a lack of industry experience.<br />
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Eventually, <a href="http://halcyonit.com/Pages/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Halcyon Solutions</a> took a chance and hired me as their Technical Recruiter. My time with Halcyon has been some of the best in my career. My manager and coworkers have been teachers and mentors. I've loved being part of a company that is truly committed to serving the community, and to training and investing in its employees. I've recruited passionate newbie developers and watched them become full-fledged Agile consultants. I've been able to wear my marketing hat and promote the company. And I've met a lot of really cool people along the way.<br />
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So it is bittersweet for me to announce that today is my last day at Halcyon. I won't get into too many details yet, but I'm really excited about what's next.Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-603448493260526672013-02-28T19:30:00.000-05:002013-10-13T19:35:39.181-04:00I Heart TwitterA couple weeks ago, I attended a meetup with some other IT professionals that wouldn't have happened without Twitter. Basically, several of us were tweeting about whiskey bars, which turned into "hey, we should meet up sometime!", which turned into actually setting a date and time for a happy hour, which turned into an evening of great conversation at <a href="http://www.barrel44.com/shortnorth.html" target="_blank">Barrel 44</a>.<br />
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It got me thinking about why Twitter is easily my favorite form of social media. It's awesome because it's an easy way to access tons of knowledge quickly and it helps you meet some really cool people.<br />
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To me, Twitter is the best form of social media for connecting with new people. Facebook is locked down, LinkedIn isn't personal, Instagram is for pictures rather than conversations, and the other networks aren't that heavily used. Twitter is great because it's so open. You could just as easily be tweeting with a C-Level executive as you could the bartender at your local bar, a coworker, or an entry-level developer.<br />
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Twitter also makes it easy to combine offline and online worlds. It's common to be at an event and hear or say something like, "Hey! You're @username! It's great to meet you in real life." This can get fun when it's followed up by a question about a recently tweeted recipe, run, trip, pet picture, etc. The reverse is to meet someone offline, then stay in touch via Twitter. Instead of exchanging business cards, just pull up the Twitter app on your phone and follow one another.<br />
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I rarely advertise job openings on my personal account. That's what my work account is for. When people tweet at me asking about jobs for themselves or their friends, I follow up with a direct message asking for a resume and a convenient time to talk. Sometimes I hire these people. Sometimes I don't. And sometimes I can't hire them immediately, but know what they're looking for when the right opportunity does come along.<br />
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Aside from recruiting, I often use Twitter to introduce people who can help one another. For example, a developer tweeted me saying he was looking for some part-time side work. I knew of a small company who could use his help, and offered to introduce them. The developer got his side work and the company got the help they needed.<br />
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When I first started tweeting, I had no intention of doing so professionally. My first account didn't even use my real name or picture. When I moved to Columbus, I made an account using my name because I thought it might be a good way to meet people and find out what there was to do. I followed friends and local businesses, and eventually found people I didn't know who were into food and running. Some worked in tech and tweeted with others in tech who had interesting things to say. So I followed those people as well, started tweeting with them, and the whole thing kind of snowballed. Here's what I've learned about how to use Twitter.<br />
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<li>Be yourself - Use a picture of yourself & fill out your bio. Tweet about what you're doing and your hobbies. You'll likely find someone else shares these interests.</li>
<li>Engage with others - Whether you use Twitter professionally or personally, don't be that person who only broadcasts information. Talk to people. Ask questions. Answer questions. Share interesting things you read or cute pictures of your dog/cat/kid.</li>
<li>Don't be afraid to @ mention a stranger, celebrity, business, or person you want to meet. - Twitter is an equalizer and people are generally willing to engage. </li>
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How has Twitter benefited you? What tips do you have for using it?</div>
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-48692646146514640602013-01-13T19:29:00.001-05:002013-03-28T20:53:49.223-04:00What's a Recruiter Doing In a CodeMash Precompiler?<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00392157); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">As I </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">walked into </span><a href="http://userinexperience.com/" style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;" target="_blank">Brandon Satrom</a><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> and </span><a href="http://csell.net/" style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;" target="_blank">Clark Sell</a><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">'s HTML5 workshop on Wednesday morning, I asked myself the same thing. I was nervous about attending <a href="http://codemash.org/home" target="_blank">CodeMash</a>. </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Sure, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I've been learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I even have an app I want to build. But I'm not a professional software developer. I'm a technical recruiter.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Normally, I love attending conferences, user groups and other tech events, and am completely comfortable at them. I catch up with friends, meet new people and have interesting conversations. I always leave full of new knowledge and ideas. But I'm usually</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> a sponsor or organizer. I sit behind a company display, or work the registration area, or bring pizza to the "real </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">developers"</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">At CodeMash, I was stepping away from my usual, comfortable role. Armed with curiosity, two </span><a href="http://girldevelopitcbus.com/" style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;" target="_blank">Girl Develop It</a><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> (GDI) classes and random code knowledge, I was attending as a developer. And that scared the crap out of me. </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Here I was, a newbie and a hobby developer, surrounded by people who do this stuff for a living. I admit that knowing how poorly developers can view recruiters didn't help. Some d</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">evelopers think that none of us recruiters know that Java and JavaScript are different and that all we care about is making as much money off of them as possible. I was afraid people would find out how little knowledge I have or what I do for a living, and tell me I had no right to be there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I am happy to report that my fears were completely silly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">The GDI HTML/CSS & JavaScript classes I had taken, and my own reading and experimentation, were a great foundation for the precompiler. After a recap of the technologies, Brandon and Clark gave a broad overview of useful resources and tools. They also discussed how to handle browser and device compatibility, and touched on some fun stuff you can do in the newer experimental browsers. </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">My only frustration was that I couldn't complete the labs. The wifi connection was spotty and I didn't have Git installed on my machine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">As for me being a recruiter, no one seemed to care about that either. If anything, I was encouraged to keep doing what I'm doing. I got some great advice for connecting with developers that I find on LinkedIn and job boards. I also had some entertaining discussions about dumb things recruiters do when contacting candidates and dumb things candidates do when looking for jobs. It was nice to be around people who had a sense of humor about themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Once I realized that no one was going to tear me down for my skill level or my profession, I relaxed and enjoyed CodeMash. I focused on learning as much as I could. I selected sessions that were geared to my skill level and the technologies I'm learning. I spent time chatting with people at meals, in the hallways, while gaming and in the hot tub. I learned as much during those times as I did in sessions. I also made sure to visit sponsor booths to thank them for their support. After all, I've been in their shoes and will be in them again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I'd like to thank the CodeMash community for encouraging a newbie developer and making her feel so welcome. </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I came back from Sandusky completely exhausted. I blame all the ideas bouncing around my head at the end of each day. I know the late-night gaming sessions didn't help either. </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I also came back completely recharged. As a recruiter, I'm ready to keep connecting with tech </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">professionals and </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">getting</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> to know them and their goals before trying to hire them. As a developer, I'm ready to start </span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">working</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> on that app, make time for some local hack nights and see where it all takes me.</span></span></div>
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-69523374547340704222012-10-30T12:03:00.000-04:002012-10-30T12:19:45.303-04:00Dog Food for Human FoodOne of the best things about our local IT community is that people are so helpful. It doesn't matter if you have a JavaScript question, are a usergroup newbie, or just want to meet other tech pros. Someone is always willing to help. This isn't limited to helping ourselves either. Many companies and individuals regularly take time out of their schedules to volunteer. They participate in events like GiveCamp, teach others to code, and work at area food pantries and homeless shelters.<br />
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With this in mind, when the <a href="http://dogfoodcon.com/" target="_blank">Dog Food Con</a> steering committee proposed a food drive called Dog Food for Human Food, I immediately loved the idea. I have high hopes that our helpful IT community will make this a success.<br />
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Food drive participation is simple. All you have to do is bring non-perishable items to the conference. We will have donation drop-off boxes near the registration desk. After the conference, volunteers will donate everything to <a href="http://www.lifecarealliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=36" target="_blank">Groceries-to-Go</a> and <a href="http://www.midohiofoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Mid-Ohio Foodbank</a>. LifeCare Alliance's Groceries-to-Go serves clients of the Columbus Cancer Clinic and Project OpenHand. Mid-Ohio Food Bank collects and distributes food to over 550 food pantries and local charities.<br />
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Both organizations welcome donations of virtually any non-perishable goods. But they also gave me a list of their most wanted items. These include:<br />
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<li>Canned fruits (in juice or light syrup)</li>
<li>Canned soups & stews</li>
<li>Canned vegetables</li>
<li>Cereal</li>
<li>Pasta & pasta sauce</li>
<li>Peanut butter</li>
<li>Tuna & other canned meat</li>
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Thank you in advance for participating!Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2610193915358727330.post-87523016160518622532012-10-21T22:06:00.002-04:002012-10-22T10:58:20.347-04:00Dog Food Conference 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56xNmEkG2QcneFjAzbnvdqiKA1aW4w4uZcVx7clndyCYcragwqhn9sNPXx-LmSaF0YJSf1vZukyHZfhGtXaOdFTc0pLVv0hnmZYdwpeT4f0ugjyxqKZxN6MOjKA39UNcc2u1LJK0smOZx/s1600/DogFoodLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56xNmEkG2QcneFjAzbnvdqiKA1aW4w4uZcVx7clndyCYcragwqhn9sNPXx-LmSaF0YJSf1vZukyHZfhGtXaOdFTc0pLVv0hnmZYdwpeT4f0ugjyxqKZxN6MOjKA39UNcc2u1LJK0smOZx/s320/DogFoodLogo.png" width="320" /></a><br />
Lately, I've done a lot of talking and tweeting about <a href="http://dogfoodcon.com/index.html">Dog Food Conference</a>, a local conference focusing on Microsoft technologies. I'm a relative newcomer to the IT community and a bit of a marketing nerd. So I'm super excited that I'm on the steering committee and handling marketing and social media for such a well-known conference.<br />
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Dog Food started when its founders realized that the Midwest needed an event for Microsoft professionals to meet and learn from one another. It was successful and, with the exception of 2011, has been held every year since 2008. Over 400 people will attend Dog Food 2012 to learn about technologies including .NET, SharePoint, Windows Phone 8, Azure, and Active Directory and XBOX. The conference takes place November 8-9 at the Microsoft Office in Columbus. </div>
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This year, Dog Food is adding two new events to the agenda. </div>
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<li>Dog Food for Human Food: A food drive benefiting Mid-Ohio Food Bank and LifeCare Alliance's Groceries-to-Go program.</li>
<li>Women in Technology panel discussion: Five ladies will talk about their experiences working in a predominantly male-dominated industry. </li>
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Tickets to Dog Food 2012 sold out in just a few days. But, there's still time to add your name to the wait list. You can find the latest conference updates at the Dog Food <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dog-Food-Conference/364242273663413?ref=hl">Facebook</a> page or by following @dogfoodcon and the #dogfoodcon hashtag on <a href="https://twitter.com/dogfoodcon">Twitter</a>.</div>
Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14720336998394023883noreply@blogger.com2