EchoDitto - EchoDitto Moves

Strategic Swedish Planning - posted by Anne Keenan

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:56:47 -0700

The new New York office is a dream. An Ikea-furnished dream. Gisele mentioned that we went to Ikea, but I have to elaborate.

We drove to Ikea on Friday morning at 11 am. Traffic was light, Gisele was an excellent driver, I navigated as only a girl from New Jersey can, and Harish made back-to-back calls from the back seat. I did a little pre-gaming with the team regarding decisions that needed to be made, an overview of the trip, and areas of the store we would avoid.

Despite my schedule and lists, Gisele and Harish got overwhelmed at the top of the first escalator. “We should have hired a consultant to help us furnish the office at Ikea...” Harish said mournfully. “Wait” I replied. “I am a consultant helping you to furnish your office at Ikea. In fact, I’m your consultant. You pay me to consult.” Thus was born EchoOffice.

EchoOffice will be available for all of your office furnishing services, including online and offline strategy, on-the-ground engagements, and strategic communication. Whether you need a cute couch, or have to furnish an entire office, we will serve as your guide and coach. Until we get staffed up and off the ground, let me be your virtual consultant for making your next Ikea shopping trip the best it can be:

1. Do preliminary research. Although I find the Ikea site to be incredibly hard to navigate and not intuitive, spend a little time researching the items you are interested in. You might want to also check some similarly-priced competitors: cb2, west elm, and maybe pottery barn. Make a spreadsheet that includes photos, prices, and colors. Pages has an excellent template for just this sort of thing.

Note: if you are really set on an item, save yourself some heartache--search to see if it’s available in your local store.

Plan your space. Draw out a sketch of the room (bonus points if it’s to scale) and approximately where you want everything to go. Before you leave the house measure anything that looks handy and mark it on your map: windows, walls, doors, closets. I promise this will come in handy when you are staring at 6 different lengths and widths of curtains.
Make a plan of attack and a list. Ikea is overwhelming, and people who don’t have a clear plan or goals tend to start snapping at each other around the paper-napkin area (overheard in Ikea: “fine, I don’t really care. Pick whatever you want. You never listen to my opinions anyway.”) Don’t let this happen to you. Decide what you want to focus on, which decisions you need to make during this trip, and which items you really need. Sure, you’re going to leave with some random wrapping paper, and a sheepskin rug that you couldn’t resist, but at least make sure you get what you came for.
Bring provisions. About half to two-thirds of the way through Ikea, just as you are starting to hit your stride, you will become famished and parched. Sneak a little snack into your bag and you will be much happier.
Ask for help. Don’t throw your back out trying to lift that giant BIlly bookshelf alone, ask an employee. Don’t wander back through 17 living rooms looking for the desks, ask someone for a shortcut. The Ikea workers are generally helpful and kind, so don’t hesitate.
Enjoy yourself. If you get tired, kick back in the living room, or try to sneak a nap on one of the beds. Harish took a conference call from the puffy, floral couch. I pretended the 612-square-foot apartment was my apartment. I think I saw Gisele squeezing a plush cat toy. Ikea is fun.
Bring sturdy bags. Unless you’re shopping for plastic storage boxes, it helps to bring a few sturdy tote bags to schlep back the odds and ends you’ll inevitably acquire.

Now, go out and buy low-priced, stylish home furnishings. And... if you get a chance, would you pick me up some lingonberry drink? It’s my favorite.

Welcome to Chinatown, EDNY - posted by Gisele Toueg

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:50:19 -0700

I'm thrilled to report that EchoDitto New York has officially moved to our new Canal Street office! We're so excited to have our very own space, with a real conference room, two private offices, plenty of open space, a lovely kitchen sink and our own bathroom. The furniture is being assembled as we speak, and Anne and I are finally not sitting on the floor anymore. Some highlights of the past few days include:

A fascinating trip to Ikea last Friday (my first time ever!) with Anne and Harish. I loved the almond torte in the cafeteria, but next time, I say we order it all online. Also, we're convinced they do something to the air to dehydrate customers so they buy more Lingenberry Juice.
Jason really showed off his networking prowess, hooking up all the phones, building a beautiful shelf, and making sure we got online as soon as possible. We do, after all, live online.
When the Delancy Car Service showed up at our old office at 10am yesterday, Phil, Jason, Anne and I raced to load up the car with all our wordly belongings. We made record time--everything was unloaded and in the new space by 10:48, mainly because there is no parking on Canal Street, and our taxi driver was scared of getting a ticket.
Brand new deskside carafes for everyone
And of course, a supply of Seventh Generation Free and Clear Dishwashing Soap.

Once we've beautified the office, we'll invite everyone over for some lychee martinis and pigs 'n' the blanket.

Until then, we're off to find some new lunch spots.

EDNY Out.

And... we're in! - posted by Jason Yovanoff

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:10:37 -0700

OK people, relax, we made it to Tribeca in one piece. We squeezed all of our stuff into an SUV (carbon offset of course) and cruised down Broadway to the new location. Highlights thus far:

We've already stuffed ourselves with Indian food from Salaam Bombay. Harish noted that it was 'the best Indian buffet he's had in New York to date'.
I was witness to the setup for a movie being filmed on our street. We share office space with the movie's production company. (No famous people sightings yet.)
Per the photo above, Gisele has joined us in the bull pen. Lots of fun for us developers. Probably a mild hinderance to her productivity.

So far so good. Updates in real time as they happen. -yovanoff out.

EDNY Is On The Move - posted by Gisele Toueg

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:54:43 -0700

EchoDitto New York is on the move, heading over to 81 Franklin Street in Tribeca tomorrow. And while it might just be a few short blocks from our current Soho office at 116 West Houston Street, it's still a world of change. So in honor of our move, I thought I'd share a few things we're going to miss about our old digs, and some things we're looking forward to at our new place.

Leaving 116 West Houston (sad):

1. More than anything, we will miss the proximity to Mamoun's. Home of the $2 falafel sandwich, Mamoun's was lunch at least three times a week for most of us EDNYers. Harish and Jason took me there for my birthday last year (special baklava treat for dessert!), and it's a rite of passage for our DC coworkers paying us a visit in NYC. And yes, it is possible to eat falafel every day. I swear, you don't get sick of it.

2. Lupa: Yes, we are obsessed with food. But Mario Battali's trattoria around the corner from our office is simply delicious. I have dreams about the tuna and cannolini beans, and the hazelnut gelato is in a league of its own.

3. Shopping in Soho: There is something kind of fun about walking back from Mahmoun's with your $2 falafel and giving people directions to the Prada store.

4. The numerous zen fountains and wateralls scattered throughout our building. Wherever you go in this office, you are never far from the sound of gently falling water.

Change is good (moving to 81 Franklin):
1. Proximity to Chinatown: While our new office is technically located in Tribeca, it's just a few blocks away from Chinatown. Looks like we may not miss the falafel too much.

2. :The Tribeca Grand Hotel: I do love hotels, and the Tribeca Grand is one of New York's finest. Not only is this hotel home to an infamous incident with a certain Aussie heartthrob, but it also boasts a new new iStudio - a premium room outfitted Apple's latest multimedia technology.

3. Tribeca Film Festival: Come April, we're just a few short blocks from one of the most amazing cultural events our city has to offer.

4. Nobu: Last, but most definitely not least, according to Hopstop, we are 4.2 minutes away from the most incredible miso-coated black cod on this side of the ocean.

Stop by and visit us if you're in the neighborhood. And of course, our corporate headquarters remain in DC on 16th Street.

Entering Tech Detox - posted by Madeleine Perry

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:15:49 -0700

As much as I love computers, and the internet, and our ever-impressive technologies (as you may have deduced from my last post), I’m actually more of a nature-loving hippie than you’d think (and no, the two are definitely not incompatible). A few years ago I spent two consecutive summers at Tanager Lodge Summer Camp – a wilderness camp for children ages 5-15 – where your living quarters are tents, your shower is the lake, and your entertainment revolves around the natural surroundings. We canoed, hiked, went fishing, cooked outdoors, chased after chipmunks, and so on. Now of course it wasn’t all fun and games. As a counselor I was in charge of certain activities as well as taking charge of my tent group -- 4 twelve-year-old girls. But the essence of the camp, the reason we were all there, was to learn more about nature, to learn to live with it, and to gain an even greater respect for our environment.

So, why am I writing about this? Well, if you have read Terrance’s most recent post you would know that this Saturday was Shutdown day, essentially 24hrs of refraining from using the computer. Putting aside the purpose of this particular campaign, when our own Michael Silberman first sent an email alerting the team to this day, I thought, "Well, that’s a great idea! But, I know I have work to do this weekend, and I’d rather not work on Sunday." Sorry folks, it’s just a fact. But then I thought, "Why do I need someone else to challenge me? I can do this any day I choose!" So I made a deal with myself – I’d forget their challenge and make my own. I’d complete all of my work on Saturday, and turn my computer off all day Sunday. Easy, right?

Ah, but not so! It’s amazing to me that two or three years ago I did not even think twice about cutting myself off from civilization for three months. In fact, I relished in the opportunity to do so. Even being the cigarette smoker I am, I was able to quit cold turkey the moment I stepped foot off of the boat and onto that little peninsula because in that setting it just did not seem right. But for one day, this weekend, I couldn’t even shut my computer down for a day. I did not make it. I found myself frantic at 2pm. My phone had buzzed, meaning I had received an email. I know this particular challenge was to not use the computer, but I definitely felt I would be cheating if I checked my email via phone. So an hour went by, and another hour. Finally at 4pm I couldn’t take it. I checked my phone; I turned on my computer and checked my email, returned emails, got notes ready for work the next day. I looked at my blog (shameless plug right here) and blog stats, clicked around on my blogroll. I had failed the challenge. But I didn’t consider it a big deal.

What struck me the most about EchoDitto before joining the team was the number of folks who love to hike, ski, play Frisbee, and just generally enjoy the outdoors. All of us spend (easily) over 10-12 hours a day in front of a computer, so it seems a bit contradictory that most (if not all) of us are avid nature-geeks as well. But it’s true! I know it to be a fact, and if you don’t believe me just take one look at some of our clients (past and present) – Greenpeace UK, Defenders of Wildlife, and Seventh Generation and their blog The Inspired Protagonist (just to name a few). When asked if they participated in Shutdown day, most here at EchoDitto just said "no." Three members of the ED team participated, "but not on purpose." One of us said, "heck no, are you kidding?" (not exactly in those words but you get the idea). One of us had our computer on but only to use it as a DVD player, and one attested, "I’ve done days without computer access before – they’re terrible!"

I’m not attempting to "out" EchoDitto here, not at all. Upon looking at the shutdown day site today, the top thing people did on Shutdown day was: "I used my computer." 19 more people "used their computers", as well as 12 who tagged "use la computadora." 28 people tagged "this is stupid," another 35 said they did "nothing." Now the campaign itself wasn’t entirely inspiring & perhaps there wasn’t enough information out there for why turning off your computer for a day would be a good thing (and there wasn’t, really), but I still had hope that most people would not question it, that most would love any opportunity to get away from the computer and do something else.

But most used their computers, and those who didn’t did mostly nothing, or partied, or "browsed engaget" or "watched TV." I had made the decision to disregard the campaign and just challenge myself. And I thought that since I had made a conscious effort to participate that it would come easily. I doubted I would even really want to use my computer, but I did want to, I did use it, all the while providing endless excuses to myself for doing so. And when I wasn’t breaking the rules by using my computer, I was mostly doing nothing – cleaning my apartment, reading a book, or just sitting on my futon.

So what’s the point of all this? Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m ready to admit I have a problem. When you find that turning off your computer for 6 hours is difficult, it’s time to go hug a tree – go rock climbing, or just go sit in the grass outside and stare up at the sky for a while. Sure, blogs will be updated, news will happen, you might even miss something (god forbid!), but no one will ever be able to describe the feeling you get while laying in the grass on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, feeling the wind tickle your feet as clouds drift by above. No one will ever be able to accurately portray, on a blog, the smell of mountain air.

The Move, Cont'd - posted by Terrance Heath

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 07:13:36 -0700

Well, we're in. As usual, we hit the ground running -- unpacking, finding stuff we forgot we had -- and figuring out what (and who) goes where. Of course, the internet was the first thing we got up and running. But, despite the mesmerizing orange walls were, and the fun we had playing with the talking elevator (yes, we have a talking elevator), we quickly got back down to business.

In honor of our first week in the new location, here's one more video of our first day in the new place. Notice how it looks like we unpacked the toys first?

The Fridge - posted by Terrance Heath

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:27:16 -0700

We live online, most of the time. Yet sooner or later even we have to tear ourselves away from our keyboards and monitors to eat. Sure,we can order pizza online easily enough. But that means we need a place to put the leftovers. We needed a fridge, but the new office didn't come with one. So Mike donated one wasn't using, and a few Dittos were dispatched to bring it in.

A Scientific Diversion - posted by Terrance Heath

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:29:47 -0700

Moving has a way of shaking things loose, and you end up finding stuff you didn't know you had; stuff that you should throw out, excep that you can think of better things to do with it. Little did we know, while the rest of us were in the throes of moving, a few Dittos took off for the rooftop of the old office building for a little experiment with some Mentos & Diet Coke c/o Joshua (or at least c/o Joshua's old desk).

The results? Well.

Dittos on Film (Sorta) - posted by Terrance Heath

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:29:13 -0700

Via Jumpcut, the first of a series (more or less) on our move to the new office space.

Dittos on the Move - posted by Terrance Heath

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:30:24 -0700

Wondering where we are? Well, we do live online, but there are some things that can only be done offline. For example, moving to a new server can totally be done online. Moving to a new office, however, requires being offline. Fortunately, we're so busy that it'll be late in the day before we really start to notice the withdrawal symptoms.

For example:

The walls are freshly (and brightly) painted.

There are boxes arriving.

There are boxes to unpack.

There's furniture to put together.

And lots more to do before we can kick back and appreciate our new digs!

(Stay tuned for more!)

The new [green?] office of our dreams - posted by Michael Silberman

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:31:25 -0700

So, we're hours away from the big move into our new office (or Global Operations Centre, as I like to think of it). There are a million reasons why this move is incredibly exciting for us -- we'll post photos and stories real soon so that you can see why... And our virtual tour via Google Earth is on its way (or just drop by for a real one!)

Personally, I'm really glad that we're finally going to have a chance to let our physical space reflect the true character and collective values of EchoDitto. We had very little control over our previous spaces because they were managed or shared by other people, and I didn't realize how much that had been affecting me (us?) until now. The best we've really been able to do in terms of lessening our company's social and environmental impact on the world is buy a duplexer for our printer so that we can print on both sides of the [recycled] page (whenever we actually print!) and support union labor for our business cards runs.

Over the past few weeks, however, we've had the opportunity to make some choices about the size of the social and ecological footprint that our new space will make. As an environmental studies major, I admit that I had some fun with this. On the other hand, it was somewhat intimidating to try and model many of our decisions off of our friends at Seventh Generation, since they're, you know, among the world's leaders of corporate social responsibility and green business. Gregor just finished moving Seventh Generation's headquarters into a beautiful new LEED certified building on Lake Champlain in Burlington, so he was kind enough to offer some pointers.

Here's a summary of what we've been able to do thus far with our space, in terms of making it green beyond the color of our carpet:

Purchased desks made of particleboard, a renewable raw material sourced from "well-managed forests" and from a store, Ikea, that is becoming a leader in corporate sustainability (given how many parts we just finished screwing together, i can vouch that they're definitely saving energy)
Painted our walls the non-toxic way, with paints that don't contain volatile organic compounds (VOC's). We chose Eco Spec from Benjamin Moore, which was less expensive and gave our independent painters an education in the process!
Re-cycling some used appliances (fridge, microwave, etc.) instead of purchasing new ones, both of which are new enough to be Energy Star compliant (we need to check)
Thanks to a very generous office-warming gift from Seventh Generation, we'll be washing our hands and dishes with non-toxic, environmentally-friendly soap; we'll by drying our hands with 100% recycled paper towels and doing what's appropriate with the toilet tissue, as well as keeping our new place clean with Seventh Gen's non-toxic and biodegradable surface cleaners. Really, many many thanks to everyone at Seventh Generation for all of this.
Now that we have an HVAC dedicated to our floor/office, we'll be able to save energy by keeping the thermostat at reasonable temps (instead of hauling hoodies to the office in July and t-shirts in January).
There's also a good deal of natural light in our space, which means that we'll be able to save some more energy (and carbon emissions) by keeping most of the lights off. There are also two sets of stairs to choose from, but I don't see us abandoning our talking elevator any time soon.

Then there's everything else that didn't really have an obvious green alternative -- like our hot IP phones and desk chairs that were probably made on the other side of the world by underpaid workers. For all of these unknowns, we're going to purchase some carbon offsets to neutralize the impact of our move based on our best calculations. We haven't touched the carpet in our space, but if we do, we'll probably want to look at leasing a zero-waste carpet from a company like Interface.

So, help us out, what are we missing!?

The one big thing that I know we'll need to look into after we're settled in is our air travel, which, due to the nature of our clients being all over the globe, means that our carbon output from flights alone easily dwarfs the impact that our office move will make.