It’s Gonna be one of those posts…..
As many of you know, I’ve been involved in local politics seriously since 2014. I became a local democratic zone leader in 2022. It’s been a big job, but it’s largely akin to running the PTO, but with more far-ranging consequences. You’ve got planning for events, wrangling volunteers, and keeping…
Guide to Gift Giving
It’s close to Christmas, and as we finish up our shopping, it’s worth reflecting on the purpose of gifts in the first place. I read an article this am about how millenial parents are frustrated that their Boomer parents are showering their kids with useless stuff that just ends up…
FFS
We’re living in interesting times. The lead candidate for the republican nomination for presidency just wants everyone to give up and anoint him their candidate now, despite finally starting to face the consequences of years of fraud and treating the legal system as a cudgel to use against anyone he…
AI is Going to Change Everything
Working in digital marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it can and should be used for is all the rage right now. If you want to understand AI better, the best source is really Chris Penn– who has an excellent set of videos and regularly explains what’s happening in AI…
Podcamp 2023
A small group of us, die hards from Podcamp Philly and Podcamp East, came together this past weekend for Podcamp 2023 in Philadelphia. There were amazing sessions talking about how AI and Chat GPT will pose challenges to those of us who are involved in digital marketing, or looking to…
Glad to Leave Office? I get it.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is getting into trouble because he spoke his truth, saying he’s looking forward to a time when he’s not mayor. As someone who was a Township Supervisor for 6 years, I understand this sentiment perhaps as much as anyone. Being a local elected official may look…
Almost 80 Best Movies of the 80’s
Rolling Stone just put out a post of the 100 best movies of the 1980’s- and there are a lot of obscure movies that as a teenager/college student during the 80’s I never heard of. As a child of divorced parents, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the…
Losing but not Lost
I lost my bid for re-election as a Township Supervisor. Elections are like the world’s longest job interview. I knocked 946 doors, speaking with friends and neighbors; sending mail out to people about what I stood for, and what I believed. I chose not to attack my opponent, even though…
Running for Office
I am a local Township Supervisor in Pennsylvania, running for re-election this year. Supervisor is a part-time position, and comes with a statutory stipend of $2,500.00 a year. that equates to about $5.20 or less an hour of meeting time, and other work we put in to help guide the…
Dementia
My mother-in-law has dementia. She had been pretty good at hiding her slow cognitive decline for a long time, but gradually, not even those of us who would have preferred to be in denial could avoid the truth. We needed to move Nancy out of her home and into a…
5 Things to do on a Slow December Afternoon
In December, there's a lot going on, but often, nothing is getting accomplished. If you call a business, they're unlikely to think about starting any new business until after the first of the year, and they are working feverishly to try to wrap up things they think...
Don’t Let Logic Get In The Way
Hanging around with folks in the Marketing world has taught me a lot over the years. One of those things is that you shouldn't try to screw up a perfectly good story with logic. Over time, I've learned about everything from how to use internet tools to help spread...
What Does It Take to be Independent?
I have teens in my house, so the struggle between dependency and independence is not lost on me. Whether it's stuggles over "Don't tell me what to do!" immediately followed by requests for favorite food items from the grocery store and rides to various destinations,...
Moving Forward- Listening
This is the last election related post I'll make this year. I think both sides of the political spectrum have done a spectacular job at insulating themselves from hearing countervailing views and arguments. Regardless of your party affiliation, you have media outlets...
Tales from the Road
On Election Day, I worked as a Poll Attorney. Here in PA, we have a new Voter ID law that was repealed in part, but left many with misinformation and confusion about what needed to be done to properly identify people in the registered voter list. I started the day...
Is It Time to Try Social?
I was listening to NPR this morning, and someone from an Ad Agency in Virginia was saying that because of the election, there's been little opportunity for local businesses to get their own ads for the holidays and more on TV, and the inventory of open time looks...
What Can We Learn from Disasters? 6 thoughts
The recent Hurricane and the reactions of people brought many things to mind, including the following: 1. How long can NY go without outside help? In The Starfish and The Spider-The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman, a book about...
Emergency Aid
After the hurricane, many people are in need. Locally, we're banding together and people who have had power restored are actually lending out their generators to other neighbors who are not so lucky, taking folks into to their houses, and generally acting like the...
The Impact Equation
The Impact Equation is a new book by two of my friends, Julien Smith and Chris Brogan. I've purchased 10 copies myself to give away here, so if you are interested in a copy, please read on for details. Chris and Julien have spent a lot of time meeting people across...
Can You “Flip” the Office?
I'm exploring new ways of learning and teaching, and one way to do this, is to create your own virtual conference, using shared videos, tools and more off the web. Currently, I'm creating a professional development session for a school down in North Carolina. As part...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
