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…
Being a Parent of a Senior
When my kids were born, like most parents, we imagine them growing up and what it might be like. We get glimpses of who they might be later on over the course of their childhood, but the day to day process of life overshadows these moments. And then one day, you...
8 Tips on Great Presentations
Over the past few weeks, I've been giving a lot of presentations to a wide range of groups. Often, I watch other people give presentations and try to pick up tips from what other people do well, and where I can brush the rough edges off my own style. Here are a...
Education Nation
It's Sunday morning, and MSNBC is having its third Education Nation event, a bit of a town hall with education experts and political folks talking about education in this country. This year, for the first time, they are including a student town hall, that I'm really...
How Good Are You?
I was reading an article in USA Today this morning about how many teachers are new to the profession and the high rate of teacher turnover. It also discussed how parents could ask teachers questions to explain and translate test scores, among the various points on...
Back to School and Consumer Spending
I just finished an article in the New York Times talking about the delay in the traditional Back To School spending many retailers count on, and the larger economy bets on for its overall health. I know we've prepared for this first day back to school for my kids...
Brand Choice and Politics
How much of politics is about Branding? Before getting into this, let's talk about the influence of brands in our lives. One of my favorite quotes from Ze Frank defines a Brand as "The emotional aftertaste after a set of experiences." Whether we're choosing a...
Common Goals
This post is a bit more philosophical than most, and probably reflects watching too much political commentary this week. I will get back to our usual topics tomorrow. One of the things I learned while writing my book on differentiated instruction was that there are...
The World is not Binary
I have a friend who regularly has what I call decision paralysis or "paralysis by analysis". Some people call this The Hamlet Syndrome, where you spend more time wonder "To be, or not to be" than actually doing something about it. Seth Godin wrote something about...
Resistance
Chris Brogan talked about resistance in his weekly newsletter, and it got me thinking. Often when I talk to people- educators, non-profits, small businesses - it doesn't really matter- I hear a sense of resistance when talking about all these "cool online tools". To...
The Rules of The Hunt- Review
Every so often, people will ask me if I'm willing to write a review of their work, book or project. I'm always flattered to be asked, and I take this responsibility seriously. After all, I've got all of my readers to think of, and want to make sure I'm not...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
