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…
Bringing Local to the Web
When you put up a website,it's easy to take for granted that you are creating a platform that lives without traditional boundaries. Instead of being limited to contacting people in your local community or neighborhood, you can reach people all across the globe. ...
Financial Heads Up
There are new changes afoot regarding credit cards and fees. Those of us who have been careful with our credit have often opted for no-fee cards- but nothing in the service agreement requires that the card be no fee forever- the bank can change the terms with...
The Serendipity Engine
It's hard sometimes to convince folks that one of the amazing things about the internet and social media has been meeting people you might never know otherwise, and how these friendships, over time, become incredibly useful and amazing. Some of us talk about the...
The Secret Sauce- Cross Pollination
Julien Smith asked a question recently- when did you last have a breakthrough idea? And he suspected they probably didn't come from a blog, or the stuff that "everybody" reads. That got my thinking- Where do I get my best ideas and insights? I get my breakthrough...
What Love Means to Me
I met my husband through friends as an undergrad. We were in the same study group for an intro biology class. I had a huge crush on him, but never thought he would pay me all that much attention. It turns out he felt similarly, and we started dating at the end of...
The Fidelity of Experiences
I've started a new book- Trade Off- Why some things catch on and other's don't- the ever present tension between quality and convenience by Kevin Maney. Kevin starts out by talking about what he calls the Fidelity of experiences- which is sort of a drill-down into...
Can a Blizzard Be Part of Global Warming?
Quite Possibly. (Warning: geeky science post ahead) A few years ago, I was in the UK and caught a program discussing Global Warming and the Gulf stream. In a nut shell, the world's oceans have a current, or motion called Thermohaline circulation, where based on the...
The Dangers of Evangelism
In recent days, we've all heard the story of the Americans from Idaho who went to Haiti to help the children, but ended up with a group of children that included kids who weren't orphans, and failed to go through any of the required hoops to legally bring the children...
Don’t Underestimate Surprise and Delight as a Strategy
I have been a fan of Seth Godin's for a long time. I read his blogs, buy his books, and frequently recommend them to friends. (In fact, we celebrated my birthday this year at Max Brenner's restaurant, in part due to reading about Max in Seth's books.) So when Seth...
Making CEOs
Getting everyone pointed in the same direction and working as a team can be hard. There was great article in the New York Times, an interview with Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga, about how he looks to people to the the "CEO of Something." It's a brilliant way to...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
