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…
The Power of No
For just two letters, this word may be the most powerful one in the English language. It sets limits. It defines boundaries. It has the power to stop. It can discourage. It causes more fear than any other single word. It's easy to assume that No gets used way more...
Some thoughts on Personal Brand
Way back in 2006, I heard a talk about personal branding given by CC Chapman and Mitch Joel at the first Podcamp Boston, which changed the way I approached most of my new media projects. Having a blog and a podcast meant I was regularly putting information out in...
The Evolution of Search
I've started an interesting book called Kluge- The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary Marcus. In the opening chapter, Marcus talks about how biological systems evolve with a "good enough" threshold, not always with the most elegant design imaginable,...
Reputation Management
Boy, am I glad that Trust Agents, by friends Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is coming out at the end of the summer. I wish it were available tomorrow. I was reading the New York Times this morning, and there's a bunch of articles about Twitter including The Tweet...
The Wild West
Social media is like the Wild West - and I'm talking Back to the Future III mixed with Blazing Saddles mixed with the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. You could add a few episodes of Gunsmoke in there, too, or a bit of Mae West for a salacious undercurrent, if you like....
Learned Helplessness
There's nothing more frustrating than feeling powerless. But what's more tragic is when people actually have the tools at hand to change their situation, but feel trapped or unable to act. Psychologists call this learned helplessness. One of the best books I've...
The Competition- What does it take to Switch Teams?
I've been over getting caught up on the always excellent posts by Seth Godin on his blog. And as usual, one of the posts is leading to this one. Seth talked about how much Microsoft is spending to market its new search engine Bing, and that the fundemental problem...
Zones of Privacy
I went with my husband to the doctor today- and I was surprised that this office had a big flat screen tv turned up rather loudly. The content certainly interfered with hearing anything going on with other patients in the office, but it also was loud enough to make...
Success is a vitamin, and a motivator
I have some close friends with books coming out shortly. My friend, Mitch Joel, has a new book out called "Six Pixels of Separation", about social media and how to get your business connected. Mitch has a great marketing podcast of the same name, and is also...
Solving Problems, Designing Solutions
I have been a big fan of IDEO for a long time. IDEO is the famous design firm, well known for its design of innovative products, ranging from Apple's mouse to the Swiffer and beyond. In the new exhibit at the Smithsonian's American History Museum on Innovation and...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
