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…
Under Construction
We're in the middle of a remodelling project. I have a view in my mind's eye how this thing will look when it's done, and I can't wait. The outcome, even if it comes close to my dream, will be amazing, and I'm really happy and excited about it. The project is...
Best Use of Marketing Information EVER
I just got an automated phone call from my grocery store. Wegman's has long been in our family- it was the best grocery in Rochester, NY where I grew up. There's one in Downingtown, PA now, and while it's about a 30-40 minute drive to get there, I go and stock up on...
Understanding Attention
As someone with two kids with ADHD, attention is a big deal to us. I've made it my job to understand how attention works, how to get it, how to focus it, and how sustain it, because this information is vital to helping my kids learn how to learn most effectively....
Recession Insensitivities
A friend of mine works for a major bank. Over coffee, she told me of two recent things that had happened that made me want to puke: 1) After the brouhaha about executive bonuses, the executives at the Bank sent out emails to all employees urging them to contact their...
Health Care, Under Cover
Disclosure- I am married to a physician who is in an academic medicine practice. I sit on the nexus between two worlds- that of the normal, every day patient, and that of someone who practices medicine every day. It's often an odd place to be, especially in these days...
Successful Business Hints
I've given three presentations in the past week or so to different groups, and have gotten great reviews, which certainly make me feel great. More importantly, though, is making sure the relationship doesn't end with the last slide. Here are a few hints to help you...
Equalization
I picked up a copy of a somewhat obscure magazine called Networking Times, because they had an article/interview with social media's favorite sommelier, Gary V. Gary was talking about how social media gave simple tools that everyone could use to give themselves a...
Money and Value
I’ve been entranced with economics ever since I took my first course in the subject in college. While my first “love” is still the brain, learning and behavior, finding out there are people like Dan Ariely who merge psychology and economics into “behavioral economics”...
The Twitterati
Twitter can be very useful, but I think we have to start to get over the "New! Shiny!" and get down to the fact that this is one of many tools in your social media kit, not the only one. If all of the social media mavens are really disciples of the Church of...
Mass Customization Isn’t Everything
In the last post, we talked about how any one person can leverage the knowledge of the past to create new value in the economy. In this post, I'm going to argue that Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should, or the fallacy of DIY (do it yourself). As a...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
