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…
Contacting the Campaign
Running for office is like starting a new business. You need a new website. You need business cards, head shots, and more. And you need to define your business and what makes it great. We're working on making all of these things happen as soon as possible. My...
Brand Loyalty, Trust and Politics
My friend, C.C. Chapman, wrote a great blog post today about brand loyalty. He wrote about how companies just giving away free stuff is often not enough to buy loyalty. What these gifts and freebies buy is exposure to people who may be interested in your products,...
Women and the Banning Bossy Campaign
This week (and it's only Wednesday!) has been a study in contrasts. On Monday, I attended Senator Chris Coons' Opportunity Africa Summit, attending sessions on business opportunities in Africa for small and medium businesses, and a session on women and power in...
Running for Public Office
Friends recently asked me to run for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, for the 160th District. This was a total surprise to me, since my political involvement to date has been as a campaign volunteer, and of course, talking about politics with friends. My...
How Do We Judge Quality?
Fox News posted an article recently that said many more people are using online ratings in order to choose a doctor. Apparently 59% now say these ratings are either somewhat important or important when choosing a new doctor. Similarly, The Guardian recently had an...
Framing The Question
I've read a couple of interesting blog posts over the past few days that have really got me thinking. The first was from my friend CC Chapman, on the YSN blog, asking whether apps will kill work ethic. The other was about iPads in education by Matt Levinson on the...
Seeing Unions Through The Eyes of Teachers
This past weekend at Educon 2.6, Kevin Jarrett and I hosted a session entitled "How Unions Can help Foster Education Reform". This was prompted by a question I have had for a long time, which is whether the public view of unions aligns teachers more with hourly wage...
8 Tips for Driving In The Snow
As a native Upstate New York resident, I learned how to drive in the snow almost as soon as I learned how to drive. It wasn't an optional experience. I learned how to drive in the snow and ice, whether I was driving standard or automatic transmissions, and before...
Three Words for 2014
Chris Brogan started a tradition a number of years ago, to find three words to use to focus goals for the New Year. Many friends have adopted this practice as well, as it's a great exercise to find out what's really important to you, at least at this point in time....
48 Hours With Google Glass
I got an invitation late last week to become a Google Glass Explorer. Google Glass is probably best described as a pair of "glasses" you can wear with a video display and hands-free computer functionality. It's still in Beta, and you have to receive an invitation in...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
