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 New Business Plan- 8 Questions to Ask Yourself before Risking It All
A girlfriend of mine has asked me to review a business plan, and this has made me think of the tough questions you should ask yourself before starting or buying a business. 1. What is your passion? You are much more likely to succeed at a business venture if it...
Intellectual Property
I've been thinking a lot about intellectual property- if you create something new and exciting, and have a vested interest in seeing this idea succeed and propagate, what should you do? In this world of new media, of share and share alike, where do you draw the...
Broadcast Ethics
Sparked by the Imus flap this week, NPR remarked this morning that shock jocks and shows with degrading, insulting humor exist because there is a market for it. I found this comment intriguing, from a podcaster's perspective. Up until recently, people have only had...
Why is Being Authentic So Hard?
I woke up this morning and heard the news that Don Imus has been thrown off the air permamently with MSNBC because of some stupid comments he made about the Rutgar's ladies basketball team on his show. Then, I heard a presidential candidate, Barak Obama, weigh in,...
Measuring Success
Chris Brogan wrote a post today about how many of us in new media seem to be multi-tasking all the time, and wondering whetehr we are accomplishing everything we set our minds to, or merely juggling too many things to make adequate progress on any ONE thing. Chris...
PodCamp NYC !!!
I am back from PodCamp NYC, the first Podcamp that I've helped to organize that has actually happened. (I am also one of the organizers for PodCamp Philly- September 6, 7th & 8th at Drexel University!) The final count for the number of people who registered for...
Frustrations
Do you ever feel like somehow, despite all your efforts, you miscommunicate with someone you care about? You can't seem to get it right? And there's a growing sense of dis-ease, that somehow you don't know how to fix? I'm there right now. With several people I love...
The Starfish And the Spider
I started a new book called the Starfish and The Spider- it's all about the difference between top-down organizations and those that self-organize and mutate easily, like starfish. Since I am a biologist by nature, this whole analogy automatically appeals, but the...
Social Media Club, Philly Style
I went to a wonderful meeting at the Bravo Group last night, for the Social Media Club, started by Howard Greenstein. Howard has started many local chapters of the Social Media Club, and it's something we need desperately in Philadelphia. There are an amazing number...
New Media and Brand Affiliation
This post started out from great observations from Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast. Chris wrote about understanding unfamiliar Canadian Brands on his recent drive to Podcamp Toronto, by looking where the brand was located and what its neighbors were in the...
