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…
It’s All About Connections
I’ve been thinking a lot about community lately. Community has been important since the beginning of civilization. People self-sort into all sorts of communities, usually based on similar interests. Communities form around geographic locations (neighborhoods),...
Commercialization and Monetization- Is there a hidden cost?
This is a topic that many people in the new media world are wrestling with- How can you make money, or make a living, doing what you love? Or does making money at something you love turn it into a job? And is that a good thing or a bad thing? I regularly wrestle with...
Community Matters
I spent last weekend in Toronto at PodCamp, and presented a session with Mark Blevis and Chris Brogan about Return on Influence. What Mark and I call the real ROI (rather than return on investment) of new media. This session was about how the power of new media is...
Six Pixels
This is a small world, getting smaller all the time. The old phrase of "six degrees of separation" has been replaced with 6 pixels, and I actually think it's even smaller than that. For example, today I was working on a project, and I sent an email to someone,...
Setting Standards
Life seems to be becoming more and more about "Setting standards." Kids are supposed to meet a set of standards in school, set by the State and Federal Government. There are supposed to be standards for behavior; there are quality control standards in business, and...
The Revenge of the Nice Guys
I’ve been reading Made to Stick, a book about how to get your ideas to be memorable. One of the anecdotes from this book that stuck with me was about Leo Durocher, a famously cantankerous baseball manager. Apparently his statement to the effect of “The nice guys are...
What’s Wrong With The Automobile Industry
I went to the Philadelphia Auto Show this past weekend with my family. We are starting to look for a car to replace our aging minivan. We're having the debate I'm sure many families are having- Are the kids old enough to justiofy something other than a minivan? Do we...
Consumer Power!
I am reading a great book by Seth Godin, "Small is the New Big". This is a great book that is basically a collection of his blog posts. Seth has a great way of making complex ideas simple and accessible. He is not afraid to say what the rest of us are thinking, but...
Interactivity Is What It’s All About
An Article in the New York Times today talks about how the Nintendo Wii has outplaced sales of the Sony Playstation 3, and Sony is actually losing money on the Playstation 3, waiting to make most of their money in game sales. I did not find this the slightest bit...
Why I Think Hillary May Not Win
Let me preface this post by saying I think of myself as an average suburban mom. I am a democrat, which is unusual in the republican stronghold where I live. I have an ivy-league education, and my own podcast about education issues. I am sure some of my...
Whitney Hoffman
Hi There! I’m Whitney Hoffman. I currently work for Mingl Marketing and Comfort Media Group in Philadelphia, PA
