SoCon '08 Photo's

Later that evening.............

I left right after the 1:15 p.m. break-out session ended.....not because I did not enjoy Laura McGrath and the group that attended her program, but rather because I had developed the most painful headache. I think I was just networked out......you know, a long week with the firm coupled with Friday night and then I was at the conference early to set-up the Tescom table.......the hours just seem to grind you down after a bit. I put in over 60 hours this week before I headed for the dinner on Friday night. Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend right now and I really need to get off the treadmill for a bit before I become a crispy critter.

Anyway, I really enjoyed today. Laura reminded me of my niece Katy.....both are English Majors.....about the same age......probably came out of Grad School about the same time.....Katy is teaching at a private school in San Francisco and will most likely go back for her PhD before too long. Laura did a very nice job despite the fact that we kept going off on subjects that had almost nothing to do with strategic web writing. Bring a course in town Laura and I'll attend!

So, what an event! I met some great folks over the past 48 hours and really learned a ton about video blogging, video marketing, video editing, video, video, video. Mostly from my friend Amani Channel (www.myurbanreport.com), who I met for the first time at this conference last year. I also learned a lot from Brad Fallon, the CEO of Free iQ (www.freeiq.com). He has to be one of the brighest chaps I've encountered in a very long time. Don't know him or his business? Well, get to know him because he is going to make a name in the social media space and you'd heard that first at www.elliesdad.blogspot.com. Right?

So, it was a good conference..........not as good as last year overall, but then that's sort of expected; i.e.: you can only have an original experience once! I know that sounds stupid, but last year was original......this year had a different mix of people..........I don't know......it wasn't as original!

Strategic Web Writing

1:15 p.m.

Break-out Session I: A very bright young woman (Laura McGrath) who is an assistant professor of English at Kennesaw State University is leading a discussion about strategic web writing..........we are currently focused on keyword strategy and I`m about to get us back on point because I did not come here to learn about SEO......done that, have the textbook.

Okay, we`re back on track........anyway, I think we are heading back to the primary topic.

More later..........

SoCon08

So here I am at Kennesaw State University attending SoCon '08, the social media conference of the year in Atlanta. I`m sitting next to my good friend Alan Urech and cannot imagine a better way to spend a Saturday. Tescom is one of this year's conference sponsors and I'm also therefore representing Tescom today.

We have a great group of folks here today and I'll be reporting back with some pictures and more details about the conference later today.

John Edwards Drops Out & I'm Faced With A Hard Decison

I must admit that I'm disappointed that he did not do better than a distant third place. John had some very interesting ideas and I think he was focused on a lot of the right issues. Perhaps his personal social position is life made it difficult for folks to accept that he was in favor of the average American, but the authenticity in his voice made me think he was for real and given the personal tragedy that he has experienced I think he is certainly able to relate to the average guy on the street. One thing about tragedy; it puts everyone in the on a level playing field.

So it is down to Barack and Hillary on the Democratic side of things and I guess it is McCain leading Mitt Romney with Mike Huckabee sucking up the rear and hoping like heck that something gives on Super Tuesday.

Gosh folks! What does it say about this country when the only option left to a conservative Republican is Hillary Clinton? I can't even begin to tell you why Romney isn't in my books (blogger.com has space limitations you know) and I sure as hell will never vote for another conservative Christian............Rudy is gone as well although I don't think he has officially withdrawn as of this afternoon. I can't see through the smoke and mirrors that Barack is using and an endorsement from Ted Kennedy was the kiss of death from my perspective..........anyone who openly courts the endorsement of Ted Kennedy is outside my zone of tolerance. That leaves Hillary or a write-in vote for myself, which is of course always an option.

McCain you ask? Nope, I can't go for a guy who wants to stay the course in Iraq. Someone has to be willing to make some hard decisions there and the only person I've heard thus far making any sense about that situation is Hillary; i.e.: get out as soon as we can without screwing things up anymore that they are today and with the lives of our troops at the forefront of any decision to withdraw. That actually makes sense to me......a lot more sense than just sound the retreat, which is what Barack is advocating. No, I have to go along with Hillary on this critical issue and while I don't necessarily agree with her on everything else, we aren't that far apart at the end of the day.

I know I'm really out on a limb here, but it looks like Hillary is my candiate now. Oh Lord, pray for me!

Feeling the Love

I had no idea that anyone outside of my immediate family and a few close personal friends actually read this blog and so I was a bit surprised to receive a few emails and the one comment regarding my entry on the situation with Joe. To everyone who sent their good wishes and prayers I send my heartfelt gratitude. To Jen, my hero for her ability to find the love within herself to navigate a situation significantly more complex than my own, I am especially grateful for your encouragement and kind words. You made my day so much better and put such a smile on my face........thank-you.

As for you Giants fans, you can all go to Green Bay and freeze your little tushes off because I'm certainly not following the playoffs after yesterday. Is it really in doubt any longer? Yea, I know......the Giants gave New England a hard time a few weeks ago, but that before all the injuries and quite frankly I just don't see them getting past Green Bay........but what do I know? I didn't see them getting past the Cowboys!

The Hawks beat-up on Chicago yesterday and I was there with Kate's Dad to take in all the joy that a big win for the Hawks brings to my heart. Now, all we have to do is win about another 25 or so games the same way and I'll be absolutely on top of the world! We will see, but ever the realist when it comes to the Hawks I'm not holding my breath. I see signs of great things to come, but a lot of the same old problems arise too frequently for me to be completely sold on the turnaround as yet.

When is that next primary? Is it Michigan or South Carolina? Do they and Nevada really matter with Super Tuesday looming in the near future? Rudy seems focused on Florida, New York, California, etc. Is that a better strategy than spending money in these early primaries? My Republican soul is literally torn by the possibility of voting for a Democrat again, but I think I'd rather my President was getting his or her jollies in the oval office with an intern than by sending thousands of kids to Iraq to face possible death or dismemberment. Did you know that the last time that this country faced so many traumatic amputations in one military conflict was the American Civil War? Any for what? The dollar isn't worth squat........oil is running at or around $100 a barrel.......our economy is on its knees and we are either in a recession or so damn close that most economist can't tell the difference. Forty plus million Americans are without health care........our educational system sucks and anyone who can afford is opting out for private education, which is creating a brain drain and making public education a joke.......and finally, we are so worried about political correctness that a sports commentator can't make a ha/ha on the radio these days without getting suspended and fined. What happened to our sense of humor America? What happened to the days when any public personality was fair game as long as it was funny or had some humorous context........and I'm not talking Dom Imus here.......he wasn't funny on any level. But the Tiger lynching comment was funny and I don't get the uproar! Hell, if I had my way we would put a sniper in the rafters and gun down quite a few athletes on the opposing teams that come into Philips Arena.......you know, a knee shot here and there and the next thing you know those teams would provide the proper respect for the Hawks.......now I suppose I'll get banned from Blogger for violent comments..........no you idiot, it's humor.......besides, I know you can't get a gun into Philips........maybe a bow and arrow though.........okay, enough of my rambling.

Anyone seen a good movie lately? I'm desperate for a good flick. Tell me what to go
see!

Finally, the "A Town Dancers", courtesy of a recent game at Philips........they are actually a talented group of young ladies. Of course, being married to a dancer, my interests are purely academic.

A Lesson in Ticks

Spent this morning with a psychologist discussing our Joe's continuing struggle with Tourette's Syndrome. For those of you who are not familiar with this condition, the symptoms include both vocal and motor ticks, which can be involuntary squeaks or other sounds coupled with frequent jerks or involuntary muscle spasms. Tough for anyone to deal with, but especially for an eleven year old in his first year of middle school, where some of the meanest people in the whole world hang out. It was only our first meeting, but this lady specializes in this particular disorder and in the brief hour that we spent with her she open our eyes to a number of realities that we probably had been shielding ourselves from over the past several years. It is the first step in what will most likely be a long journey, but I'm delighted that we finally took that step and I sincerely hope that this is a new beginning for Kate and I as we strive to help Joe meet the challenges that this odd and frequently bizarre disorder creates for him. It's a dark day, overcast and dreary. My soul rests heavily at the moment as I think about this morning's meeting and all the struggles and challenges that face Joe as he continues his journey to adulthood. He is such a lovely lad and it just isn't fair that he has to deal with Tourette's, ADD and a sprinkling of OCS just to make things even more complicated. The doctor talked about genes and the confluence of my family and Kate's family genes and how they all combine to create that perfect storm that creates these challenges for Joe. Did you know that 1 in 100 male children are born with Tourette's Syndrome and 1 in 200 female children are also affected? Add ADHD, ADD and OCS and no wonder we medicate our kids, although in fairness the Doctor pointed out that the U.S. ranks 11th in the world in the medication of children and not number one as most folks would believe. I don't know if that made me feel any better given the meds that Joe has to take everyday. How do you get an eleven year old to understand that he has a condition that isn't a whole lot different than diabetes in terms of the medication and overall symptoms when he is the subject of ridicule and harassment by his peers? I suppose the good news is that this Doctor did give us some confidence that we can learn to help Joe cope better and that there are lots of kids running around leading perfectly normal lives who endure the same issues day in and day out that Joe faces. Unfortunately however, there are no shortcuts to the promised land and in the interim we are going to have to continue to deal with a school that is more focused on talking than helping and teachers who see Joe as a problem instead of an opportunity. I guess I sound a bit depressed and I know I have to get over it because at the end of the day everyone has to deal with something and it isn't going to help Joe if I'm hanging my head low. Besides, he's a great kid and things are going to be fine.......really! I just wish the sun would come back for a bit.

Meanwhile, the Hawks managed to pull off a surprise victory last evening over the Cleveland Cavaliers despite LeBron's 31 points. The difference: well, last night we saw balanced contributions across most of the bench, especially from Lorenzen Wright, the veteran center who added a lot of defense when it was needed most and more importantly, a lot of maturity to the floor when the young players were going completely off the rails. Am I still disenchanted with Coach Woodson? Yep! Do I think we can still do better at the head coach position? Yep! Do I think that one game is going to change the entire season? Nope! But it was an impressive victory and I'm pleased to be back at .500 on the season. I was most pleased however with the contributions the seasoned players made last night because while we do have a lot of youth energy, sometimes old age and treachery can make a big difference.

Still thinking about Hillary's victory on Tuesday. My brother Jim and I had a chat last night and he said that he welcomed McCain's potential nomination by the Republican Party because McCain wants to stay the course in Iraq and he thinks that position will be his undoing. I agree. We need to get out and so far Hillary is the one running who seems to have a fairly decent grasp of what it will take to withdraw for that engagement. Barack's fairly tale about immediate withdrawal is just that.....a fairly tale and McCain's position is just going to get a lot more kids killed. Perhaps that is the connection to Nixon I keep seeing in my head. Old men seem quite willing to send kids to war and even though John served his country honorably, maybe he has forgotten the sacrifice the parents make every time they bury a son or daughter. We don't need this conflict......it's draining this country and tearing us apart. Never thought I'd say this, but it came down to McCain and Hillary I'm afraid I'd actually have to vote for her because I can't support anyone who supports the insanity of our involvement in that conflict. It didn't make sense when we started it and it sure has heck doesn't make sense now.

Anyway, a picture of Joe and Ellie on Christmas morning. Everytime I look at it I have to smile and think how great it is to be a kid.......well, most of the time anyway.

Winners & Losers

It would be a tad remiss of me not to take a moment to reflect upon last evening's election results given my propensity for ranting about politics in this country over the past year. I was attending the Thrasher's game at Philips Arena as the guest of Stuart Harvey, the President of Nova Information Systems (thank-you Stuart for a lovely evening), sitting in an upper-deck suite (they are so nice!)and following the elections more closely than the game, which unfortunately the Thrashers managed to lose by a score of 4 to 1.

Anyway, just before the game I was asked by one of the other guests who I thought would win the primary on the Democratic side and I said that I thought it would be a very close race between Hillary and Barack with Barack winning by a narrow margin. Well, at least I got the narrow margin bit right. What a surprising turn of events and what's makes last evening's results even more interesting is the assertion by Mr. Clinton that the press was riding Hillary unfairly and trying to force a certain result that was not necessarily obvious to him or most of her supporters. It turned out that perhaps he was on target and makes me wonder what we can believe going forward about the primaries and how the press presents them to us. Someone should start a grassroots news community focused on gathering real street level information on the pulse of the nation in each of these state primaries. Okay, I know that someone probably has already done so and I'm just behind, but if anyone knows of a really good site to follow I'd love a recommendation. I just don't think I can sit through another evening of CCN or Fox News. They just make me want to scream!

Was I okay with the results? Well, to be honest, I think so although I have to say that the more I listen to McCain the more he sounds like Richard Nixon, which isn't an entirely bad thing, but it is a bit weird when you listen to the guy.

I'm still not certain who I will support at the end of the day, but Edwards is starting to grow on me and I plan to investigate his proposals in more detail over the coming weeks. I can't imagine voting for a Republican, at least not any of the ones currently running. I think they need some time in the penalty box and four years sounds just about right from my perspective.

Barack has to come up with something more concrete than hope if he is going to attract the moderate conservatives...........I'm well passed the time when brilliant public speaking alone qualifies a candidate for the White House.......tell me what you are going to do. What are your 3 to 5 Key Performance Indicators for the first six months that you are in office and then I'll tell you if I'll support your efforts to get elected. No one has really done that as yet. Yea, I know, he is going to get us out of Iraq. Sure he is and that pink elephant flying over the sky at the moment is just as real; i.e.: what are your realistic targets for the first six months?

Anyway, Hillary surprised the hell out of everyone I think and in a lot of ways I'm pleased that she is still well in the hunt. I think she raises real issues and while I'm not a fan nor do I expect to support her bid for the oval office, I do like the debate she creates and after all, I did vote for her husband a couple of times despite my otherwise Republican soul. Hillary is good for this election and I'm personally delighted that she remains in contention.

Hell, even Ron Paul got 8% last night. A true dark horse if ever there was one!

Finally, I'm off to a Hawks Game this evening. They have lost four in a row and primarily due to the guy center in the today's picture; i.e.: Mike Woodson, my nomination for the worst coach in the NBA at the moment. Why? Because he can't win! Lots of talent and no excuses this year and he still can't win.....not the games he is suppose to win, not the close ones he should win, and with the exception of one or two games early in the season he isn't pulling off any upsets either. The Hawks are headed back to the cellar and the good Lord knows that I'm not looking forward to the ride. Of course, I still have the advantage in that the Cowboys are still in the show unlike those Steelers and Redskins fans. (Yea!)

It Was The Day After Christmas.............

And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for Dad who had to get up bright and early and head for the office. It will be a quiet week since much of the business community in Atlanta are operating with skeleton crews. We have a total of 7 associates in the office today including myself, which makes for a very quiet day allowing me to catch-up on emails and the backlog of work that sits on my desk. It is also a great time to get organized for the New Year. Much to do in 2008and so little time left to get prepared.

So, how was Christmas for everyone? We had a relatively quiet affair although the days leading up to Christmas were rather busy. Last Friday morning I was out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and by 7'ish we were off to North Carolina. It was originally scheduled to be a solo trip, but Joe and Ellie decided on Thursday evening that they also wanted to visit Uncle Joe and while I don't really know if Uncle Joe was fully prepared for the Company, we had a great time and really regretted having to leave on Monday morning. Joe and Ellie were mostly well behaved (as much as you can expect from an 11 old lad and his 9 year old sister) and really enjoyed spending time with their Uncle Joe. Joe is of course my brother's namesake and has a strong bond with my brother. I came out of the bedroom on Monday morning just before we headed back to Atlanta and the two of them were sitting on the couch having an in-depth discussion about my brother's health. Joe had overheard my brother and I discussing his health and he decided to make a few inquiries of his own to make certain he understood what was happening with his Uncle Joe.

The trip back to Atlanta was uncomplicated, with relatively light traffic until about 35 miles outside of Atlanta and then we hit both construction and wall-to-wall traffic. It took us just over an hour to travel that last 35 miles while the rest of the journey took around five hours. The total journey is roughly 390 miles, give or take 10 miles, which means that I drove 355 miles at an average speed of 71 miles per hour before hitting the wall just outside of Atlanta. I put the cruise control on 75 miles an hour and just sat back and guided the car home. We stopped a couple of times, but speed was the priority and so we kept our breaks as brief as possible.

Once we arrived back at the house we had about three hours to rest before heading for the Christmas Vigil Mass at Holy Spirit. It was the children's mass and both Joe and Ellie were participating in the service. Ellie led the congregation in song throughout the Mass and Joe was asked to carry the wine and water to the altar just prior to the communion service. Joe looked quite proper in his new sports coat and did an admirable job considering the number of folks sitting on chairs in the middle of the aisle (the church was packed, as it almost always is for this Mass each year). Ellie was quite articulate with the exception of the word "Liturgy", which she just could not pronounce to save her life. Mom and Dad were of course most proud, as were her Grandparents, who are visiting us from the UK.

Christmas morning arrived far too quickly. I was out of bed relatively early to put on the Turkey and start the prep work for the big meal. We had a very traditional dinner with all the trimmings. I did most of the cooking and even helped with the washing-up afterwards. Everyone seemed to be content with their presents, especially Ellie's Dad, who got an Apple iTouch, which he wanted very much. Yea!

So now we are moving through the rest of the week looking forward to the weekend and the New Year. I think 2008 is going to be outstanding and I'm really looking forward to accomplishing a lot next year. A new job with a great company....a wonderful wife and kids.........and we we sold our house to a developer......can't ask for much more.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year. I'll post some Christmas pictures next time around, but meantime a shot from a recent Hawks game. We are 3 games over 500 and ranked 4th in the Eastern Conference. This year is shaping up to be an exciting time for loyal Hawks fans.

Meanwhile, 50 days later........

Yea, I know. I promised not to drop off the face of the earth and then I quit posting for nearly two months. All I can say in my defense is that I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger and that is absolutely the truth! Just take a look at this lovely photograph. Do you know where that was taken? Herzelia, that's where......and where is Herzelia? Israel.......and how long does it take to get to Israel from Atlanta? Too long if you ask me, especially since I was the guy sitting in the economy seat on Delta. Did I have a wonderful time? Well, yes, but it was work, at least it was when I wasn't swimming in the Mediterranean.

On another front, we just finished the Quality Leadership Executive Southeast Awards this week and that was a rather satisfying event. I was privileged to do the opening remarks and Richard Warner (Think Georgia Business and other PBS Shows)was the Master of Ceremonies. Tescom is a co-founding sponsor for the event and both TAG and the Atlanta Quality Assurance Association were engaged as well. The whole thing was put together by the Executive Alliance, which is led by Marci McCarthy, the CEO and Mary Lou Heastings, their President. The venue was the JW Marriott at Lenox Mall and it was a most delightful day and evening. Some really neat folks attended..........it was a smaller event with about 140 registered guests expected, but that was pretty good given I know there were at least five other events that were happening the same evening. Most of them were Christmas Parties of course. Or should I call them holiday parties? Hmmmmmmm! Do I really want to take up that discussion today? No, I'll pass. I reckon folks can call them whatever they want, but for me it will always be the Christmas Season and I'll be celebrating the birth of Christ until the day I die. Sorry. Blame it on the Christian in me!

Speaking of Christmas, hope everyone has finished their shopping and have their gifts wrapped and ready for the Christmas Tree......there we go again....what else would we call it? The Holiday Tree? Anyway, did you notice that the Christmas/Holiday decorations starting going up the day after Thanksgiving? What was that about? How can a store start putting up decorations for the next holiday when the turkey from the previous one is still sitting in the frig? It just seems that we start this season earlier and earlier and although I know it is an old and somewhat worn gripe, I think we have lost the meaning of Christmas and the holiday season. There. I said it! I feel better and now we can move on more interesting conversation.

The Hawks are still struggling with getting to .500, but I don't suppose that comes as a surprise to anyone. They have been struggling to break-even for years now and I'm beginning to think that isn't going to change this season unless they get rid of the coach and find some less selfish players. Josh Smith is a pratt and needs to go to another team while we can still have some say in the trade. Anthony Johnson is too old to run with the team and he needs to go as well. Trade Sheldon Williams and Salim Stoudamire for a more experience point guard that can act as a true mentor to Acie Law, and find a real center......please!!!!!

Okay, I'll post more soon, but in the meantime, everyone drive safely as the traffic this evening is really wicked!