Category Archives: Uncategorized

What do I do now?

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I was recently laid off at my sales and biz development position so now it is time to do some biz development for myself.  I need a job, sales is something I do, but it’s not something I really enjoy.  I need to find something out there that I can sink my teeth into.

My strengths: I can set up events like nobody’s business. I can also produce, shoot and edit good video content. I can also market a company and fill a pipe line with qualified leads.  I am also good at teaching others how easy it is to shoot and edit video almost to the point that they want to run out and do just that after I have gotten them started. I am aso passionate about sharing information and things I find helpful and fun in some cases. If there is a better way to do something I’ll try and find it and share it.

What I need now however is your help. I need a new career, I need an opportunity whereby all my creativity and energies are utilized.  Do you remember on your old resumes you wrote something like that as your goal..  My goal is to be employed, to do something in marketing and content creation where I can help a company or organization push themselves forward.

If you know me and are reading this, I honestly need your feedback. If you hear of a internal position in video, content production, social media that you think I would be a fit for please, please send it to me. I am open to suggestion here and your advice is greatly appreciated.

A reflection

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I attended a few social media events recently in Boston and as always it was great seeing people I had not seen in awhile. For people wondering, I have deleted plancast and foursquare so if I run into you at an event it will be a surprise. I like that. The mystery of running into someone rather then just knowing they are present because my phone says so. I like talking to people, interacting, listening to what they have to say, seeing if I can help them somehow.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.
I think the gadgets are starting to take over, and that many of the people using them have lost social skills at their expense. Do you remember when you called your friends and said what are you doing? 
I turned 50 last friday and had a wonderful birthday with my Lady Karen. We stayed down near Fanuiel hall and had dinner in the South end. It was a great day of reflection and being present, enjoying one anothers company, and being in the moment. I am so greatful I have found a woman so beautiful, so wonderfully grounded that I miss her madly when she is not present.
For me personally,  losing some of the tools has allowed me more time to focus on work, friends and family. I still have work to do, but I think I am headed in the right direction finally.
What grounds you these days? 

How do you find balance?

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I am struggling with sales right now, I get busy and then I lose out on making my calls, and connecting with clients and prospects. It’s hard to build rapport without talking to people. The people I have done work with this year have all been great people to work with but it all started with rapport.  If you don’t have that, all the talk and good will goes out the window.

My challenge now is balancing sales, doing marketing, making the calls, travelling, being present at shows I have sold, membership on a board, speaking engagements, My wonderful kids (2-4 times a week depending on week) and the love of my life up on the North shore. Where in the life manual is the tips section on making this all work?  When is cloning coming online so I can be everywhere doing everything?

How do you find balance? 

Money couldn’t buy a world series in 2011.

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1 New York Yankees 196,854,630
2 Philadelphia Phillies 172,976,381
3 Boston Red Sox 160,257,476
4 Los Angeles Angels 138,999,024
5 Chicago White Sox 129,285,539
6 Chicago Cubs 126,380,663
7 New York Mets 120,147,311
8 San Francisco Giants 117,784,333
9 Minnesota Twins 112,737,000
10 Detroit Tigers 105,705,232
11 Los Angeles Dodgers 103,788,991
12 St. Louis Cardinals 98,746,072
13 Texas Rangers 91,885,265
14 Colorado Rockies 87,998,071
15 Atlanta Braves 87,003,192
16 Milwaukee Brewers 85,497,333

                                     Yankees, Redsox and Phillies were top 3 highest payrolls and are all home watching
                                     #10, 12, 13, and 16 play for the World series. Tampa Bay was #29. 

                                     stats courtesy ESPN.

It still hurts.

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Salty

I had a very bad feeling at the begining of September that this years Sox were not going to make the playoffs and sadly I was right. Like most passionate sports fans I hid my heart a little. Trying to make it less painful. I had done this yearly with the Bruins until last year. I hid my sports heart anf focused on the Pats, the Bruins pre-season and I looked in on the Redsox like you look in on a train wreck.

I’ve been rabid since I moved back to Boston in 1999, The Redsox have had some recent success in 2004 and 2007. We have a broken team now that has major issues. I assume the manager and GM will be fired. I will also assume Big Papi has played his last game in Boston.  We need to build around Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez. We need a third baseman to replace oft injured Kevin Youkilis and a short stop that can stay healthy and bat over the Mendoza line. We need to trade Carl Crawford and John Lackey. The problem is who will take them?

This hurts. Terry Francona won two world series champiionships in Boston, his legacy is secure. He will be fine he will have offers by this afternoon. I think we as fans need a group hug, what do you think?

Dunkin Donut response to my safety inquiry.

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Dunkin_response

Well as expected the local Dunkin Donuts HR Person did not address my concearns about safety but did pony up 4 free Coffee and breakfast muffin coupons that do not expire.

The trick is you have to use them at the one Franchisee’s dunkin donut locations.

Since I have not seen a written safety protocol, and have not been invited to a store to see one, I have no choice but to assume none of these locations actually has a saftey protocol in place.

Perhaps you should avoid all these locations, especially if you have a baby, newborn or you are over 60 years of age. The locations were listed on the coupons.
54 East Central Natick, MA
133 west central street Natick, MA
334 Waverly Street, Framingham, MA
266 Concord Street, Framingham, MA
51 Pond Plaza, Ashland, MA

Lastly I have begun random interviews with employees at dunkin donuts and of 4 employees thus far none has ever seen a safety manual while working at dunkin donuts and nobne of them knows of any systems in place to help anyone in case of an emergency or serious scalding.

No more dunkin donuts for me part deux

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Ok so it turns out Ginger was not from the Corporate Dunkin donuts but she was from the franchise owners HR department. She represents the franchise owner that owns 5 or so dunkin donuts and they do their own training and ( or not in this case) to insure that everyone driving through or purchasing in the store is safe. I had talked with D.D.C.C.  or “dunkin donuts Corporate C something earlier in the day.   While talking to Dunkin Donuts corporate we got cut off and when I tried to call back and speak to a Lina or Leena there was nobody at Dunkin donuts corporate offices by that name. Their dial in number is ridiculous.  I think it’s puzzling that dunkin donuts corporate would relight a fuse that the franchisee was trying to extinguish. It’s not the first time in corporate american history where the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing but really?

Ginger did mention that the manager that ran around looking for windex was let go and that a few other people were removed from their roles at the Dunkin Donuts at 133 West Central street in Natick. While I am sorry for their loss of jobs I am still uncertain as to what the safety protocols if any exist at dunkin donuts. When I pressed ginger today about them she said they were in place and I asked her to show me.

Ginger mentioned a letter had been sent to me by the franchise owner, and by her and that it would arrive in a few days. Whatever it says I promise to copy it and post it here.

Sorry but you won’t see me presenting at Podcamp Boston 6.

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Pclogo1

This year like every year I eagerly awaited news about Podcamp Boston. When registration went up I bought my tickets and sent in my discussion submissions. Last year I did two talks one with Joseline Mane, Steve Garfield and Robert Collins called return of the visual suspects and a 2nd Q&A session about video production. Both were well attended. In 2009 we also had Matthew Mamet as one of the visual suspects, and that one was also well attended.

Every year there has always been a gaff with my submission or registration this year there was both. First I was told they got no discussion submissions. This was too bad, because I had sent them in the day I registered. Today I was told my registration could not be found. I then sent a copy of my registration to Podcamp 6 Boston and they were able to find it much easier. I was also told they were trying to refund me. They wrongly assumed I no longer wanted to attend. I was not sure why they thought this. I was disappointed that I could not present sure, but I had not indicated anything about not attending.

I realize we are all very busy, and that many really good people volunteer to put podcamps together. I just don’t understand why it is that my involvement is always a burden to the organizers. I was dissapointed I could not share my thoughts on web video and where it has gone but I never said I was cancelling altogether. Perhaps they were making that decision for me?,  trying to be helpful somehow?

No more dunkin donuts for me thanks

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The last cups in the can 
Last week I was scalded by a hot cup of coffee at the drive thru tossed at me (cover off)  by the woman I will just call the defendant. This happened at the Dunkin Donuts at Route 135 and Speen Street in Natick, MA. It was almost ironic for I was the foursquare mayor before the dousing.
When I walked in and asked for the manager, the man in blue  ( we will call him co-defendant) walked with me and quickly apologized but then went on a rant about how dumb his employees were that the corporate office had not even trained correctly. He also mentioned there had been tons and tons of turnover at his location.
This throwing his people under the bus was amusing, but I was still covered with hot coffee as was the inside of my car. I calmly explained that the woman had not apologized and had just said aught oh no cover.  I asked for some paper towels and some windex. The manager raced around for a few minutes until he located the windex.  I grabbed napkins because paper towels are for employees only.  I then went out to my car to spray the insides down so I could drive to the appointment I would then be late for. I asked the manager to have the owner contact me, and I left smelling of coffee my morning ruined.
The next day I was contacted by Ginger from the Dunkin Donuts Corporate offices. She listened to my report and interjected nicely with the right amount of ohh my gods and sympathetic outrage. Ginger mentioned there were practices and systems in place for this type of situation and that none of their protocols  had been followed. When I asked what those were however the question was never answered. This however was the last I have heard from Dunkin donuts.
My situation was not life threatening but what if a child had been scalded,  Or perhaps a new born?  What then Dunkin Donuts? Would you throw your staff under the bus then or maybe fire everyone and start over? Sweeping up the mess under a rug doesn’t work here.  You need  real solutions and real  safety measures in place.  
What do you think Dunkin Donuts should do?