I got a job and this blog died. We moved and I really had no compelling reason to keep updating http://westwoodblog.org either. My life is pretty full but I do miss expressing myself and creating something here.

Partly, I’m also in transition. As we adjusted to a new rhythm of job, home, schools, etc. I dialed back to some of the personal things that mattered to me and found time for some more easily than others.

First, I started to read again. When I was working for myself or looking for a job, I don’t think I read anything of significance. Then, in January, faced with a cross-country airplane trip, I seized the opportunity (and my wife’s Kindle) and read The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. From there it was a short leap into fiction with The Help,  The Kitchen House, and back to nonfiction with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

On this blog, I’ve written reviews of business and social nonfiction, but it was refreshing to read stories of lives that mattered rather than opinions of semi/self-important people. Last month, I finished John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and–perhaps in a different “class” of literature–the Hunger Games trilogy, but fundamentally, I found myself happy to have re-ignited my interest in the substance of great story. There’s a lot you can do with a 30-minute ride on the Orange Line every day.

Next, I got a bit more serious about running. Thanks to my weekly run with friends in Westwood, I have not let my conditioning totally slip, but I’ve found it hard to get out and do those runs except on Saturday morning. But soon after we moved, I was slogging through the Boston snow to manage a run around Jamaica Pond or up and down the many hills of Roslindale. Running remains one of the most accessible activities–and again, something I can do significantly in 30 minute increments.

I bought a pair of Vibram fivefingers and enjoy the sort of “protected barefoot running” these shoes allow. Running on grass is awesome–I literally feel like a sprinting gazelle. Running on pavement changes the way I run and benefits my feet by putting less impact on my heels. Running on gravel…not so great. The gravel tends to get between the toes and you do feel every sharp rock through the shoes.

So perhaps there is another marathon on the horizon this Fall. First 10 miles a week. Then 15. Then 20. If I have time.

Now that the snow if finally gone, I’ve started riding my bike again and carved out an awesome commute that takes me up and around the “emerald necklace” of Boston.

Today, I blasted home with a tailwind in 41 minutes. The days of 3-hour rides in the country are rescheduled for sometime after the kids are in college I think, but it is great to be back on the fixed gear bike riding around Jamaica Pond and along the Charles River in the morning.

So what about the writing? It will come. I think the commentary on social media and even community news projects is something I need to branch away from. Reading fiction and comparing to the nonfiction I consumed before convinces me there is more truth in the fiction. There are stories to be told with passion that can change the way people relate to one another and change the world more effectively than identifying and solving problems.

So for me the challenge is not to just return to blogging but to find the story that must be told and then time to write it. It’s not a 30-minute task. So in the meantime, I read, run and ride to connect with the flow of energy that will find its voice eventually.

We bought a house in Rozzie, and we finally move this Friday. It was not an easy choice to leave the town of Westwood where I’ve been active in several town boards, developed many friendships, and started our oldest daughter in the school system. (And authored the Westwood Blog for the past 3 years.) It was not easy to move past the neighboring town of Dedham either, where we also have many friends and probably would have purchased a house had it not gone under agreement the day we scheduled to go look at it. But I am excited about where we are moving and am thrilled we decided to do it.

It shouldn’t be a surprise we’d be attracted to really living in Boston (Roslindale is a neighborhood of Boston) for anyone who has followed the urbanism thread of this blog. I was excited about the Westwood Station project because it promised to bring some urban advantages to our community. I created a town board to promote active transportation–walking and cycling–because I believed we could really enhance the community by connecting our village centers and making it easier for more people to get out on the street. I commuted to work in Boston on my bike (14 miles or so) and via the train not only because I didn’t want to sit in traffic or park my car, but because it made me feel more like I was a part of the city that has called me to come home ever since I was a college student at MIT in the 1980s.

But what about the schools? It was our biggest concern. I found a blog, started by a Roslindale parent, called Braving the Lottery, which details her journey through enrolling her kids in the Boston Public Schools. My daughter is eligible to attend any one of more than a dozen elementary schools but transferring mid-year, there will not really be any choice or lottery. We submitted a list of our preferences and we’ll see what we get–hopefully later today or tomorrow.

I’m optimistic we will be happy as long as we get one of the schools we know have openings. Because class size is limited by law, the popular choices are full and have wait lists from the last lottery process earlier this year. But families do move (the people who sold us their house moved to Dedham) and parents don’t necessarily yank their kids from one school to another this late in the year, so it’s not necessarily an automatic as to where we will be assigned. Once we get in to a school, we hope that our sibling priority will be able to pull along the other kids who are currently in preschool.

Over on Westwood Blog, I recently noted how Westwood was featured by Great Schools.org as one of the top 5 school systems in the country. When you look up my daughter’s current school, it’s a ‘10′ on a 1-10 scale–based largely on the fact that everyone passes the standardized tests. And we know from our own experience that it’s a great community school for many reasons other than just the test scores: parents are active, involved, and engaged and teachers and the principal are great.

Where we are moving…no 10s. But those numbers are all about the pass rates for standardized tests. We talked to parents and attended meetings to learn about our potential schools and heard mostly positive stories–and a great deal of energy from parents, teachers, and administrators who are working hard to improve their schools. The lottery does cause the schools to compete and attempt to differentiate themselves. In the end, we concluded 1) we will need to be heavily involved in our kids education and 2) it’s more about the specific teacher and classroom year-to-year.

I see some advantage to engaging in system that is trying to improve. When everything is already great, sometimes we miss the opportunity to see how our efforts contribute to positive change. Learning is more than just passing tests–I think it’s also about an experience of growing and adapting. I think we have set ourselves up for many of those opportunities in the coming years.

I’m not sure what starting me thinking about New York City again, but yesterday, somewhat impulsively–but with a little planning–I decided to visit. By myself. Cheaply. Without a concrete plan, I did a lot and spent just a little over $100.

I’ve been to NYC about half a dozen times. As a freshman at MIT, I took the train down from Boston, stayed at the West Side YMCA, did a quick sightseeing tour and hopped the train back the next day. A couple of years later, I followed the Gary Hart campaign to New York and camped out on someone’s floor in a Central Park apartment for a week while we rode the subway trains gathering petition signatures. I think that experience imprinted on me not just the “grit factor” of doing a crazy thankless task but also the geography of the city–enough so I feel “comfortable” in the immensity of it all. In 1992, I spent a week in the city with the Democratic National Convention–commuting back to a friend’s house in Staten Island every night.

Perhaps this trip began by watching one too many episodes of Louis C.K. Maybe it was cabin fever after my family went up to Lake Champlain while I started work on a new contract project and continued my job search. I thought I would bike and run every morning–but then it rained for 3 days. As the weather cleared I decided it was time to do more than just another bike ride or 6-mile run.

Fung Wah!

In Boston, there’s an infamous way to get to New York: The Fung Wah bus. Twenty years ago, they had a booth in Chinatown with a sign: “New York: $10.”  Sometimes I saw crowds of Chinese people and students lined up outside. When I moved back to Boston in 2002, I heard stories of how they now had a counter at South Station. I also heard about their bus crashes and fires on the local news.

The trip now costs a whopping $15. You can’t beat $15, especially when you are looking to go cheap. So I bought my ticket online and purchased a return ticket for the last 11pm bus. I drove to a 24-hour parking lot ($11 for 24 hours!), walked 5 minutes to South Station, checked in and hopped on the first bus of the day at 6:30am.

Born To Run

The bus ride was uneventful. No fires, no rollovers, no raucous partiers. I brough along my wife’s Kindle to read Born to Run. Christopher McDougall’s book is about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons and their incredible endurance. But it’s more about the joy and love of running and at a deeper level, the power of joy and love to enable us to accomplish things that seem impossible. The miles flew by and three-and-a-half hours later, we were in New York’s Chinatown.

TKTS to Broadway

I wasn’t completely without a plan when I left Boston. I had some things I was thinking about doing and one of those was to see Green Day’s American Idiot. It’s a 90-minute show that starts at 8pm though and I wasn’t sure I would really be able to pull that off. But I thought I’d see what developed.

TKTS sells day-of-show 50%-off theater tickets starting around 3pm in Times Square. From my 1980’s visit, I remembered long lines and could only imagine what that would be like 25 years later, but there is a satellite TKTS office in South Street Seaport that opens at 11am. Perfect. I walked from Chinatown and arrived just as they were posting the available shows. I stepped into line to wait half an hour–and got my ticket.

So, ticket in hand–and firmly committed to a 12-hour day–I set out across lower Manhattan.

Ground Zero – World Trade Center

I didn’t know anyone who died on 9/11, but after that day, we started to think about how our life on the West Coast separated us from our parents. We started  thinking about starting our own family. Now…my daughter starts 1st grade in two weeks. 9/11 didn’t “cause” things to happen, but it made us reexamine our lives and put some perspective against what had seemed important to us before.

I remember the World Trade Center from the late 1980s. Somewhere around that time, I rode to the top for the “worldview.” Later, in ‘95, my wife and I had some of the best falafel sandwiches I can remember from a vendor in Zuccotti Park. Yesterday, as I made my way across from Wall St, I remembered the park and begin to feel a sense of things different.

As I looked into the construction pit–now full of cranes and rising steel–it looked like any massive construction project. But then I looked up and tried to see what was no longer there. What once had blotted out the sky was now filled with light. Visually, it was wrong. It is hard to capture what is missing in pictures or words without the memory. I wonder as we fill that space with newness and as a new generation imprints on the newly built environment–will they feel the absence of what was? I can only imagine that feeling for the thousands affected by the gaping hole ripped not only in the sky or earth, but in their lives from the pain of those lost.

The photo I should have taken was as I ascended the Liberty bridge. One man crouched on the stairs, hands grasping the chain link, face pressed up close to peer through a small gap to see directly into the main pit. I wish I’d captured that moment. Whether he was fascinated by the construction or thinking about 911, who knows, but it stood in contrast to business of life moving on around me.

MoMA

I made my way north through what seemed and endless sea of shopping malls and shiny affluence and boarded a #2 train to head uptown.

When I was thinking of visiting the city, I thought of museums and remembered a rather stuffy tour of the Museum of Modern Art in 1992 when I was staying in New York for the Democratic National Convention. But I remembered the Monet water lilies and that they had a number of other impressionist works, so I figured if I had one museum to visit, this would be the one.

I’m no art history major. I don’t have a clue actually. But even since high school French class, I felt an affinity to the Impressionists. That was reinforced in 2005 when my wife and I took a biking trip in Provence and rode through the fields Van Gogh painted. So it’s kind of cool to have been where this was:

The feature exhibit was Matisse. Yawn. Sorry, I really tried to get into it, but his stuff just doesn’t do anything for me. I left the exhibit wondering if maybe I do need an art class to appreciate this stuff. But then I found Picasso, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Monet…

Nearly everyone in the museum was taking photos of the art which seems kind of lame to me. You can just go online, right, and download a copy. You can look at the photos in a book, right? Well, yes, but…

There is something more to the experience in person. There is a three-dimensional aspect to the canvas and also a situational aspect to viewing things at a world museum where hundreds of thousands come to regard what has stood the test of time as defining art. The camera…we document the experience, not so much the art. I was there; I took this photo. I captured the image and in my memory I can reconnect the experience through the photo. The photo in a book has no context for me.

It is similar to the olive trees. We were there. We felt the wind and breathed the fresh air as we rode through the fields of Provence. We took photos. I absorb Van Gogh’s work. I connect it all in a tapestry of ideas and experience that spans time and space and creates something rich within. The artists do all that and then express it in a way that millions can connect.

Central Park

I spent a few hours at the MoMA, then left and headed north to Central park. It was a spectacular day–mid 70s, clear blue sky, hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds out enjoying the park. If I lived here…I’d be on a bike or running or something, but I didn’t exactly line up a shower stall for my day visit, so I just walked through the park and started to think about my evening plan. I wanted to go back downtown to Greenwich Village. I wasn’t sure what I’d do there, but I didn’t remember much from my last visit. So I hopped on a 72st subway and rode down to Washington Park.

In the Shadow of Jane Jacobs

The plan at this point was to get something to eat, then head back up to Broadway for the 8pm American Idiot show. It was still before 5pm, so not even the senior citizens would be eating dinner yet, but I walked around a bit and eventually ended up at the White Horse Tavern. It was the only place that had people at this early hour, so I secured an outside table ordered a beer and burger and drank in the scene.

Now I started thinking…Hudson Street–that’s significant, right? It has been a while since I wrote specifically about urban planning and economic development, but as I recall, Hudson Street is where Jane Jacobs, the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities lived. I read the book only 2 years ago–it’s now almost 50 years since it was published, but it remains an inspiring call to arms for those who would change society through architecture and planning. I think if I’d read that book in college, I’d have gone to architecture school instead of law school.

I did a quick search on my iPhone–noticing the battery was about to fail–and located an article on Jane Jacobs’s townhouse being sold recently for $3.3 million. And the address–555 Hudson St. I looked across the street to see where I was and saw 554. Yes, I’m sitting practically under her windowsill.

2010 Hudson Street is nothing like the world described in 1961. But step off what is now the main drag and you can still sense the vitality of what has become a pretty gentrified urban environment. There are playgrounds and neighborhood stores. But it’s not like the Freewheelin’ Bob Dyan album cover. Students hang out at the bar but instead of talking about how Dylan Thomas died here or whatever, they are talking about their job interviews and how their friends moved to Brooklyn where they can afford to live.

American Idiot

I was a bit nervous about the whole Broadway adventure. I knew that if I missed that 11pm bus…I would be screwed, stuck in Chinatown at midnight with no ride home. So as my iPhone battery continued to go red and show 20% or less remaining, I double-checked the subway path home and set out a little early to give myself plenty of time before the show started at 8.

Earlier, I had downloaded iTrans, an iPhone app which gives you a map of the subway and helps you figure out how to get around. It was marginally useful. Mainly, I just looked at the map, but I did figure out there was a B/D train from 42nd St/Bryant Park that would take me to Grand St–about 2 blocks from the Fung Wah bus. That should work to get away from the theater around 945pm and leave plenty of room for any Fung Wah surprises.

So I hopped on the 2 Uptown to 42nd Street and walked the route from the St James theater on 44th St to plan my exit strategy: across 44th St to 6th Ave and down 2 blocks. D to Brooklyn, but make sure to get off at Grand or plan on taking a trip to Brooklyn.

With the exit route prepared, I grabbed a beer and then went to the theater about 1/2 hour before the show.

It’s a great show. It’s kind of confusing even for someone who has been listening to both albums (the show includes songs from 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot) for months, but you know…these things are “non-linear.” It’s an emotional experience, not a story with a neat solution for angry depressed youth. So like those Picasso works–I can’t tell you the meaning or the why of it all, but I can tell you the feeling.

The opening is the most powerful. It’s an all-out assault that captures the overwhelming and confusing media barrage of conflict that kids today grow up experiencing. My eyes are watering because it really hits me in the face. Our media culture exposes so much violence and conflict to us all that we are left wondering “what am I supposed to do with this information?” Especially when we are young and idealistic, we want to DO something but it is just overwhelming. I think watching this production shares that feeling across what might be a generational and memory divide.

We worry about the future we are leaving our kids. Perhaps we should worry more about the present.

When the show ended, I found my way to the subway and headed back downtown as planned.

Fung Wah encore

I arrived at 139 Canal St with plenty of time to spare, but the scene grew testy as more and more people arrived for that last bus. We stood on the sidewalk next to the off ramp from the Manhattan Bridge, and observed an incessant ritual of taxis angrily blowing their horns at cars unfamiliar with the concept of the flashing red light at Canal St. (Turn already!)

The crowd appeared to exceed what would fit on a single bus. The bus operators began to run back and forth, counting and recounting us and yelling at each other and into walkie talkies. Then they told us to go. Everyone picked up like a herd of antelope started by the sight of a lion and ran towards the bus. They stopped us and told us to line up in a single line. Then the counting continued while people in line started to worry about standing or being left behind.

It seemed clear to me that we’d be OK. There were at least 30 people behind me in line and they are not going to send us all home, right? Then, they told the people in line to get on the bus…but stopped at me and told me and everyone else to wait.

Eventually, I think we all got on the bus. I grabbed a seat and settled in for a three-and-a-half hour ride home that I mostly slept through. My car was there. I was home and in bed by 3:30am.

What a great trip!

My career is a search for opportunities to use my talents to help make a difference in people’s lives. My resume does not adequately make that connection. Much of what I enjoy writing involves connecting the dots between related but nonlinear ideas, so today I apply that to my own story:

I began with an interest in politics and ideas when I was inspired to go on the road with the Gary Hart campaign while I was an undergraduate at MIT in 1988. “Democracy, not Media-ocracy!” A similar motive led me to organize and lead Paul Tsongas delegates in Washington State in 1992 while I was in law school. In between, I created or improved student publications like the law school newspaper or the MIT Course Evaluation Guide. The common thread of my engagement was that I threw myself into–I committed myself 100%–to causes where I combined the tools I already had internally (communication, empathy, passion) with skills I rapidly developed (technology and presentation) to advance ideas for making something better.

Now that was a long time ago. But throughout my career I made choices based on my unique combination of talent and skills in pursuit of creative, innovative ideas that I believed would change the world.

At Smart Valley, Inc., I used technology to improve quality of life in Silicon Valley. I created an online database of volunteers to wire the schools to the internet, then build PCs for low income schools. I brainstormed the idea to create a voter information site–SmartVoter–that is still active today.

At Decisive Technology, we believed we could do surveys better online (instead of phone-based surveys). We could more accurately serve the needs of customers and employees by giving executives a way to hear those voices effectively. So I built a team of web engineers and we created EnterpriseView–a web-based analysis tool for survey management.

At ConsumerReview, we had dozens of websites driven by passionate enthusiasts like mountain bikers (MTBR.com) and audiophiles (AudioReview.com). To scale the company down to a survivable state, we need to consolidate. So we learned C# and .NET and rolled out a new publishing platform. Many were laid off, but the consolidated company has kept those user communities going for over a decade.

At QuitNet, we supported thousands of people trying to quit smoking by building, maintaining, and pioneering the online delivery of smoking cessation services through www.quitnet.com. As the business grew to serve a complete wellness and behavior change model, we managed the technology and community–from “servers under a desk” to a virtualized hosting facility and geographically-distributed telephone counselors. Now the service is part of a national health care company.

At Spire, I stepped into a role that quickly turned into the launch of a “spun-off” startup company. The core challenge was to provide a publishing and interactive experience where members could help one another. I improvised technology, integrated workflow, and promoted social media to support our efforts in growing the community.

Along the way, I acquired tech skills and titles. But I was always jumping into the trenches. I faced a challenge and I learned what I needed to get through it. I am not constrained by what cannot be done or what I lack experience in today.

So when people look at the individual items on the resume…and ask me if I am a manager, engineer, writer, marketer, or lawyer…I have trouble answering that. Yes. Well, OK, which one do you want to be? It depends on what I need to be to solve today’s challenge.

Yesterday, Patch (the hyper local news publisher funded by America Online) launched a Westwood, Massachusetts site–the 11th town so far in Massachusetts. I met the editor and am impressed that they are making an effort to cover the news in this town of 15,000–potentially filling the void left when the Daily News Transcript stopped being daily. A few people have asked me what does this mean for my site, WestwoodBlog.org?

The short answer is that is a source of more news and that’s good. Paul Gillin analyzes the Pew Research Center’s report on the differing priorities of bloggers and journalists and observes how bloggers need the mainstream media to provide source material for discussion. Although I have probably done more “original reporting” on my site than a typical blog, my goal has always been to stir up conversation and share information–not to be a reporter or investigative journalist. The site is a service for residents–to empower them to post their own news.

I think that local connection to the community is what is missing in most news coverage. You can send a reporter to every meeting of every board and commission, but when you don’t live in the community, you don’t see or hear what people are talking about and you don’t develop a sense of what matters. The news reporters can find stories–and tease out the facts and events or what is going on, but there is no feedback. Comments on news stories are not really participation because the story has already been written. Conversations on blogs are ongoing discussions. Blog posts in the form of citizen journalism can be biased–but that makes them better in some ways because they represent not what an outsider observed, but what a resident experienced.

Blogs and news, proceeding independently, are unsatisfying. The blogs can’t cover everything and can degenerate into opinionated diatribes. News stories can miss the context and move on to the next story. But together, these forms of media can create a “news ecosystem” that is mutually supportive.

A number of citizen contributions on my blog have led to news stories. In one case a resident blogged about the preservation of a school building–and then, a few days later, was interviewed and quoted in the newspaper. Another posted an article about a school music program being cancelled due to budget cuts–and again, ended up quoted in a mainstream news story. In many cases, I post articles that direct people to more specific stories in the media or to resources on the town website. As content contributors and community participants we share in the value not of any one source of news and information, but in the evolving ability to participate through this medium.

Yesterday, New Jersey hyper local blog Baristanet announced it was expanding to cover three additional towns where the New York Times has withdrawn from the local print publication market. It will be interesting to see how Maplewood Patch and Baristanet compete, coexist or cooperate. But whatever the outcome…print left town.

I think the best outcome here will be a sort of “confederation” of content. I wish I had the time and resources to create something like Baristanet–to pull together the independent voices of writers and residents not only in Westwood, but in Dedham, Norwood, Walpole, Milton, Canton–something I would call “Neponset News.” I think several sites like this could be destination sites–like Universal Hub in Boston–where people start–and then find what matters to them via links to source material (news) and community perspective (blogs). But I need to find a job.

Most of the hyper local news initiatives like Placeblogger and Outside.in start from a “tell me where you are” perspective. I will never go to some generic web site and enter my zip code as a means to find out what is going on in my community. I am unimpressed by technology-driven sites that just pull a bunch of localized data into one place. I am disappointed in sites that crank out a templated advertising vehicle for every town. But if regional hyper local sites can develop clear, localized brand identity–they can become destination sites that informally mediate the discussion of what matters in the community.

Electric bikes have been around for years but recent advances in battery technology and Bedford, Massachussets company Pietzo, may have finally made them practical for commuters seeking an environmentally-responsible alternative to gridlock. I test rode several today, and I encourage others to hop on one of these bikes and learn how it could change your life.

I’m a serious bike commuter–I’ve blogged about my commute into Boston on my fixed-gear, but I haven’t found too many takers on that urban adventure. I think these bikes could change that.

A hybid electric bike is a “bike with a boost.” It has a battery-powered motor that can assist pedaling or be used to exclusively power the bike. The smallest battery will hold a charge for a minimum of 20 miles–more if you are also pedaling. The Zephry model pictured is also a folding bike–allowing you to take it on the commuter rail or easily wheel into a workplace and up an elevator.

I was not sure what to expect as I hopped on this bike on a hot, humid June morning, wearing my khakis and Doc Martens. Usually my bike commute would involve “gearing up” into spandex, special shoes, etc. and planning on a 2nd shower (or just not riding on a day like today). What I found was an easy experience that left my shirt far dryer than it would have been if I had walked 3/4 of a mile. All in all I rode about 3 miles to test it out. And I’m still wearing the same clothes.

When I started pedaling, I felt the electric assist kick in–which helped me quickly get up to a decent speed on the busy Great Road in Bedford. I was not doing the typical “accelerate to avoid angry motorists” start. I tried the electric-only option for a while too, but I really enjoyed the simple assist coupled with my leisurely pedaling. At one point, when I needed to make a U-turn across a 3-way intersection, I was glad to have that extra electric acceleration so I could quickly and easily get going, get out of the way, and focus on navigating the traffic instead of pedaling up to speed.

Pietzo has a nice blog post about why avid cyclists would ride a hybrid, but I was more impressed by how this bike should appeal to the non-cyclist:

• No sweat. Seriously. Having walked to the commuter rail station many times in the heat of summer, I can honestly say this bike is better than walking and it extends your range dramatically for other short trips.
• Lightweight. The folding bike in particular is really just like a regular bike but with a battery. It’s not going to tip over and it is easy to maneuver out of the garage, out the back door, etc.
• Multi-modal opportunity for suburbanites. I live about 3 miles from another train station that has 15-minute trains to Boston. That is about a 15-minute bike ride (in cool weather, with special shoes, etc.) But on the Zephyr, I could simply choose the bike over the car and save $5 parking. Then I’d take the bike with me on the train for an easy ride from South Station up whatever hill I need to climb. That combination would be faster than any method of transportation I have been able to dream up in the last 5 years.

Electric hybrids make economic sense. Use the Pietzo savings calculator to see how much money you could save by bike commuting. I’ve done that calculation myself, but I had to add back in many other costs like bike clothes and lost time due to a mandatory wardrobe change on each end. The beauty of these bikes is they make everyday commuting feasible for the Lycra-averse professional.

Pietzo will be exhibiting at tomorrow’s Bike Friday in Boston and at the July 14 Mass Innovation Nights event in Waltham. More information is available on their web site at http://www.pietzo.com/

The iPhone 4 is out and while mobile and tech gadget gurus will analyze its features, this 2-minute video describing the “Facetime” feature deserves the Oscar. The video pulls all the right heartstrings and makes the case for why you just have to buy your grandparents one of these NOW. From the Apple website:

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality.

For thirty seconds, we have a predictable application–Dad away on a business trip in his hotel room alone. He watches baby crawl then Mom and the kids laughing and playing. Life is so good it’s like you don’t even have to really be there.

Then we move on to the grandparents watching daughter and granddaughter prepare for graduation.  A different daughter away at college shows Mom (or older friend?) her new clothes…but then Apple really pulls out all the stops…

A pregnant woman talks to her serviceman husband…and shares the sonogram. She switches to the second camera so he can see the baby on the monitor. He is so overcome with emotion…they start signing each other. It’s a beautiful mini-opera of empathic consumerism.

I’m not being cynical or facetious…well, not entirely. I’ve hooked up my iPhone with Ustream and called my mom to show her the kids on Christmas morning. It would be cool if it were so easy and if we could get her hooked up with Skype or something to do a 2-way video call. But there are a couple of practical issues.

One is the wifi–this Facetime feature only works between two iPhone 4s that are on a wifi network. It is not transmitting the video over the cellular network; you need access to an open wifi network that doesn’t mind you video streaming on their bandwidth. If you are at home, no problem, but it’s not quite a no-brainer.

Two is just the fact that everyone has to have an iPhone. That must be why Dad is working all the time and sitting in that hotel room watching his baby crawl via the iPhone parental link.

But it is cool stuff; you just can’t deny it. The video chat will not replace or patch relationships any more than friending your relatives on Facebook.  But it fills an undeniable need. The advertising is perfect to offer a solution that is far more enticing than just the gadgetry. We dream about the Star Trek communicators and transporter beams not because we want to go where no one has gone before, but because we want to be where we should have been all along.

This blog started in 2006 as the writing anchor to many of my endeavors. I am simplifying, consolidating and focusing my online presence to more clearly define the DaveWrites “brand” around what I do best:

• notice opportunities to use technology to make our lives better,
• research how it works, and
• write about it in a way that everyday people can find value

Someone asked me what the heck “DaveWrites” was/is the other day…and I just said, well…it’s where Dave writes. But it is a little more than that. I realized that most of my work–although it involves a very significant technical element–is more about creating content and sharing information in context to drive action. Many people become frustrated when they cannot make things happen. I write. And things happen.

Saturday, I ran the Harpoon 5-miler here in Boston. Thanks to a new technology, this was the simplest and easiest race ever for tracking my time. The race bibs had ChronoTrack B-Tag strips–completely eliminating the hassle of a timing chip. I did OK:

Nettime  Pace  Name                   Race# City/state
=======  ===== ====================== ===== =======================
 40:19   8:04  David Atkins           2566  Westwood MA

For those unfamiliar with road races, the technology has evolved dramatically in the past few years. When there are 3000 people in the race, it can take a person standing at the back with the walkers and strollers, 3 minutes or more to cross the starting line. You cannot count on the actual (guntime) timing from when then starter’s pistol goes off to when you cross the finish line to know your true time and pace. So most races now measure “nettime” the difference between when you cross the starting line and when you cross the finish line. But how is this done?

Until a few years ago, it wasn’t. Runners came to the finish line, tore off a tag from their race bibs and handed it to a volunteer. Other volunteers stood by with stopwatches and called out the times. Someone wrote all that down. That is still how its done when a race cannot afford the more sophisticated electronic tracking systems.

Until this year, those systems consisted of a timing chip you tied to your shoelaces. At the end of the race, you would bend over and remove the chip (don’t pass out!) and put it in a bucket to be collected by the race organizers. Fail to return the chip–pay a fee. Last year, that system was replaced by a disposable tag you threaded through your shoelaces. But, even with a video and instructions, those tags were hard to figure out.

This year, the tag was embedded in the race bib itself. No confusion. No delay. Just pin the bib to your shirt and run. A few minutes after crossing the finish line, you go to a results wall where the real-time numbers are being posted.

The technology behind the bib is called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The start/finish line is covered by mats containing radio transmitters that emit an electric field and induce a small current in the tag you are wearing which then broadcasts back your ID code. It is the same idea behind Fast Lane transponders and keyless entry systems. The transmitter/receiver creates an electromagnetic field around a highly localized area. The materials in the tag act as an antenna to collect the energy from that field and reflect back a unique electronic signature which is then detected and recorded along with the timestamp.

The link to RFID above provides a full, technical description of the electronics involved, but the advance for the purpose of racing timing appears to be in reducing the weight of the transponder so significantly that it can be unobtrusively added to the back of a race bib. There are just two plastic strips on the bib–antenna material far enough apart to be able to pick up the very high frequency signal from the mat and yet still resonate back an accurate and unique signal.

For those who can remember televisions with “rabbit ears” for antennas, you may also recall how frustrating it was to adjust the antenna, then step away and lose the reception. Perhaps someone was appointed to hold the antenna or stand nearby during critical moments of football games, etc. The principle is similar–a high frequency electromagnetic field is influenced by other conductive materials which generate interference by “reflecting back” some of the energy. Sometimes this enhances the signal; other times, it gets in the way. But the challenge for RFID is to do this in a reliable, predictable manner so that 100% of the time, the system will activate your race bib and then get the right number back–all done simultaneously with dozens of other runners who might be crossing the same field at the same time.

ChronoTrack seems to have nailed it with these race bibs.

Comment spammers are relentless. I spend time every day just deleting the comments that make it through Akismet and other spam filters.

The spam-filtering service Akismet defeats most automated spam, but I suspect there is a class of low-wage human-powered spamming going on based on some internet marketer’s idea of link building.

The reason some people post short comments like “Nice job. Keep up good work.” or “Good information, thanks for the post!” is because the comment form gives them the opportunity to link to another web site. That link becomes a part of my blog because it is published with the comment. This a legitmate way to build connections between bloggers. When I comment on someone else’s blog that has much more traffic than mine, I hope that people will check out my site to see what else I’m writing.

But the reason spammers comment on blogs is to improve search engine rankings. Links from blogs to web sites increase the ranking of those sites, because search engines believe sites with many inbound links are more authoritative and creditable. So a business might pay a marketing firm to go out and comment on all the blogs they can find. Then, they report back to the company: “we’ve generated 100 inbound links for you!”

The sad thing about such an approach–apart from my annoyance at these bozos–is that it is a fraudulent scam on the companies who are paying the “internet marketing firm.” Read Google’s opinion of comment spam on their blog. The message from Google is clear:

• it does not work; they will detect it and ignore it
• it can hurt you; they will penalize sites that use it

My simplistic description of how inbound links affect search engine ranking is NOT very accurate. Google has spent the last decade refining their algorithms for ranking sites. So it is not as simple as getting some links.

None of this is new. I’ve been deleting comments like this for years, and I try to avoid even thinking about it because it is a distraction from working on something that might actually generate some revenue for my business. But I think all bloggers should review Google’s recommendations on how to fight comment spam just to make sure they are not just hitting the snooze button every day for years. Let’s walk through Google’s recommendations with some real world practical commentary…

I think the CAPTCHA and Akismet approaches are the most worthwhile to pursue. Many of us set up our sites years ago and it’s worth a review of the technologies available to update our sites to make sure we are minimizing the amount of predictible spam, then, just delete those bogus comments that slip through.

This post turned into more than a few minutes diversion…feel free to submit your own comments and links to practical ways to fight spam. I’m sure this post will itself create a moderation challenge for me.

As I formalized the business organization for Dave Atkins Media, Inc., I learned a few things I am going to share here–sort of a corollary to my popular post on What I’ve Learned about Unemployment in Massachusetts.

But First Things First

Until you are seriously committed to starting a business, you don’t need to do anything more than find clients with work to do and make sure you get the work done on time. Thinking about tax issues and forming a corporation or LLC…even doing a business plan, spreadsheet, etc.–these are all distracting time-wasters that get in the way of generating that first bit of revenue. As a sole proprietor, working out of your home or a coffeehouse, the first step in forming a business is to get a client.

When you contract with your first client, rather than worry about whether you have formed an LLC yet or obtained a DBA certificate from the Town Clerk…just make sure you have a signed proposal that states the work you will do, how much you will be paid, and which includes a limitation on your liability such as:

CLAIMS. All claims for defective or incomplete Services must be made in writing fully setting forth the nature of the alleged defect or damage, within thirty (30) days from the date of the invoice. CLIENT’s failure to so notify PROVIDER shall constitute acceptance of the Services. PROVIDER’s liability is limited to the total cost of services invoiced.

Then, do the work. Do it well. Repeat.

When I started Dave Atkins Media a year ago, this was the rule I set for myself because I knew that as someone with legal training and curiosity about everything…I would quickly get lost in the fascinating details of things that mostly don’t matter. For accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes–use excel. Use a single worksheet of date, revenue, expense, description to start. Don’t run out and buy Quickbooks yet.

I also used Freshbooks–an online invoicing and time tracking system–to record my hours and expenses–then, each week, I would generate a report which gave me earnings – expenses = the amount I reported as freelance income for unemployment claims.

Ready for Prime Time
I reached a point where I decided to go “all in.” It would be nice if that point had been precipitated by a steady stream of cash flows and the growing realization that my business was taking off–but it didn’t work like that. I just decided that I needed to get out of my house and separate the business from my personal finances. I decided that whatever I built, it was going to be much bigger than just some temporary hourly contract work thing that I did until the next job came along. I think, for me it coalesced around the finding of an office space in the center of town with the opportunity to post a sign.

Choose the Form of Business
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has some guidance online: Forming a Business, Step by Step. It’s a good starting point, but it is easy to get lost in the details.

I chose an S-corporation as my business form. I started to write about why here, but then I found a blog in California that covers it pretty well. His decisions are influenced by the particulars of California law, but the Federal tax issues are the most significant to consider.

To form an S-Corporation:

Note: Your tax year will be January-December for all things. No Fiscal Year treatment for S-Corporations in Massachusetts.

Go to the Secretary of State’s Corporate database search and make sure the name of your company is not already taken. More info here.

Obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). You will fill out an online form and get an ID number immediately.

Use the online filing system at the Secretary of State’s website to create your Articles of Incorporation. Some key “hints”:

• specify 275,000 shares of undesignated stock. That is the maximum amount. If you want to change this later…$100 fee to file and $100/100K additional shares authorized.
• specify 1/1/2010 as the effective date of organization. Do NOT make the mistake of forming a corporation in November or December if you can postpone to January. This will save you $456 in minimum corporate excise tax you would otherwise pay in March 2010 for the first partial year.
• One person can serve as President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director. It looks silly, but if you are a sole incorporator, this is what you do.
• Submit the form and pay with your credit card.

There are two forms you must file with the IRS to elect S-corporation status. Go to the IRS website to download the forms in instructions for:

• Form 2553 Election by a Small Business Corporation
• Entity Classification Election (“check the box form”)

The paperwork is far from over, but you are now a corporation. You will need to draft and file additional documents including your bylaws and minutes from an initial meeting (with yourself!). I’ll blog about that separately…but it is critical that you follow the rules and keep up with the formalities/requirements.

Last Friday night, I attended an unconventional book-signing/networking party in Boston that brought together Gary Vaynerchuk, Jeff Cutler, and Mike Langford along with the usual suspects of the Boston social media scene. I picked up a copy of Gary’s book and then–because I missed the earlier train home, had an hour and a half to read it while waiting for the next commuter rail.

Gary is a “rock star” in the social media space because he used Twitter and Facebook to take his video blog, Wine Library TV, to stratospheric levels of popularity. He’s an inspirational phenomena of optimism, energy, and attitude whose contagious enthusiasm motivates and inspires.

I have a skeptical streak…and I will not to waste time here critiquing but instead focus on my takeaways. Like so many sources out there…you take what you need; you find the parts that challenge you to think.

People like Gary have aligned their passion with a platform that essentially makes sharing and self-promotion one and the same. The more he talks, the more people want to listen. Are his ideas revolutionary? No. Is there some deep insight in this book that will change your life? No. Is there a plan you can apply to your business idea to make a fortune and replicate Gary’s success, including a 7-figure book deal? No. So what is the point?

The point is that social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, and blogging give every person the power to both publish their own experiences AND, more importantly, CONNECT with others who share and amplify those passions. Find what you love to do and “Crush it!” Every person can become an enthusiastic authority about something and then, as they draw attention to their passion, perhaps they can “monetize” it. It’s not even all about money though really–if you could just afford to live your dreams, would it matter to make $60 million or $60 thousand a year?

But on this path, you really need to “Crush it.” To do that, you need to love what you are doing. A hobby blog about something you are kind of interested in is not going to do it. Starting a blog at your company and following the steps to promote it…is not going to do it. It’s not that Gary Vaynerchuck has a great video blog about wine. It’s that Gary Vaynerchuck is the Wine Library TV guy.

It’s not about expert opinions. I don’t know if Gary is an expert on wine. It doesn’t seem to matter. If you want a professional wine evaluation, I’m sure you can get that from people who are much less famous and making a lot less money. But they are boring. Gary is fun. You can complain that it’s not fair (if you are one of those people, for example) or you can realize, hey, it doesn’t freakin matter. Maybe if I find the thing I love and share it with everyone, they will love me enough that I can just do that and be happy.

But you’ve got to Crush it. Can you think of 100 or 500 blog posts you could write about the thing you are excited about? Do you want to scour the internet for information on that topic, commenting on everone else’s blog and engaging with everyone you can find? Are you motivated to hustle in this way? If not, don’t bother because there can be only one.

You need to find that passion…the thing that keeps you awake at night and is the burning fuel that will sustain you through what others would see as a lot of hard, tedious work. The good news is that social media gives you another tool that has the potential to hit the ball out of the park.

But you also have to pay the rent. That statement is the dream-killing, self-defeating reality check on so many aspirations for so many people. Fine, so pay the rent. Get a job and work 8 hours a day or whatever. But that leaves 16 hours for other things. After family and eating…ok, I guess you need to give up sleep. That’s the deal, really.

If you want to turn a dream into reality, you need to “Crush it.” You go “all in” on it and when you see an opportunity, you throw everything you have at it. Sunday, the Patriots beat the Titans 59-0 in 3 quarters of football. That sucks for the Titans, but it’s what happens when one team gives up against a team that doesn’t have a concept of “dialing things back a bit.” It does not mean you have a license/excuse to neglect other priorities…but when you are doing the thing you love–you need to give it all you have.

The passion is hard to find.

I found it hard, it’s hard to find, oh well, whatever, nevermind.

I don’t really know what Curt Cobain was thinking when he wrote that, but for me it symbolizes the fleeting nature of dreams for so many…especially those of us in Generation X who allow our cynicism to truncate promising optimism.

I do not write from the platform of a $60 million wine busines. I’m excited I found a project to do some consulting work this week that could turn into a longer term project. But what keeps me awake at night is thinking about how I can take this topic of active transporation, apply it to my town, and pull together my love of cycling and running, my desire to be a part of civic life, and my analytical and techincal skills to not only support my family, but make my world a better place.

One good thing about high gas prices…they may be encouraging more people to consider bicycle commuting. And more people riding bikes means drivers will be more aware of bicyclists and perhaps those of us who ride already will be a little safer.

I’ve noticed more bikes on my commute to Boston as reported by this Boston Globe article, although I do take offense at the author’s comment that

For bicycling enthusiasts – once a subculture of bike messengers, car haters, cash-poor students, and eco-activists – it’s beginning to feel like a tipping point.

I didn’t realize I was part of that subculture. I thought I was more of a “lycra-clad effete euro-poseur” on my road bike than part of a fringe subculture. Thanks, Boston Critical Mass for the email update about that Globe article.

Whether or not gas prices directly correlate with bike commuting is the topic of a thoughtful post at Jason Welker’s wikinomics blog. I commented there about the additional factors I think go into the “rider calculus” for me at least.

On a beautiful fall day in New England, who would want to drive a car to work? For some time, I’ve been meaning to carry a camera along my bike ride to work and take some photos. Last Friday, I got that chance.

My trip begins on Gay Street in Westwood–a wide, tree-lined street with farm/mansions at one end and houses like mine at the other. Usually, there is a line of cars up the hill from the stoplight, but on this day, I left a bit later and found no traffic. I was unable to snap a photo of the interminable bridge construction on Washington Street crossing route 128…but perhaps, before my kids start college, I will be able to ride my bike across a new, smooth bridge instead of dodging potholes and racing cars on the currently 2-lane bridge into Dedham.

I take Washington Street through Precinct 1 in Dedham, to Dedham Square.

After the square comes the circle–a terrible idea where Washington Street meets Route 1, resulting in a mess of concrete and asphalt that divides Precinct 1 and Dedham Square from East Dedham. Often, I avoid the circle by taking East Street, but that’s under construction too, so today, I braved the circle and charged on through and headed up Washington St past the former Dedham Mall.

Washington Street is a wide, 4-lane road that also serves a number of busses that make their way from the former Dedham Mall into the Boston neighborhoods of West Roxbury and Roslindale. In the moning, the traffic is not bad and although trucks and buses can sometimes come a little close for comfort, my bigger concern is dodging the ruts and potholes.

I always get caught at at least one light; this time, I’m left to look up the last stretch to Bellevue Hill and the West Roxbury Parkway/Eneking Parkway. I used to take the parkway because it is a nicer ride through Brookline, but Washington Street remains the most direct and efficient route, so I usually stick with that.

From the top of the hill, on a clear day, I can see all the way down into the city, from the clock tower at Forest Hills station on to the downtown skyline. The downhill ride is fast–sometimes 25mph or more. Coming home, this becomes a more leisurely ride, allowing ample time to experience the full ambiance of the housing projects along the way…

Forest Hills station is another cycling dilemma, not suitable for leisurely photo projects. The buses I have been competing with all down Washington Street converge on the station. But, after navigating through the maze of buses, taxis, and pedestrians, I cross the street and begin cycling down the southwest corridor multi-use path. The path take me through Jamaica Plain. The southwest corridor is a good idea…and most of the path is a great bike ride. But it can be challenging to cross certain streets. Some sections of pavement, especially around Green Street station, are so bad that most experienced cyclists opt for the road instead of the path.

The road also makes it easier to cross at Jackson Square. Jackson Square is the T stop abutting the Heath-Bromley projects. Some of these areas…I hear about them later on the news as crime scenes. But I’ve never felt unsafe riding through Roslindale and JP. On a bike, the biggest danger is your own lack of attention…then road/street hazards…then cars…then, maybe pedestrians.

The southwest corridar park takes me all the way to Ruggles station and the Northeastern campus.

As I ride up Columbus in the morning, I’m shielded from the bright sun by the campus buildings, then I cross Mass. Ave into the Back Bay on Columbus Ave.

I work my way through the South End via Warren Street and cut through on Waltham St to the “South of Harrison” artist district…past a big bus garage…until I encounter a highway mess.

The most difficult part of my ride is getting from the South End to Southie. It’s not a long ride, but I need to go up this 4-lane road to a left turn under the I-93 overpass and along roads under the highway until I can cut over to Southie on either the 4th St or Broadway Bridge. The problem here is that these roads are all ramps and feeders and not really suitable for bikes. I’ve tried other routes, but there is always a trade off and just too many on/off ramps in this part of town to avoid. I was shocked to see a woman running a baby carriage across this intersection, againt the light that I was afraid to cross against…insanity.

After crossing into South Boston, the final leg of my ride is up the Harbor walk along Fort Point channel, next to the Gillette Factory. Each morning I get an awesome view of downtown lit up by the rising sun and constantly changing as new construction projects alter the Boston skyline on a daily basis.

This ride takes about 50-60 minutes. I could probably do it faster, but I’ve learned that is the speed I can do without breaking too much of a sweat so I can still go into work without grossing everyone out. I hope.

I believe our most fundamental challenge is to restore a sense of community–a building and strengthening of the ties within our neighborhoods and between our communities, especially the neighboring towns where development is uncoordinated and often in opposition to the interests of the next town over. But what can any of us really do about that on a daily basis? It’s not even really my problem–it’s a theoretical observation, an explanation for some frustration about how our society can’t seem to solve big problems like ensuring health care for all citizens or delivering accountability and integrity from our government.

So instead of dreaming up “macro solutions,” perhaps we should consider some basic, day-to-day activities that permeate (or could permeate, with greater participation) civic life: walking and bicycling — what many term “active transportation.”

Boston has begun to improve the cycling infrastructure with new bike lanes, a bikeshare program, and bike commuting promotions like Bike Fridays. We should support, advocate, encourage, and educate about the benefits and practicality of cycling in the city with the dream of transforming participation into something like what the Netherlands experienced over the past 30 years. My ride in from Westwood is a physical way I feel more connected to the city, and I think the more people who share that kind of connection, the better.

For walking, we need to get out of our houses and apartments and onto the streets. Our kids need to feel safe walking to school. We should meet and know our neighbors. Walkable communities are not only safer, they are stronger–and the more people who share this experience, the more a sense of “connected place” will develop.

There are plenty of problems to solve and things to improve in our society, but where do we start? I think a sustained emphasis on encouraging and making safer these modes of active transportation could have systemic benefits to facilitate all other efforts while providing immediate improvements to our quality of life.

I still get nervous when it’s my turn to speak at a meeting. When I organize and lead meetings, I still feel like the novice upstart. I still assume there are older people who know better, and I wonder if they will take me seriously.

Then I realize I am 43 years old, and I recall what I thought of 43-year olds when I was 12. I thought they had it all figured out. They were my parents, my parents’ friends, the leaders in the community, etc. Sometimes I thought they had it figured out WRONG, but it never occurred to me that those “old” people felt the same feelings–when they were chairing a town committee or standing up to speak in front of a couple hundred people–that I still feel. It is a surreal experience to consider what I would have thought of myself.

We are all still kids in many ways. We don’t have it figured out. When we start something new, we are just as nervous as the first time we had to stand up in front of the class. When I talk to people about topics that I have a lot of knowledge about…the reality is, I am still hoping people don’t figure out I’m a phony or something. I don’t think it ever goes away.

But the excitement of learning doesn’t go away either. We are forever young in that when confronted by new experiences, we are like kids again, learning by experience, making mistakes, and figuring out enough to get through today’s challenge. As long as the challenges never end, we keep repeating the cycle, and while there is some discomfort in those feelings, there is also the thrill of learning something new and discovering that we can.

I’m too young to write advice on how not to get old, but I believe finding those moments of uncertainty in our lives–and embracing them, not fearing them–is how we stay young.

I recently reviewed the mission statement of this blog and was struck by how it sums up my own “mission.”

The purpose of this blog is to connect topics in economic development, community development, and new media technology and identify practical actions readers can take to make a difference in improving our society.

I want this to be more than a writing project. I wrote a series of posts about a business plan, a sort of thematic arrangement of content topics I would write about to create a popular blog. That’s not really a business plan–the business plan was just to get more traffic and use google adwords to make some money off clicks. But for that to work, I need hundreds of thousands of visitors…I need the blog to be an end unto itself…and that is not what this is about.

The blog is a tool, a communication medium that has connected me with people who share ideals and passions about improving society. I think there are many of us who are engaged in what Ed Morrison of the I-Open Institute describes as “Strategic Doing.” Some of the things I’m “doing” strategically are to:

• create a blog in Westwood to encourage greater participation of residents in our community
• form a Pedestrian/Bicycle Safetey Committee in Westwood to look for opportunities to make the town more walkable
• get a Community Access Television station up and running in Westwood

Now what does any of this have to do with economic development?

The older, traditional ideas about economic development were about attracting business to locate in town. It was about creating a regulatory climate friendly for business and identifying opportunities–then clearing obstacles. I’m not a practitioner and I cannot claim expertise about the work that continues in that conception of economic development. But I think there is a “New Innovation” growing based on an increasingly engaged and creative Citizen 2.0.

If we can find ways to connect the people who are innovating–problem-solving individuals who care passionately about issues of sustainability and growth–I believe people will be begin to see opportunities to invest. This will become “Enterprise Collaboration.”

Again, what does it mean?

To revitalize a town, you need people, not just business. You need the people who will shop there and the people who will open stores. You need people who live there and care about the community and who choose to make their stake in town, rather than hopping in a car and driving to a job in the city where they can collect a paycheck and go home to sleep and watch TV. You don’t need EVERYONE to do this, but you need a critical mass of a few people who are no longer fighting the good fight alone, but who network with each other, draw strength from each other, and see opportunities they would not have seen alone.

It is the same principle in schools–to make them better, we don’t need more money alone, we need parents to be involved. We need that elusive and powerful force of responsibility and activism that is more evident in its absense in the anonymous suburbs and isolated communities of regions in decline.

What next? What do I do?

That’s the $100,000 question, really. I need to find a way to take these ideas and passions and not only accomplish things, but generate income for me and my family. My website describes one approach of the type of consultative advice I believe I could deliver. But talk is cheap…or, more realistically, just sitting around talking about theory is not something cash strapped town can afford to bankroll.

I could create a non-profit, an association not unlike a chamber of commerce, but more of a business facilitator…then choose projects to tackle and start delivering value to the members of the organization. Perhaps opportunities come out of more of these discussions…perhaps it is as basic as helping civic organizations set up blogs and facebook pages. But I think fundamentally, I need to identify some real, specific needs of the community and find how money is currently being spent towards that need–then propose a less expensive alternative.

I’m tired of hearing people complain that so many don’t read newspapers or vote or participate in their communities. The belief that Americans have become apathetic, complacent conformists is accepted as conventional wisdom, when, in fact, I believe it is about to reverse and correct in a dramatic fashion. I would go so far as to say the death of newspapers and disengagement of traditional forms of participation is more a recognition that those forms are irrelevant to people today and that the impulse to participate drives people to more effective channels. We’re mourning the death of the irrelevant while new forms are flourishing.

But first, let’s look at the real symptoms of change.

Robert Putnam considered the decline of community in his book Bowling Alone and concluded that generational change and television were largely responsible for a decline in civic engagement, colorfully metaphorized by the decline of bowling leagues. The key “surprise” in his book was the illustration that decline in civic participation was only slighty due to the usual supects of work/sprawl/lifestyle–my own assessment that the reason I was not more involved in my community was that the schedule of commuting and working in Boston left me no time to be “present” in my community…but I was wrong. The biggest factor in the decline of “involvement” was simply the passing of generations…the fact that a large group of people–boomers–replaced the “greatest generation” as they moved through life stages, and these boomers had different lifestyles.

My law professor, David Skover, taught a media seminar while writing a book, the Death of Discourse, where he expanded on the media theories of Marshal McLuhan, and more recently Neil Postman, to illustrate that our consumption of passive media, like television, was fundamentally changing the way we think. Al Gore picked up on this thread in his book The Assault on Reason where he bemoaned the decline of civility in conversation and the increasing impossibility of rational argument in a culturally-politicized world.

Doom and gloom. We’re all going stupid and irrational. How many more seasons of Survivor could there be?

But other things are happening that change the world.

• Our work lives have broken down traditional models of compartmentalization…we live and work in a “bursty, always on” style that is frustrating to navigate, but “better” in many ways once we figure out how to manage the transitions. Richard Florida developed a whole economic development worldview around the idea that the changing nature of work–the fact that more and more of us are engaged in “creative class” type work activities is changing the way we live.
• A massive cohort of collaborative, optimistic young people is entering the workforce. Generation Y, the NetGen, whatever you want to call them, represent a massive generational change that, consistent with Putnam’s theories, has to exert a big impact on our society.
• The medium is changing. Television was the medium that was diagnosed as having changed us so profoundly. Not even 10 years ago, we sat and stared and watched the drivel that was beamed to us from mass media producers and we consumed a steady diet of mind-numbing idiocy that anesthetized us to our dissatisfaction. But it began to fade…and the volume was turned up until we are now served an unbelievable diet of violent obscenity that is necessary to waken our dulled senses. But increasingly, we are tuning out. In a time of transition, it is hard to see the edge of change, but instead of wondering how far they can go, we should be wondering why they have had to go so far to hold our attention. The answer is that it is failing because we need something better.

The new medium is collaborative and participatory. The new medium is expressed in terms of “social media” and a society of publishers…where people turn off their televisions to go write a blog. In a time of transition, some things seem ridiculous…how can updating my Facebook status be more socially-responsible than sitting down to read the New York Times? But it WILL be this and more…and it will change us all…but that is a post for another day…

Well, actually, I did make a list. But making a to do list, more often than not, is a tiring postponement of what should be done right away. However, I thought it might be helpful to illustrate how I spend my “leisure time” these days now that I’m not working…and maybe I’ll get this stuff done if I write it down!

• invoice client for last month’s work – yes, I tend to forget to do that on the first of the month…I do need to get paid!
• write blog post for Heroix on using Google Reader to keep track of IT News
• start writing a blog post for tommorrow on database administration tips–post something to Twitter asking for suggestions, then write something up. This also supports my campaign to get hired at HubSpot.
• watch the video at HubSpot and follow up with the half-dozen people I know who know people who work there.
• write up an editorial policy for WestwoodBlog for the coming Town Election so I can invite the candidates for Planning Board to participate and then go ahead and post the interesting cartoon David Feyler sent me last night for his campaign
• email consultant speccing out Westwood Community Access Television broadcast facility build-out
• email contact at mass.gov Deptment of Labor and Workforce Development re my suggestions for their blogging efforts and improving administration of unemployment benefits and communication
• post calendar items on WestwoodBlog for next meeting of Ped/Bike Safety Committee where we’ll have state coordinator for Safe Routes to Schools speaking and also post event for Westwood Environmental Action Committee meeting this week
• email QuitNet re suggestions for talking about using social media
• touch base with friend Tyson re social media consulting proposal from last week
• post videos to Facebook from last week’s Salty Legs Career Club event (already blogged that here)
• email Paul re how I could be helpful to FableVision–oh, just saw him in person…but we’re all busy here!
• sign up to attend Boston World Partnerships networking event tonight in Boston
• review Marketing Manager job listing someone sent me…can I fit that?
• Tweet something useful as @daveatkins and @it_heriox
• return library book on Town Meeting parliamentary procedure
• write this blog post while I eat lunch here at Dedham’s Cafe Video Paradiso

Actually, I’ve done about 2/3 of that. This morning has been productive. Now to go pick up the kids from pre-school…

I’m looking forward to a social gathering and speech tonight where Dan Schawbel will talk about “personal branding”–how you market yourself to other people. I’ve had an amazing amount of interest in my story of using social media in my search for work, including a number of media interviews, most recently a front-page story in the Boston Business Journal.

I’ve expanded my network greatly, but I recognize I am still not very narrowly-defined…people send me job listings I’m way under or overqualified for and they are surprised when I talk about my involvement in local issues. The “mash-up or blended life” is not a great “closer” for an interview. And pursuit of starting my business Dave Atkins Media! is confusing–am I looking for a job or work or both?

Update:

I’m including the raw video footage below from Dan’s talk. This will not win any awards for production quality, but the content is worth listening to…

Here’s a peek at what I’ve been up to at Heroix, where I’m blogging about my experiences in the technology trenches. The items below are excerpts from the longer entries…click on over to the Heroix blog to read the rest of the story…

I was asked to summarize my situation as a potential “human interest” story…so I wrote the following copy. Some of this is clearly redundant with previous blog posts…

Dave Atkins is a veteran of the up and down world of start up companies. Prior to his current job, he worked in Silicon Valley during the dot com bubble bust and as a Director of Engineering, he went through multiple rounds of layoffs, deciding who to layoff and delivering the news–in one case to a returning new mom. But when the economic downturn hit his current company, Dave and his team members faced a sudden rude awakening.

As of early November, the company had funding adequate through May 2009 and began talking to VC firms about another round. But his CEO quickly learned there was no money to be raised. The company decided that in order to preserve any possibility of a future, drastic measures were needed. Nearly all senior personnel–8 out of 17 people–are to be laid off effective December 31.

What’s surprising about these layoffs is how the team continues to work. Dave and another “short termer” were up at 6am last Thursday morning to deploy a major upgrade to the website. As the Technical Operations Manager, Dave is responsible for setting up and transitioning the systems the sole remaining engineer will have to manage. The 3 of 4 technical people to be let go are planning the termination process–how to change passwords, disable accounts, and ensure that the remaining team members are “positioned for success.”

“I can’t deny it’s not weird,” Dave said. “But I think we all feel a certain personal loyalty to one another and we all recognize that this is a business decision that was not easy or made lightly by our CEO. She trusts us to continue functioning as professionals and we respect the choices she made.”

Dave, the sole income earner for a family of 5, is making the most of his time before the layoff. As the company meeting unfolded, Dave began texting his friends on twitter, getting an immediate job lead. That night, he blogged about the start of his job search, optimistically observing that because of his involvement in social networking sites, he knew hundreds of people he could contact now–a far cry from only two years ago when his role had been very isolating in another company. One of his connections is a personal coach who offered him advice and support; another connected him to the Salty Legs Career Club.

Dave balances his “finish up” tasks at work with networking meetings and an all out effort to meet new people and find work. “My employer is very supportive. Our CEO has offered to connect us with anyone she knows and help in any way possible. And if I need to go to a meeting or interview, of course no one is going to question that.”

“This whole experience finally woke me up,” Dave observes. “I should have found a way to be doing this months ago. A career club is much more than a place for job seekers to exchange leads, it’s a mechanism to connect with people outside your company and to develop new leads. I think we all need to stop thinking in terms of “jobs” and start thinking about finding work and connecting with real people in as many channels as possible: social media and face-to-face. No job is ever going to satisfy the many things we want to do in life and working for a single employer is just too risky to do without some kind of network for when the work runs out.”

This economic downturn is different from 2002, especially in the tech/internet space because of how people are responding to it. I was speaking with a reporter from TheStreet.com yesterday who was interviewing me about my layoff situation, and it struck me that perhaps my outlook is not uniquely optimistic, but shared by many others. I’m sure there is plenty of negativity to come and that we are only beginning to experience the disruption, but I know my response has been fundamentally different.

In 2002, the website everyone I knew was following was F*ckedCompany.com. Every day, that website published “insider stories” about the unbelievably idiotic things that were going on in companies. It also served as a bellwether of discontent and early warning of impending layoffs. Companies lived in fear: “I hope we don’t end up on that site!” Employees could not wait to post their stories of incompetent managers, wasteful company largess, and the doom and gloom stories of dotcom bust and failure.

I visited that site just now and, “Pud” reports, the site is “sorta [F'd].” Good. Who’s got time for that kind of self-pitying crap now? I’m sure it’s out there, but it is not what I’m seeing.

In 2008 I see people of all ages networking like crazy, emphasizing their positive aspects, working together to help each other, and being optimistic about the future. Maybe it is driven by Millennial enthusiasm and entrepreneurship, but I see it from my generation (X) as well as we go to networking events, join career clubs, and use social media to connect and learn.

It is early in my own quest and I’m still finishing out my time at work until the official layoff happens. But it feels like a much better world than the last time around. I tell people I see massive disruption…whole industries may be lost and millions will lose the jobs they have today. But this is the moment of change. Books like Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat described how things were going to change and Nicolas Taleb’s The Black Swan warned us that the future would be unpredictable. There will not be a gradual change, an evolution in the way we live and work…instead change is coming in waves we cannot control, but must struggle to navigate as best we can. There is no time to spend worrying or wishing about what might have been. We must embrace the future and make it ours. That is what I see happening.

I had the opportunity to speak with a local reporter about my layoff and search for work. One of his questions was whether I had advice for other people.

I was hesitant. I don’t have a complete success story to tell yet, but I can describe what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. I think social media gives us a far more authentic and easier way to establish and maintain a personal network.

A friend asked me if he should “post something on LinkedIn.” As I’ve connected with people I know, I find there are plenty of people who are not on LinkedIn, many who have never heard of twitter, and few who would consider Facebook as part of a job search. So, while I do not have a ready-packaged story of how social media got me a job, I thought it would be helpful to give examples of what I’m doing, on the chance that it would give other people ideas.

Dan Schawbel wrote a great piece a few weeks ago on the real way to get a job using social media that mirrored what I’m already doing. But there is an almost overwhelming amount of such advice out there and I hope that by describing my specific case, it may help people better visualize what they can do…to see the value in these activities…

Let’s start with LinkedIn. There are some great tips at ImOnLinkedInNowWhat, a blog that complements a book, but here’s what I’m discovering…

At a bare minimum, joining LinkedIn will allow you to:

• put a version of your resume online so you can send people a quick link in an email like this: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daveatkins
• keep track of co-workers who may change email address/company/etc.
• give you an opportunity to have past and present co-workers write recommendations for you that show up on your profile. Not heavy duty recommendation letters, but just short positive statements…then, other people will see your profile linked in from your friend’s profile.
• allow you to research people you may be interviewing with.

To illustrate this last point, here’s what I did recently: I saw an interesting job that seemed like it might be a good fit on Startuply.com. Before sending in a resume, I looked over the list of founders and searched for their names on LinkedIn. From viewing their public profiles, I could see that one was an MIT alum like me. Then I searched for him on twitter and started “following” him. In addition to sending my resume, I sent a message directly to this person and arranged a phone call–not necessarily to interview for the position, but to connect for networking. When I spoke with him, I had his whole resume in front of me. I also noticed another company he had founded that sounded very interesting…which led to my discovery of BlitzTime.

I did not get the job. But I did make a good connection that led to connections with more resources (see my blog post about BlitzTime). I did not see my phone interview as a defeat, but rather a step in the process. I was learning. I was expanding my knowledge and increasing the probability of finding opportunities.

There are many more uses for LinkedIn…I’ve only scratched the surface here…but my point is to answer the question of “why bother?” and perhaps fire up a little interest in learning more. I too had read advice about using LinkedIn, but I had to take action to start to find value. There is a certain leap of faith and comfort without concrete returns that should be a part of any job search strategy.

The best advice I can give is to stay positive. An article in US News offers 7 Reasons You Won’t Get a Job in 2009, but it’s worth the read to recognize some old ideas that are DOA today. Most of the things they talk about don’t even make sense to me–e.g. who sends copies of “recommendation letters” to a potential employer? But two “mistakes” stood out for the value a positive perspective lends to your efforts:

1. You’re using your connections to find a job. Their point is that that you don’t get a job from your direct connections, so don’t waste your energy there. If your friends have a job for you…you would already know. The point is to use your connections’ connections…to have your friends and colleagues thinking about who they might know who could help you. So when you talk to the people you already know…you ARE NOT begging for a job. You are giving them an opportunity to help you through who THEY know. When you think of it this way, I think it removes a lot of pressure…but it does force you to think of what to tell them so they can effectively help you.
2. You see your job search as personal and private. For many people, being laid off is a personal defeat, an embarrassment. When I had to lay people off in a previous job I told them it was not the same as being fired and that they had done nothing wrong…but I think they thought it was just BS. Others got to stay, so they must have been better. Whatever. We don’t have time for that kind of thinking now. I’m telling everyone who will listen that I was laid off and am looking for work. I say “looking for work” because while I did recraft my resume to empahsize my 13 years of internet technology operations experience, I am also launching an interactive media consulting business and looking for work where I can sustain myself independently.

As you can tell from the links in this post, I’ve spent a lot of time writing. I don’t recommend people start there unless they are already doing it. I’ve been blogging here at DaveWrites for over 2 years and have written probably over 250 thousands words on topics as diverse as religion and economic development. It’s my way of finding structure and purpose to what I feel I must do.

Landing the next gig is all about possibilities. It would be fair to criticize time spent on unproductive tasks, but in previous job searches (albeit where I was already employed and had more time luxury to wait for results), I think I limited myself by some self-analysis. In this quest, I do feel there is not enough time in the day, but I am not at all frustrated–I feel I have a million things to do and try…and of course I will adapt as I go along. The enemy of success here is to cut off possibilities by being prematurely critical. I feel that much of what I’m doing is “building a sail” or a “spreading a net.” I don’t know how a newspaper article about my being laid off will directly translate into opportunity…but it is all part of doing what I can do, utilizing all the tools, resources, skills, people, contacts, connections, and ideas I can to ignite a fire of interest in Dave Atkins.

Update 2/20/09: The policy I purchased, after the long analysis below, turns out to not satisfy the minimum requirements of Massachusetts law. It fails to provide insurance adequate for an individual to avoid paying the penalties Massachusetts imposes on individuals who fail to purchase health insurance. If you are willing to pay those penalties, you might still elect to purchase such a plan.

I have canceled the policy. I am pursuing MSP still but may end up opting out of COBRA now so I can opt-in again in March when the Federal benefit kicks in.

Update 2/19/09: It now appears the benefits provided under the stimulus bill ARE NOT retroactive. This means if you start COBRA coverage on 3/1/09, no problem, you should only have to pay 35%. But if you already paid the full rate for January and February, you are stuck. If you were laid off on 12/31/08, your option to sign up for COBRA expires on 3/1/09, but this bill is supposed to extend your eligibility period. However, the big question is whether, if I elect coverage on 3/1/09, I will pay 35% of March or if I will also be on the hook for $2600 for January and February. It would seem ridiculous to have to pay for coverage I did not use.

Update 2/16/09: The Economic Stimulus Package signed by President Obama includes provisions for the Federal Government to pay 65% of COBRA. This benefit is available for individuals who make up to $125,000/year and families at $250,000. That means, for most unemployed persons with higher base incomes, if they are not eligible for Massachusetts’ 80% coverage, they will be eligible for the Federal subsidy which is better than any private insurance option.

The discussion below remains relevant for the self-employed, but if you can get COBRA under these terms, you are probably better off doing so.

Text of original post follows…

The most disturbing aspect of being laid off is losing health insurance. I found a solution for my family, and while it is not necessarily for everyone, I wanted to describe it here and help educate others facing similar choices.

Federal law allows you to continue participation in the group coverage you had while employed through COBRA, but:

• It’s expensive. Like ridiculously expensive. Do you realize what health insurance is costing your employer? Well, prepare for a rude awakening when you find that to continue the economy/value plan your employer was purchasing to keep costs down will cost over $1300/month to insure your family.
• If your company goes under, COBRA stops. Yes. If your layoff is a prelude to the company being dissolved, you should realize that when that does happen, you will lose your health insurance.

When you are laid off, you have some breathing room because you have 60 days to elect COBRA, then another 45 days to make the first payment. But this is not helpful, because you will spend those 60 days in an uninsured mindset, especially if you have a family.

The baby has a fever. Is it an ear infection? Do we have any amoxicillin left over from the last time? Let’s try that first. Looks like his eye is getting infected–conjunctivitis again. OK, we have a couple of different types of eyedrops left over; we’ll try the erithromyacin ointment first, then the ciprofloxacin drops. It would be nice to take the baby to the doctor but that $25 visit is going to cost $1325 because once we do it, we will have to elect COBRA. Fortunately, the fever passed and the eyes cleared up. (note: see comment below; I am not recommending this as a course of treatment, just relating my own personal experience.)

Now the kids are vomiting and have diarrhea. Me too. Crap. Well, put them on the BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet, stock up on Pedialyte, and hope for the best.

Experience has taught us that these situation are not emergencies and even if you go to the doctor, they will just tell you to continue what you are already doing. But when it starts, you don’t know that for sure. And of course, if things did get bad, we’d go to the doctor and be glad we had COBRA. But the uncertainty is maddening.

I wanted to get out of this cycle quickly, so I investigated my options.

Massachusetts Medical Security Program

If your are receiving unemployment, you can apply for the Medical Security Program and, if approved, receive 80% reimbursement for COBRA premiums paid. In my case, this means my expense would become about $260–a pretty good deal, right? OK, but…

Eligibility is based on an annualization of the past 6 months income plus projected income (your unemployment benefits). If you are at the 400% Federal Poverty Guidelines level, you qualify. Most people will qualify, but if you had a six-figure income or did not have a big family of dependents, it could be close. For a family of 5, the maximum income is 99,200. So, you’d have to be making 200K to be completely ineligible.

But am I eligible or not? I spent 30 minutes on hold today waiting for a person to answer the phone and had to give up because someone was calling me about potential work. I think I qualify, but if I don’t, I’m out $1000 or more each month.

How does my freelance income affect my eligibility? I did a project last week that blew away my eligibility for unemployment benefits, but this week, I am probably eligible again. Does my freelance income go into a recalculation of eligibility? I am not comfortable with this level of uncertainty–I suspect I will end up ineligible, but I have to elect COBRA and put $1300 on the table each month, then hope I get reimbursed.

Massachusetts Health Connector

The Massachusetts Health Connector has a website that helps residents find health insurance. If you are poor and not eligible for unemployment, you may be able to take advantage of the Commonwealth Care program (see the Connector website–I could not link to it directly). If you are not eligible for Commonwealth Care, you can use the web-based tool to generate a list of private insurance options.

Most of those options will be less expensive than unsubsidized COBRA, with costs for family coverage ranging from $775 to $1800/month. But at this point you must educate yourself on how health insurance plans work and why the premiums vary so widely.

Why we buy insurance

We buy insurance to manage risk. Risk, in a financial context, is all about timing. For healthy people, it is typically about insuring against catastrophic risk and then managing the timing of unpredictability. But for many insurance products, if the risks are low, what you are essentially doing is “pre-paying” your medical services.

Each month, you pay a premium and co-pays for when you utilize health care. So, for a healthy adult like me, I would pay the premium all year, then a $25 copay for my annual checkup. So that annual checkup really costs many thousand dollars. For the kids, there are more doctor visits, vaccines, well-baby and sick-baby visits, etc. but the bottom line is that for 2009, electing COBRA, I am guaranteed to pay over $15,000. That’s some pretty expensive doctor visits.

Of course there is the chance of catastrophe. That’s what we are really paying for. What if someone has cancer? What if I had a heart attack or stroke? That’s why you CAN’T go naked with no health coverage at all.

The other reason we buy insurance is to get into a negotiated fee network. If you do not have health insurance, doctors and hospitals will charge you many times the rate they charge people with insurance. For those outside the US, perhaps all of this is bizarre, but that’s how it works here. People without insurance who have catastrophic medical problems quickly amass huge medical bills, then make partial payments until they lose their homes to foreclosure and declare bankruptcy.

Deductibles

I was prompted to think about insurance differently because of my review of plans with high deductibles. At first, I thought this was a bad idea…you have to pay out of pocket up to a certain amount. But you are already doing this when you pay that high monthly premium. A component of the premium is really your prepay of a deductible.

I met with Stevn Gubb, an insurance agent from the National Association for the Self-Employed who showed me a plan with a $10,000 deductible and monthly premium under $500. I had some reservations…and found some websites calling such deals scams…but most of the complaints I could find were by people who did not understand how this works or for whom the product was not really appropriate.

If you and your family are healthy–you do not routinely use health care except for scheduled doctor visits–then it does not make sense to pay a high premium to keep your copays low. Why pay $800 a month to save $100? You can absorb a deductible fairly quickly from the savings in premium payments. Another way to think about it, if you are risk averse, is to put aside the difference between a high deductible plan and a no-deductible plan in savings so that when expenses do come up, you have savings to cover it. If the expenses do not materialize, you bank the extra money.

Plans like this give you the two things you need most:

• protection against catastrophe, and
• negotiated fee structure

Now I am not ready to fully recommend this plan because I have not actually used it yet. I don’t know what the actual doctor visits are going to cost when we have to pay for various tests and things that we never saw on the bill before. But I am willing to take the money risk of more expensive doctor visits over the potential failure of the state to pay my COBRA benefits.

Caveats

This type of plan is primarily for the self-employed. In the future, if I take a full-time job with benefits, then I will happily go back to paying $200-300/month for a no-deductible plan. But as I develop my business, I’m seeing many things with a different perspective and I hope I can make this work.

There is no prescription drug benefit. We get a discount card, and I don’t really know exactly what the costs will be, but we are not big drug consumers. I did some price checks on the drugs we have in the house, and it was not bad.

This plan is not for people who have chronic conditions or at risk for developing such conditions. I’ve seen my doctor fewer than 10 times in the past 7 years. I went without health insurance when I was single. Having kids changes things, but they are healthy and do not have any conditions that require monitoring or treatment.

Other Options

Internet Insurance Brokers. When I first started looking, I went to a friend’s website and followed a link to http://www.online-health-insurance.com/ But this is just a marketing vehicle for agents. What happens is you submit your information then random agents start calling you. No thanks.

MSP Direct Coverage. Ari Herzog commented on my post about unemployment with his solution–he was able to demonstrate sufficient need to get direct coverage from the Medical Security Program.

Final Thoughts

This is a big topic and all I can really write about is my experience. I think it was helpful to meet with Steve, a person I knew personally and developed some trust with, before purchasing his plan. Time will tell whether the plan gives us what we need, but it is our best effort to manage these risks and control costs.

Massachusetts has some of the best social insurance programs of any state, but a confusing array of choices and misinformation makes it impossible for many to get the help they need. The process is needlessly complicated, but could be fixed with a checkbox.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about what I’ve learned about the process of collecting unemployment in Massachusetts. I followed that up with a post about my decision to purchase high-deductible health insurance instead of paying for COBRA.

That plan went awry when I discovered that the insurance policy the agent sold me failed to meet minimum creditable coverage standards in Massachusetts. He refunded my money, but somehow, these policies remain legal to be sold in Massachusetts. Families who purchase such policies will be required to pay the Commonwealth of Massachusetts a penalty that could exceed $1000 when they file their taxes next year.

Since I was laid off on New Year’s Eve, my family has postponed our 1 and 3-year old’s annual checkups. Last week the entire family was sick with a wheezing cough and nasty cold. If we had been covered by health insurance, we would have paid the $25 co-pay to obtain a little peace of mind. Happily everyone is improving.

Instead of going to the doctor, I spent hours on the phone trying to find out if we were eligible for assistance in paying the $2624 worth of premiums for January and February COBRA. Although I had applied for the coverage in anticipation of my layoff, my application was never processed and eventually lost. An agent qualified me today in about an hour. I also wasted an entire evening being sold a bogus insurance policy and then undoing it. Instead of looking for work and concentrating on the part time work I have found, I spun myself into a fury of frustration against a backdrop of unhappy housebound kids.

All of this could have been easily avoided.

Eligibility for the Massachusetts Medical Security Program is based on income–the past 6 months plus a projection of the next six months. All of this information is available at the time an unemployment claim is filed. In fact the benefits determination that calculates your weekly benefit must verify your salary history. The weekly benefit amount is, presumably your only income source at the time you file your initial claim. Why not add a checkbox: “Apply for Health Care Assistance” to the form?

In fact, because Massachusetts requires residents to maintain health coverage, why make it an option at all? For laid off workers who qualify for MSP Premium assistance, especially those who have families, why not require us to declare our health insurance choice as a condition of benefits? Health insurance is a fundamental requirement. No public purpose is served by giving laid off workers a choice of doing nothing and hoping for the best.

When I filed my initial claim for unemployment, I watched dumbfounded as nearly everyone in the room filled out tax witholding forms to request Massachusetts withold income tax from their unemployment benefits. I plan to file quarterly–there is no reason to give back any cash until absolutely necessary. Instead of witholding taxes, we should be witholding health insurance premiums and ensuring that laid off workers do not go without coverage.

I’m not asking for increased benefits. I’m just asking that the system be made to work.

This is not a blog about unemployment. But many laid-off individuals have told me they found my posts helpful, and I hope that has made things slightly better for them. I want to illustrate another problem and solution here that I hope gets the attention of someone who can do something about it…

This morning, I recorded one of the half-dozen calls I made to the Department of Unemployment Assistance to re-open my claim. The problem is, when you call the DUA, you get a message that says they are too busy to take your call. That wouldn’t be so annoying if it did not come 3 minutes into each call, after you have punched your way through a phone tree of questions and typed in AND CONFIRMED your social security number and year of birth. Listen to the call to see what I mean.

Legal note: It is a crime to record any conversation, whether oral or wire, without the consent of all parties in Massachusetts. The phone call above was never answered;I would have terminated the recording had a person answered. An unanswered phone call is not a conversation; there is no person’s privacy to violate, and no intent to record a conversation, since the entire purpose was to document the automated system.

For a person who is trying to file a claim over the phone, this is what they must deal with. I’m not exaggerating when I say I called them 4 times today, 3 times yesterday, and several times the day before.

Apparently, the 4th try was the charm this morning…I was then greeted by “the average wait time now 42 minutes.” About 42 minutes later (at least the system is accurate!) I got through to a person. The conversation when something like this:

Me: Hi, I need to reopen an existing claim.

DUA: I see you had income last week. Did you work for someone or are you self-employed?

Me: Self-employed.

DUA: Ok, your claim is now re-opened. You can file tomorrow online.

Me: Thank you.

I’ve got a novel idea. How about adding this to the phone tree of questions. “Press 1 to re-open your claim.” Or, even more radical, how about modifying the online process to allow submitting the information online?

An even better idea would be for the Commonwealth to hire me as a CIO for resolving some of these issues. I KNOW the problem is not technical; it would not take an MIT engineer to figure out how to optimize the process. But someone needs to want it badly enough to push through the bureaucracy and make small improvements here and there–to look at this from the perspective of the people using the system, and realize that it’s not just about making my filing easier, it’s about getting me off hold so other people with more urgent claims can get through.

Here’s my updated resume.

Since being laid off, I’ve never been busier. The idea that laid off workers are sitting around with nothing to do is only accurate in the sense of “nothing anyone is paying me to do”–although, in my case, that’s not true either, because I have a client who is paying me to create and execute their social media strategy–a brand-building campaign for application monitoring software provider Heroix that has me blogging about practical experience in information technology operations, using Twitter, and creating a Facebook fan page.

I have found the greatest challenge of life without a regular job to be the lack of structure. I’m used to juggling many projects and dealing with surprises, but life has become a rather continuous loop where the reality of a blended life is less enjoyable than the theory. Work and externally-dictated schedules provide anchors to our day–they force us to make best use of the hour we have here or there to get things done. I know I should make my own anchors, and I know I must accept that I cannot do it all.

I made a list of what I’m doing, but I won’t bore the reader here with that list. What I discovered though is that it is not an overwhelming list, it’s just that I need to better manage my time and budget things accordingly.

A couple of days ago, when I said we live a different lifestyle than our parents, I wasn’t just talking about technology. Technology can be an enabler, a facilitator…but tech tools are simply the things we demand to deal with a more fundamental change in how we relate to the world around us.

Life was more linear. We believed there were defined pathways through career and life that generally worked for most people.

Our grandparents pulled themselves out of the Great Depression and defeated Fascism. Then, they created a world order to ensure it would never happen again. Sometimes, we look back and cannot understand the depth of passion with which many clung to social beliefs (e.g. racism) and the sense of order and tradition, but perhaps it was because it was life or death for them. Life was hard. They were accustomed to sacrifice for the sake of their children.

Our parents grew up in that system and learned to work it. Whether workaholics or activists, they assumed an order and a system and believed if they worked hard enough and played by the rules, they would be happy. So they made life hard.

We watched our parents and realized it didn’t always work. We became smart and cynical because we could see the truth but not the answer. We thought it unfair that life was hard.

But we need to get past all that. Life is not fair…it is, what it is. The current generation comes into the workforce and civic life unencumbered by the belief systems we Gen Xers lost faith in. Generation Y is free to attack the world from a fresh perspective. But so are we all. We don’t need to find a better set of rules or to “correct” the system…we just need to learn to live with things as they are, not as we believe they should be.

I’m not saying we should tolerate injustice or give up. But we should work to change the right things. We believed in finding single solutions, getting on the right track, making the right choices…but life is not about that anymore. Examples:

Career – Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist blog infuriates many people who are looking for right answers. I like it because she challenges assumptions and makes me question conventional wisdom. Controversial advice illustrates how understanding what is really going on can help a smart person navigate through an unfair world. Belief in applying general principles like “you need to pay your dues” will only make you cynical when you see that it doesn’t apply to some people.

Parenting – Did you really believe those Baby Einstein videos would make your kid smarter? Do you think parenting is a competitive sport? I think obsessive compulsive parenting disorder is about to expire as parents realize no amount of worrying is making their kids any safer. But we are inundated with advertising messages and news articles designed to make us feel bad if we don’t do the right things. Guess what? You can do everything “right” and not be happy. Sometimes, you need to pick up that crying baby. Sometimes you let him cry. Whatever works.

Balance – Work/Life balance used to mean scheduling quality time so you didn’t feel as guilty about abandoning your kids. Today, people are increasingly talking about blending their lives. Blending means not putting things in separate compartments…it doesn’t mean that you use gadgets like Blackberrys to allow work to permeate all of your life though–it means rather than relying on a rule-based idea of “setting boundaries,” you become comfortable with navigating the situation at hand…life does not fit into little boxes; instead of being frustrated by that, we need to learn to live free from a fixed set of rules.

So what does any of that have to do with a “mash-up?” The term mash-up comes from combining music and vocals from different sources. If you are from my generation and you heard a sort of pop mash-up type song you probably had a reaction like “they can’t do that–it’s like plagiarism to mix in some other song with their stupid rap.” Mash-up has also come to describe web technologies where a developer uses a platform like the Google maps API to create a new application that combines some other data with the core google map data. The Google Maps Mania blog has hundreds of such applications. By the time these map mash-ups started appearing, nobody in their right mind was arguing that developers should be creating things from scratch anymore.

I think we are reaching that point in life. We are piecing together things that work for us and adapting as we go along. I wanted to be a locavore and I joined a CSA Farm, but I’m not going to stress it that the kids are eating chicken nuggets. I’m doing this blog, the local WestwoodBlog.org and starting up a cable TV station in town. I run when I can and plan to do another marathon this fall. No more 3-hour Saturday bike rides, but I commute (once it gets warmer!) 13 miles to Boston on a fixie (1250 miles last year). After years of no religion, we joined a church. My wife stays home for now and raises 3 kids under 4.

Are we busy? Of course. But I would characterize it as more of a “bursty” style of life than busy. I don’t have a schedule for when I can write this blog…I don’t have a schedule for anything…you just do what you can, when you can. That’s the “plan.”

Addendum: After I wrote this, I thought that last paragraph might give the impression that I’m off doing a gazillion things while my wife sits at home doing the heavy lifting with the kids. Yes, she has her hands full, but I’m a lot more available to help than in the days when I worked late every night and disappeared into my computer room. I’ve not blended things as well as Pam Slim describes over at EscapeFromCubicleNation, but the point is, especially for GenX, we are really trying to blend it all together and make things work.

Social Media writers describe how blogging can be used to connect with customers and influencers…and at a personal level, to build your brand and personal network. But so often, they are talking about people who are already established or who have now made it “big.” Blogging can be valuable for everyone, even if your objective is not to start a company or become a celebrity. Here are some examples of how valuable my blogging–which reaches an audience of perhaps a few hundred people–has helped me achieve influence at work and within my community.

Work

At first, I was apprehensive about people at work finding my blog(s). When I started DaveWrites, I was isolated in a small startup company and looking for a new job, maybe a new career. But I had no network and no connections to anyone on the east coast. I started blogging because I really wanted to be a writer, and rather than sit around trying to figure out how to become a freelancer and support my family, I realized I could just start writing. It helped me personally to see that I was multidimensional and no longer defined by my job. Eventually, I found a new job at a great company–although I was doing essentially the same kind of work, the blog had added a personal and satisfying dimension to my experience.

I believe the blog also helps my influence at work. Coworkers are reading my blog–and I think that is good. It’s obviously not a blog about technology (my primary responsibility at work), but part of my challenge is to grow beyond my image as a tech expert. The blog exposes more of me than people experience in the office. I think it helps communicate a more complete view of who I am. It is not a replacement for developing more connections and relationships–but it is a thing I can do easily and well that is better than trying to strategize in a vacuum about how to change my image.

I don’t know how generally applicable that is for others. If people think you are wasting your time blogging when you could be working, that’s a danger. And of course you can’t blog about stuff that you don’t want everyone in the office reading. But I do think it can help present a more complete image of you as a person, if you do it well.

Community

When we moved to Westwood 2 1/2 years ago, we (my wife) knew a few people from her Mom’s groups. I wanted to get involved in the town both socially and with respect to local issues. I set up a blog at http://westwoodblog.org and then worked to get relevant content on the site. I solicited the local candidates for selectman to write articles and conducted podcast interviews with them. I published anything I could find that I thought others would find valuable. As our election and town meeting came up last month, I found my blog in the midst of a discussion over highly contentious issues and suddenly local media and prominent people in town wanted to talk to me. Things have quieted down a bit now that the meeting is over, but I did what I set out to do: I used the blog to help the town and get myself involved.

I am not saying the blog was a “launching pad” for me, but it has helped me over a most fundamental hurdle of involvement. Some of the early entries on this blog talked about town meetings and community and whatnot, but it was all talk until I started talking with and about my town. This doesn’t mean that everyone should start a blog about their town in order to get involved, but for me, it was a good move.

Profession

I really enjoy writing, but I feel this blog is not something I would want to fill my life. So what is my plan? Well, when I considered a career change, I ran into so many roadblocks and “leap of faith” no-gos that I realized I needed not to find the perfect answer, but just to do something. But my passion was more in writing than in many of the interesting things I fantasized about. Just to digress…some of those ideas were:

• put my law degree and admission to the bar to use by practicing law
• go to graduate school in political science or urban planning
• get an MBA
• start my own internet company

It’s overwhelming to scheme big plans. I know, fundamentally, if I want it bad enough, there is nothing I cannot do. But those kind of all-or-nothing dreams are hard to find and sustain. It is inspirational to read books like Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus along with other books about social entrepreneurs who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place. But it is hard to wake up one day with the idea that will carry you forward on a journey like that. You need many little things that allow you to discover your purpose.

DaveWrites was born out of my job search and it was originally intended to focus on Economic Development. One thing I have been doing offsite along these lines is to write book reviews at All About Cities:

• Concrete Dragon – the urban revolution in China
• Suburban Transformations – a planning and development methodology to reform our suburbs
• The Missing Class – the “near poor” in urban America
• Wikinomics - implications for cities

Is that a career for me? Hardly. But it is something I can do with a blog that I can’t do otherwise. It contributes something valuable and people seem to like it. Publishers have started sending me books to read. I met Paul Lukez (author of Suburban Transformations) here in Boston and have made some basic connections to people in the practice of planning and architecture. Baby steps, definitely. But steps nonetheless and far better than just sitting around thinking maybe I should have done something different 20 years ago. If I had read Jane Jacobs when I was 20…

Another fascinating thing to me is how blogging connected me to other writers. My blog review from last week (and the commentary from the bloggers I talked about) illustrates how I am not in isolation anymore. When I started, I was impatient about everything; now I look back and see a lot of growth, for me personally at least, in a short period of time.

I don’t have a strategic plan for blogging and my career. But I have used the platform and technology to engage much more effectively than anything else I could think of at the time I was wallowing in a sea of unrealistic fantasy choices. The plan for now, probably for the next 5 years at least, is to just keep it going while we raise our kids. Some people have a plan; I don’t. But I know you don’t get anywhere by standing still.

As gas prices skyrocket, Americans will abandon the suburbs and embrace urban living. That’s the wishful thinking I detect when urbanists seize upon the findings in a CEOs for Cities study that claims to find and prove a causal link between rising gas prices and the collapse of the housing market bubble.

The study is intriguing; it uses data on gas prices and the timing of the housing bubble collapse, along with location specific analysis of real estate trends to explain the housing bubble NOT in terms of lending practices, but instead due to a fundamental shift in economics caused by rising fuel prices.
The study is principally talking about exurbs–and situations like the one in the New York Times article where a double-income couple chose to buy a McMansion an hour from their jobs. Perhaps those people, if they were looking to buy that house today, would think twice, factoring in the commute cost.

But it is too great a leap to take this study and say that Americans are ready to alter generations of housing practices and flip so many assumptions upside down overnight. Personally, I am a proponent of urban living, but even for me, a number of practical considerations make “suburban town” a better choice. It is impossible to predict economic behavior in an essay with any accuracy, but the idea that high gas prices = Americans coming to their senses and moving back to the cities where they “ought to be,” is ludicrously elitist and ignores the many things that have not changed in the calculus:

• Many people hate cities. Perhaps if everyone could live in neighborhoods like Hudson St in Greenwich Village in the 1960s when Jane Jacobs was writing the Death and Life of Great American Cities, more might be inspired to move. But it is a fundamental component of the American psyche and dream to value space over place. Part of place is living somewhere where other people don’t bother you. People are already willing to drive an hour, have no local community life, and have limited family time together…why would a few thousand dollars a year of fuel costs make much difference?
• Most people feel they need space for the kids. It is possible to find examples where urban living is safer and workable for kids and to contrast that with suburban settings where, due to isolation, the space is not what parents thought it would be…it is an isolated, boring wasteland. But the draw of suburban space is more complex than that, and while gas prices may make us reexamine our assumptions…we are still left with:
• 1) having a yard means we can let the (very young) kids play by themselves instead of having to chaperone them to a city park. Mom or Dad can watch the kids out the window while doing household chores.
• 2) schools are generally better in the suburbs. There are always exceptions and there are certainly cases where committed parents will make a difference in the city. But it is a lot easier to improve the suburban school than rescue the city project. Many suburban parents who would otherwise like to live in the city, factor in the cost of private school as a necessary component of moving back.
• Convenience. If you find the ideal city neighborhood, perhaps it is possible to schlep down to the corner store for what you need and walk home. But even before we had kids, we needed regular excursions by car to stores like Costco and Walmart. With 3 kids…you are probably driving a minivan. It’s nice to have a driveway to park that boat in. After baby 2 and before we realized we would have Baby 3, we traded in our pickup truck for a Honda Element…now, we realize the car cannot legally carry 3 children at once. Some items of convenience are habits that grew out of suburban living, but the decision to eliminate car travel is more complex than just cutting the mileage when you have kids.

After I thought about this, I happened to be driving back from Boston through Newton the other day and found myself wishing I could move to a closer location. As I drove Commonwealth Ave (having missed the on ramp to I-90 and resigning myself to a slow drive instead of backtracking) I was impressed with all the people walking, biking, strollering…it seemed so idyllic. It seemed like the kind of neighborhood I would like to live in. A quick zillow of that area brought me back to reality. A single family home is easily $750K; most are closer to $1M. And yes, there are parts of Newton where you could buy a small condo for less. Maybe if we didn’t also have two large dogs…

Affordability in the urban core of places like Boston is the nail in the coffin to any hope of exurban in-migration. I think we will just buy more fuel-efficient cars and make fewer trips. We’re not going to trade a $2500 mortgage for a $5000 one. Already, where we live, in the “inner suburbs” is priced out of the reach of most people starting out. As people go through the thought process above, their focus will creep slowly outward, along the commuter rail lines, into the inner suburbs. That will revive the housing market in place like where I live, I hope. But it is a marginal effect…it is the people who bought the McMansion moving from the exurbs to the suburbs. As they move in, they will drive prices further beyond the reach of others who will trade places with them to live out past 495 and drive to a train station at the end of the rail line.

This is a pessimistic assessment, I know. And I don’t have data to back it up; just my impressions and my own locational calculus. I believe the gas crunch will wake many people up to consider alternatives and I am optimistic that those alternatives could be:

• Tranform our suburbs. OK, I have to drive to work. But the many, many little car trips around town has got to go. Before I sell my house, I think I’ll see what I can do in my town to make fewer trips.
• Choose more selective and authentic suburbs. That tract housing development never appealed to me, even less so now. I want to live in a suburban town, not a developer’s cookie-cutter pseudo-community. I don’t really need an affluent shopping mall, what I need is a good grocery store. Those lifestyle centers with pretentious names and gated communities disgust me. Make the town work; don’t build me a dream community from farmland.
• Improve the transit. I am sick of standing in the train vestibules. I need more trains and better service. I’m going to ride my bike to the train station and demand better service.
• Who needs an SUV? I know I need a minivan, but it gets 23mpg, 27 sometimes on the highway. Perhaps the SUV is finally on the way out as they are reviled for their environmental impact and just too extravagant for more people to operate anymore.
• Work from home. Working from home one day per week would save 20% in fuel costs. Gas prices give workers an external argument to employers to make this accommodation. Failing that, workers will realize they need more money and push wage costs up as they change jobs to cover the travel cost. But it is a lot easier for everyone just to figure out effective remote work strategies.

Rising gas prices are a real change agent. But let’s focus on what we can change and take advantage of the increased awareness to make incremental improvements. Migration is the last resort.

I am featured in a story today in the Christian Science Monitor, Blogs: An Effective Job-Hunting Tool?, but after describing my efforts positively, the article quotes one naysayer in particular who does not understand the context of my efforts:

Not everyone shares his enthusiasm. “Blogging and Internet searching for jobs is worthless,” says Drew Stevens, a business growth consultant in St. Louis. “Almost 65 percent of positions are discovered from your network and peer group.”

I wrote about how my blogging has greatly expanded my personal network and increased my influence even before I was laid off, but it is worth re-iterating here how social media is a complement to offline activities. I have difficulty finding the time to keep my blogging up because I am so busy with other efforts that have been generated from the relationships I have developed and strengthened through social media.

Business Networking expert Diane Darling calls this “hybrid networking.” It’s really about using all the tools available–and the concepts apply to customers and clients as much as to a job search.

It is much easier to ask someone you’ve exchanged a few quick tweets with to meet for coffee than to try to call into a company cold. You establish your substance through the more complete information you can exchange online, but then you meet in person to solidify and establish a more personal trust and respect.

I don’t want my story to just be about my search for work–it’s not. The process of using social media to start and develop conversations with a network of people is directly applicable to companies and consultants because networking–at a personal level–is fundamental to developing business relationships. You don’t just put an online store up and wait for customers to show up. You have to work it, you have to get out there and meet people who can introduce you to other people and spread the story of your product until it hits a receptive ear.

People don’t want to hear a sales story. If I were out there just saying “hire me please,” it might generate some sympathy, but if you don’t have a job for me, it probably ends there. The same is true for a company or product.

I could tell you about a company that makes software to monitor whether or not your servers are all healthy…but if you don’t have servers or are not technical–it is a dead end. What if I told you a story you could relate to about people solving problems and their passion for their work? You might know people who work in the industry that could relate to stories like that. Even though you are not a customer, you now have something interesting and relevant to pass on. I don’t want to give away the specifics of this strategy because it is actually part of a proposal to a client, but my point is that the essence of building a network of opportunity is connecting with people on a level they can relate to so they become ambassadors of your brand. The brand carries your message out across the vast sea of people who are not potential direct customers until it catches the attention of those who are.

I have a backlog of blog entries about things other than job searching, but I thought it was important to put the news story in context. Also, of course, I think making these points and tying them back to a business purpose creates a blog entry that is relevant and interesting enough for people to refer others to and spread my name further afield…to capture the interest of clients who would want to hire me and put my resourcefulness, creativity, and passion to work.

So go read my about page, watch my ABC News interview, and tell the world about Dave Atkins!

This article provides advice and tips for residents of Massachusetts who are unemployed. It is the most popular post on my blog. Please read the related posts in the category “Navigating Unemployment” and the comments below.

Please consult the Mass.Gov website for improved information regarding unemployment benefits.

No legal advice. This blog post relates my experience only and the information I researched in January 2009. I have attempted to keep it current, but no one should rely on this blog post as legal advice.

Text of original post follows…

Rachel Levy and I have both been blogging about our searches for work. If you know anyone looking for a marketing professional, please go visit her site and hire her. My blog is not only about looking for work–check out the archive to see the breadth of things I’ve covered in the past two years…but today, I want to talk unemployment.

The Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance website has a great deal of information, but there is very little to answer the specific questions real job seekers have and no way to actually do anything of value there. Once you have filed your initial claim, you will be able to go online to file your weekly claim. But in the beginning, there are so many simple, basic things they do not tell you. So I’m going to list what I’ve learned here and invite people to comment and fill in the details…

Top 7 Tips for the Unemployed in Massachusetts

My purpose here is not to tell you how to find a job. It’s just about the hoops you need to jump through to get the insurance benefits you are entitled to receive while you are looking for work. I recommend you just do these things and don’t get hung up on lots of questions or debates about why the system is the way it is. We have a pretty good deal in Massachusetts compared to other states, so check your attitude at the door and don’t let the bureaucracy and cesspool of negativity you may encounter distract you from finding a job.

1. Go stand in line. Or, more accurately, sit in your car holding a number. Do not bother with the phone; it is busy. There is no way to register online and no forms to print out. So rather than call and wait on hold for hours, what you should do it go down to your local “walk in center” in the middle of the day and ask them when the line forms, then come back the next day at 7am or so to get a number. Then go get a coffee from Dunkin Donuts and come back at the right time. Make sure you bring all the information you will need to fill out the form. When I filed my claim, the center was experimenting with a group filing approach; we all filled out our forms together and I was out of the building within half an hour. Then, later that day, I received a call from the intake person to confirm he had registered me in the system. Easy. Painless. No frustration.

It would be nice if the form were online so I could fill it out in advance, submit it online, or even just mail it in. It seems ridiculous to have to stand in line to get a form that you fill out and hand to a person, then leave.

2. File your Medical Security Program application ASAP. If you are receiving unemployment benefits, you may be eligible to participate in the Medical Security Program. Download the application form, fill it out, and send it in before you file your initial claim. If you are eligible, MSP will reimburse you 80% of your COBRA premium up to a monthly maximum of $1080 for a family plan or $440 for an individual plan. My COBRA plan would cost me $1312.92 per month for Blue Cross HMO Blue Enhanced Value.

Are you eligible? Probably, especially if you have kids. But the determination of eligibility is complicated so rather than try to figure it out, just get the application completed and filed ASAP along with any required supporting materials…like the letter you need your wife to write saying she is a stay at home mom.

Download the brochure and application form and read them carefully. The website itself does not give the details you need. But get the application in so have it ready if you need it. If you fail to submit the application right away and find you need health care, the state will not pay retroactively; a friend I know is already in for $2600+ with the state refusing to reimburse the COBRA payments he made before his application was processed. You can file an appeal–another great use of your time when you could be looking for a job.

3. Wait for your first unemployment check to arrive before you try to call MSP. I burned through 45 minutes of cell phone time (I do not have a land line) before I got to a person who said she could not help me until I had received my first check. It will probably be a month before you get a check and maybe 6 weeks before you learn anything about MSP. In the meantime, you will be hoping you don’t get sick, avoiding going to the doctor, and not electing to use your COBRA “benefits.” You have 2 months from the date you are laid off to elect COBRA and it can be retroactive. So, if you have an emergency, you go to the doctor then pay COBRA.

If you do qualify for MSP, you will have to front the money for COBRA premiums and get reimbursed. And I do not know how part time work affects your eligibility for participation in MSP, but I suspect it is not good.

Please see my more recent posts on health care

4. The Commonwealth Care program is irrelevant to you. If you are eligible for MSP + COBRA, you are not eligible for Commonwealth Care. You can use the Commonwealth Connector web site to shop for private insurance, but you will not get the low-cost or free health care that is available for people who did not just lose their jobs. It is interesting to note that this site shows me many options cheaper than COBRA, but none as good as the NASE plan.

5. If you find part-time or consulting work…manage your time strategically. It is a crime to fail to report that you worked and earned money while unemployed, and you are allowed a pittance of earning (1/3 of your benefit amount, e.g. a couple hundred bucks), but what typically happens is if you make any significant money, you lose your benefit for that week. So if you do manage to find some freelance work, make sure you do it all in one week. Don’t do something foolish like work 10 hours a week for 4 weeks. Schedule your work so that if you have a 40-hour project, you can do it all in one week.

6. Stay positive. It is easy to get upset when you are on hold forever and then the phone hangs up on you or the person who answers refuses to help you. It is frustrating to click on website links that claim to give you information on how to apply…but then don’t link to the forms. And it is terribly frustrating to listen to repeated hold messages telling you to go to the website…when the website is telling you that you have to call the phone number. But just do what you need to do and get back on track looking for a job!

7. Don’t feel like a scumbag. I try to laugh at the movie Office Space and recall the line from one worker who is afraid of being laid off:

I’m going to be the first one they’re gonna lay off. Just the thought of having to go to the State Unemployment Office and having to stand in line with those scumbags!!!

There is no shame in collecting unemployment. We’ve been paying into the system for years–or at least our employers have been paying for us. It is social insurance, designed to cover just this situation. It’s not a government handout.

In the 1930s, perhaps our grandparents gave up their dreams to provide for their families during the Great Depression…they put their college degrees away and found jobs doing laundry or whatever it took to keep their families fed. There was no safety net and dreams were deferred out of necessity. But that generation enacted social protections to help prevent that kind of thing from happening again. For a few minutes, the lucky among us who had good jobs, stand in line with the laborers and attorneys, ironworkers and accountants, in these challenging times, and focus on building a better future with a least a few months protection from losing our homes and freezing in the cold because we were only a paycheck away from disaster. If there are some hoops we must navigate, we do it, and we move on.

If you have specific, useful tips on what people should do to make their experience with the Unemployment Insurance go more smoothly or constructive suggestions for how to improve the way these services are delivered, please comment here. Don’t post links to business opportunities. Even if they are well-intentioned, I will delete anything that is not directly relevant to the topic of navigating the unemployment bureaucracy.

Ari Herzog “tagged” me to participate in this “meme”–a sort of chain letter blog of personal sharing. My instructions are to reveal 7 facts about myself that others may not know and then pass along the “favor” of this task to 7 other bloggers. What the heck. I will give it a shot:

1. Rush – Like many technical people, I was/am a Rush geek. I was listening to Signals just the other day and thinking how every song on the album, from “Subdivisions” to “New World Man,” has themes you can see reflected in my writing here.

2. Go Raiders! – When we lived in California, I went to as many Oakland Raiders games as I could, drinking too much and occasionally donning face paint. Then we moved to New England. Then the Raiders kind of died. Like yesterday. Oh well. I’m rooting for the Patriots now, but maybe someday I will be able to wear my Rich Gannon jersey again with pride…

3. Pistol Team – as an undergrad at MIT, I joined the pistol team. I have not handled a firearm since moving back to Massachusetts in 2002, but I think firearm affinity is partly genetic, coming from The South as I do.

4. Smoking – I was a smoker until 2002. I quit just before I went to work for QuitNet.com, a company that uses the web and other forms of counseling to help people quit smoking. My stats: 2470 days, 6 hours, 55 minutes and 54 seconds smoke free. 24703 cigarettes not smoked. $4,940.00 and 6 months, 8 days, 16 hours of my life saved! My quit date: 3/10/2002 5:00:00 PM.

5. Gary Hart – In 1988, I took a semester off from MIT and joined Presidential candidate Gary Hart’s volunteer campaign. Part of that experience included several weeks in New York City where I spent hours per day riding the subways asking people to sign petitions to get his name on the ballot.

6. Pit Bulls – In 1998, we adopted two pit bulls. Paris died recently, but Tasha is still going strong and remains a great “ambassador” for this often maligned and misunderstood breed. She is the most patient dog I can imagine as she suffers the attentions of our three kids.

7. I can’t swim. Off and on, I have tried to learn but I just sink like a stone and have not figured it out beyond treading water. Someday, I have to, as I really want to do an Ironman Triathlon…

So those are my 7 facts. Now, I must tag seven people to join me and everyone else before me by following these rules:

• Link your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged

I tag the following seven people and hope they will take up the challenge:

• Penelope Trunk
• Wendy Waters
• Pamela Slim
• Alison Driscoll
• Ann Handley
• Rebecca Thorman
• Rebecca Wells

So, if you find typos…don’t even tell me. I have standardized my online identity around “daveatkins” but I need something to hand people when I meet them. So here we go:

The backside of the card is simple and to the point:

So, I’m banking on twitter to be around for at least 250 cards…

A very simple design, but there are a couple of semi-clever ideas in there. The at sign is significant as a social media thing (twitter) and also as a part of my name. (There is a guy named Atkins who owns the kins.com domain, so he has an email address like “dave@kins.com”…but that’s TOO clever.) And it’s Dave Atkins Media (bang!), not just Dave Atkins Media. So DAM! I’m good GREAT!.

Plans change. But it can be powerful to work out a long term theme for your life as a way of grounding your current choices. Last week, I spoke with Pam Slim from Escape from Cubicle Nation about how to navigate my own situation–where my “escape” is involuntary–and came away with some great ideas.

Pam writes about the importance of creating a life plan and basing your work decisions around that instead of simply acting or reacting tactically. It is difficult, especially under the pressure of an impending layoff, to step back and consider the big “what do I want to do with my life” questions. But we don’t need to go that far. It’s helpful just to imagine what you want your life to be like in 3-5 years.

My wife and I sat down for this exercise–which was very difficult for us. We tend to do what we want to do and we are not big on setting specific goals and objectives. It’s not that we don’t think about the future, but we expect to adapt constantly and generally, we get where we want to be. But we sat down and considered the whole range of life issues, beginning with where we wanted to be living.

Home

We like where we are…but we are always reading about other places and thinking about what it might be like to live there. We like moving–not the process of packing up so much, but the excitement of a new city and having to learn everything new again. However, we took a good look around us and said, “we really are in the best place now.” There are always pros and cons, but we look at our 4-year old and realize she will be starting kindergarten next year and we don’t want to be moving her around. She can walk across the street to school…and she will be followed by her two younger brothers over the course of the next 3 years. So really, we need to make our stand now if we want to give that stability to our kids.

We speculate about our location in town too. The house behind us went on the market…there are other houses on quieter streets with sidewalks, etc. But again, we took a look around and realized, our house is great. It would be nice to finish the basement, but why would we want to go through the whole relocation process just to get on a side street? The kids will soon be old enough to smartly cross the street to the sidewalk.

For us, that was a major decision and it settled a number of things. I had been looking into refinancing the mortgage, but some lack of certainty about the future made me hesitate. The next day, I called the bank and, as luck would have it, rates had dropped to super-low levels and we were able to get a 30-year fixed mortgage and a line of credit at a historically low rate.

Relationships and Health

We’ve already changed a great deal in the past 5 years. We started cycling and running and spending more time together. We decided my wife would stay home and raise our kids and that we would find a way to make it work. We decided to join a church and make religion a part of our lives and the education of our children. And, as we described above, we decided stability for the kids was important. So in this area, we felt like we were already moving towards a goal we just had not defined.

Work
I want to work independently and with others, in an office and from home. I want to thoroughly “grounded” in a base here in my home in Westwood, but would like to travel to short events (like SXSW!) occasionally. I want a flexible schedule–not a predictable routine–because I need to fit other things into my life, not be trapped at a desk in an office in Boston. And I want variety.

Sounds pretty ideal and not like many jobs…but I think it is important to just run with the vision a bit…it’s not the job I get in the next month–it is a vision of what my life would be like…what would I be doing on a daily basis.

I’d be talking about social media and citizen empowerment. I would be listening to the interesting people that cause trouble because they care passionately about things. I would be writing and synthesizing what I had learned and participating as a person of consequence in every thing I did. In my paid work, I would be a thought leader, a person people sought out for advice. I would be doing things in technology–never trusting the details to consultants but getting my hands dirty. I would be writing–on my blogs and in books that served to further publicize my message. I would be connecting people, ideas, and technology in a way that made other people feel like they had the ability to influence and direct the future of their community.

So that’s more of a political platform than a job. But if I have that vision, if I really believe that is what I want my future to be like, then I can begin to make decisions about what helps get me there, what is necessary, and what I must leave behind.

An equally important part of the vision is the vision of not standing in line for food stamps, updating my blog from my iPhone, while our house is foreclosed upon. I may have the luxury of a few weeks here to introspect on this blog, but bottom line is I need to find a way to make some money fast. I also believe we have not seen the worst of this economic downturn and the time I have to land something that supports my long term goals is limited. But the vision is useful because if I can fit tactical decisions into a longer term plan, I can act with authenticity and confidence…and ultimately do what needs to get done.

For a long time, my engagement with social media has not been organized. But now, much as we go through our holiday card lists, I’m looking at how I can use social media to connect and reconnect with everyone I know.

The Big Three
Social media and networking encompasses so many sites that it is overwhelming to keep track of them all. But there are really only three that are broadly adopted and serve specific purposes relevant to me: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

What are these sites?
Facebook grew out of the concept of the freshman picture book. It puts a photo with the name of a “friend” where “friend” is a relatively loose term that I define as anyone I care to know what they are doing and who might feel the same about me. Facebook friends don’t need to be people you could call to bail you out of jail or watch your kids while you go to the emergency room.

Twitter is like passive instant messaging. You “follow” people you are interested in. Everyone posts updates in 140-character bursts (the limit is to allow posting via text messaging from cellphones where the message is limited to 140 characters). When you log in to the twitter web site, you see all the updates from all the people you are following. “Follow” in this context is very light…it doesn’t mean you follow like you follow a leader. It’s more like I continue to “follow” the Oakland Raiders and hope someday they win a game.

LinkedIn has been around the longest and is the most professionally-oriented site. It’s like an online rolodex, an address book of connections–people I know personally. I may not have worked with them, but I know them enough that I would feel comfortable connecting them with other people. There is a basic level of trust required for connections.

I believe these three sites are the key ones anyone needs. MySpace…I don’t know. My Mom joined myspace and so I joined too, but I feel like it is more about creating your own personal web page–which I do through my blog. So I don’t maintain myspace. There are tons more sites, but they are generally for the super-social media fanatics.

Why Bother?
I spend so much time in the social media space that I think many of the folks there just don’t get that 99% of the population still doesn’t “get it” or see the point. So here’s why I bother–or at least why I think these services are worth my participation.

Facebook is great because every time someone updates any information about themselves, that update is visible to all their friends when they log in. It’s like an on-demand Christmas Letter. If you don’t log in, you don’t need to care. But if you do log in, you can see what people are doing. You see photos they are posting, links to interesting websites they are sharing, and groups they are joining. You also see lots of “application activity” which manifests itself in weird status updates like “Joe just bit you and turned you into a zombie.” Whatever. I ignore that stuff. Or maybe it is interesting to me. “Diana took the favorite movie quiz–see how you compare.” The point is that you can keep up with what people are doing without being intrusive. It is fun to see what people are doing and may prompt you to renew old friendships.

I’ve also written about facebook in the context of how it can be used to build community. When we started attending the Dedham Unitarian First Church last year, I started a facebook group for them and continue to follow what people are up to, even though we have now started attending First Parish, United Church of Christ, here in Westwood.

Twitter is immediate. It is accessible. Like Facebook, it allows you to follow what other people are doing, but the 140-character limit forces people to be really concise. The magic of twitter is how quickly communications can spread through a network of connections. When anyone I am following replies to something someone they are following says, I see that other person’s name in the feed like “@daveatkins.” That might prompt me to go look at their profile and follow them. A conversation can begin and quickly create a network effect.

Twitter is not just about status updates like “I’m thinking of having a beer.” The people with thousands of followers use it to push out interesting bits of news and information or to comment on current events. You can ask a question of the “twitosphere” and sometimes a person will answer you:

question for cyclists: what style do you call those handlebars on fixed gear bikes…short bars that go out and forward…not drops, not mtb 6:52 PM Nov 19th from web

AlanLamb @daveatkins time trial (TT) bars also known as bullhorns. 6:56 PM Nov 19th from twitterrific in reply to daveatkins

The real fun of twitter is the accessibility. It is like instant messaging in that you can fire off direct messages and replies to other people. If you are intelligent, genuine, and honest, you will likely engage them in a conversation. I’ve met people on twitter and cultivated working relationships in the real world. It can be like a cocktail party where your ideas and passion–forcibly limited to 140 characters of text–allow you to connect and communicate.

LinkedIn, at its most basic level, allows you to post a form of your resume online. But that is only the beginning. Much like facebook, you connect with other people you know and perhaps write recommendations for one another. You can see who your contacts know and ask them to introduce you. For example, if you are interested in working for a particular company you may search to see who you can find that works there and is connected to people you already know. At a bare minimum, you can see their public profiles which may reveal connections you were not aware of, similar interests and backgrounds, etc. I was just searching on a company and found that someone I worked with is directly connected to the VP of Engineering…so I shot her a quick email.

There is a great book and website, I’m on LinkedIn, Now What? that is full of ideas on how to better utilize this service.

Putting it All Together
Networking is HARD for me. For years and year, I KNEW that I needed to do a better job of networking, but I was always turned off by it. The idea of an “informational interview” seemed so stilted and uncomfortable for me. It felt like using people. Once I had a job, I was really focused on that job and that company and I didn’t really have much of a life outside of the two separate spheres of job and family.

Now partly, I have changed. But I also think the social media tools we have today make a huge difference in our ability to maintain casual relationships and develop new ones. It is not about substituting digital relationships for real ones–it is about the ease with which we can stay connected to our real relationships with people and start new ones.

There are many, many cups of coffee in my future with so many great people to meet and talk with! No awkward phone calls and attempts to cold-call into companies, get around the gatekeepers, then spew a quick elevator pitch to arrange an inconvenient interview where you pretend like you are not just looking for a job. My life is out there…on this site, on my LinkedIn profile, and in the public timeline of my twitter ramblings. We are all so much more transparent now that genuineness and authenticity can be a way of life, not something we turn on during the job hunt.

My social media strategy is simply to make as many people in the world aware of who I am and what I can do. It’s fun–as much fun as possible for a confirmed INTJ personality type like me–to be “out there” like this dedicated to the challenge of meeting people and stretching myself. I feel like I gain something with every person I meet and every old acquaintance I reconnect with–even if they have no connection to any job I might ever want. But of course the reality is ultimately practical and urgent…to land a position or launch my consulting business and cover the health care and mortgage. But I feel I have awakened an optimism and extroversion I did not know I was capable of and hope I will look back on this challenge as a great “kick in the pants” to take myself to the next level…

Sunday night I described my personal brand as a technology leader with over a dozen years experience planning, developing, and operationalizing web technologies. I asked for help matching that background up with opportunities. A number of people have asked me about consulting and freelancing–e.g. “what’s your hourly rate?”

I can create a strategy for utilizing technology in communication that will save a company thousands of hours of misspent time. There are so many ways to spend the precious capital a company raises or earns and all too often, in retrospect, the history of efforts to utilize technology is full of false starts, dead ends, and failed expectations. I’ve learned a great deal from a dozen years of working on the implementation side of startup companies and would like to put some of that perspective to use to help others.

First, when thinking of communication, it is wrong to think as though you were developing software. The essence of communication is a two-way process, the authenticity of which is judged by how responsive the speaker is to the listener. In face-to-face interactions, we do not get to rehearse an entire speech and then deliver it. We start talking, we observe the reactions of the listener, we answer questions and interruptions as we engage in a conversation.

Social media tools–things like blogs, twitter, and facebook–need to be approached with a strategy, not a development plan. We need to understand why we are using a particular tool or technology and be prepared to evaluate and adjust our tactics constantly.

I can listen to the needs of an organization and draw up a strategy. As a technologist, I can take it a step further and describe and implement the details.

Consider a company that is looking for a way to work with existing customers to build loyalty. They wonder if there is something they could be doing with social media or technology, but launching something “half-cocked” is too risky–it might make them look inept and alienate existing customers. And they don’t know enough about the specifics of what they want to do to spec out a proposal.

I start by meeting with the company to better understand their customers and what they are currently doing. You can’t just leap in and start making Facebook pages or telling the CEO that she should be blogging. The point of communication is to engage in a conversation with customers and to strengthen the brand of the company by creating a new, authentic engagement with customers. So before we leap into implementation, we need to really understand the customers and come up with an approach, a strategy, that will guide our actions.

Part of the strategy has to be a way to evaluate and monitor success. As we understand the customers’ needs, we have to think realistically about whether they are likely to respond to our communication strategies and then define a “conversion” as something tangible we can measure.

A goal might simply be better brand awareness…but I would work to identify measurable results such as increased sales, increased referrals, greater utilization of resources, etc. A good strategy ties it all together–not in a perfect plan for guaranteed results–but in a verifiable prediction that we can express in language everyone understands.

Good tactic: We will create a facebook page and promote it through all our other digital channels–e.g. newsletter, twitter, website, word of mouth, corporate blog–and monitor how it grows for the next month. We’ll maintain that page by posting industry relevant articles to it and especially noting linkages to anything our customers are doing online. If we have a blog, we will keep the frequency of posting up and monitor how much traffic is referred back and forth. After a month we will examine the customers who have utilized this feature and compare them with other customers to see if there is any difference in behavior.

Bad tactic: We need a facebook page, a blog, and a twitter account. Make sure somebody posts a lot. Here is a book on social media you should read. Here is training on how to use facebook. Hire a young person to do this because the older people don’t get it.

I’m being intentionally extreme above, but I bet a lot of folks have a strategy closer to the second example than they want to admit. The first example is hard to truly quantify…we will not have perfect data or be able to monitor everything. But the important factor is to have a strategy, not just a plan.

What are my qualifications to provide this kind of strategic consulting? I do not have a degree in “social media” or even an MBA. But I believe I can propose an approach that will allow a company to enter this realm methodically and evaluate whether it is worth pursuing further. I’m not out to sell a big development project and I don’t believe I should be doing all the work. Each customer will be unique–not “one size fits all.”

So to answer the original question, “what is your hourly rate?” I would have to defer to the time-honored answer of “it depends.” I would meet for free for an hour or two, then gather information to draw up a proposal quoting the work on a project basis, identifying the activities to be done and a price for various stages. The initial stage is an assessment which would vary depending on the complexity of the company, customers, and existing activities. The assessment would include recommendations for an implementation phase.

Some significant parts of the plan would require involvement from the client. I would rather coach a beginner blogger than become an expert in someone else’s company. But it depends on what we feel we can do authentically. I would not “impersonate” the CEO, but it might make sense to act as a company identity for certain purposes.

Finally, the strategy should be comprehensive. As I described above, there are always going to be multple pieces that fit together…a facebook page is not of much use if there is nothing to post there, so the content must come from a blog or at least periodic articles that are more than just press releases. Email newsletters are likely a key component of engagement. Getting customers to participate will vary depending on the customers–again a reason to have a strategy and then evaluate. Customers may jump in to a blog and start commenting away. Or maybe the customer base has no desire to be active in that manner. An email newsletter and periodic blog posts that do not generate comments might be considered extremely successful if there is steady readership and the readers are steady customers. A good strategy will help a company manage and evaluate this whole communication strategy–including the possibility that the strategy is not paying off. But at least the client will know what has been tried and will have an answer to those who say “you need to be doing X, Y, or Z.”

If you would like to meet with me and talk about how I could help your business with a strategy for digital media communication, contact me by email at dave (at) davewrites (dot) com.

I need your help to find a new job. Confronted with the nonexistence of venture capital funding in our troubled economy, my company has made the understandable and right decision to cut staff down to the core contributors who will execute on the plan and vision our team built. I have been here before.

There is a certain clarity when the “what ifs” go away. Even though it is unpleasant, I find myself in the same personal calculus our company faced. There are many things I could do. I am fortunate to have skills and potential–and a broad range of experience that, in times of stability, can be overwhelming as to “what should I be doing?” But now, with at least the warning of 5 weeks to work with, it’s not so much about what do I want to do with the rest of my life, but what can I do that people want to pay me for and hire me in a job that includes health care for my family and enough money to cover the mortgage?

There are two types of opportunities that I will pursue:

First is the role of early-stage startup technology leader. I can do whatever it takes to get a company online with its technology. I am fearless and stubborn in my assault of challenges. I have a strong intuitive sense of the path that works and teach myself whatever it takes to get there. That sounds like vague generalities and it will certainly not cause me to be found in a resume database search, but I have found again and again there is some combination of optimistic high-level strategic thinker and pessimistic operations admin that allows me to know what details to sweat and have faith that we can get it done.

The second is strategic consulting. You can read my blog and understand that I can synthesize ideas well. I can write a good story and frame the issues decisively whether it be technology-oriented (e.g. how to develop a social media strategy) or economic development, public policy, book reviews, etc. So I will be looking for opportunities to analyze and recommend solutions–and I have the skills to implement those solutions.

But option 2 is not “fully-baked” is it? So I think we are back to option 1, really. The bad part about option 1 for me is that it really is for “early-stage” companies…and once I have things set up…it is time to move on to new challenges.

My current employer is typical of that pattern–we have a technology infrastructure in place that could be left on auto-pilot for years. My contribution is done. I don’t engineer job security; I engineer for unpredictability and do what works.

At my previous employer, QuitNet, it was a similar story…we had the operations managed…then what? The “what” for me was to start a blog on economic development. But those pesky bills keep coming…

At ConsumerReview, I could have stayed on board, but I had found a new job just in time. When I left, the work of a department was handled by 1 person.

I’m not trying to brag or complain, but to describe the role I fit well. My resume will not show 5-10 years of specialized expertise–it is always zero to sixty in a few weeks–and I thrive on that. In my current job, when I was interviewing, I sold them on my “swiss-army knife” skill set and they entrusted me to manage some linux servers–I had not touched linux in nearly a decade. Two years later and I’m ready to buy an “I love vi” t-shirt. And I leave behind a wiki full of detailed instructions on how to do everything I learned.

One thing is different for me from the last time I went looking for a job. I know people now. My job at QuitNet was a bit isolating…or maybe I just didn’t make any real effort to go out beyond my role there. I hadn’t started blogging and I knew maybe 2 people outside of work. Today, I know hundreds of people from many walks of life. I really believe my biggest challenge is how to describe the role I am looking for in a way that people can help me. So this blog post is a start. And the war begins in earnest on Monday.

We have a set of magnetic toys my kids play with–animals with interchangeable torsos, heads, and legs. Today we could not find the legs to the giraffe. Before I could begin searching for the missing pieces, my daughter simply placed the existing pieces on the train table in the “water” area and said, “the giraffe is standing in the water.”

Later, I searched all over the room for the missing pieces, only to learn from my wife that they had been missing for a year, so my search was doomed to failure from the start.

How often in our work do we fail to see the 4-year old solution? How often do we bang our heads against the wall in an effort to solve the problem as we have defined it, when perhaps, that is not the problem at all?

The problem is not about how to fix the giraffe; it is how to have fun. And if something is missing or not perfect, we can worry and fret and try to change things…or we can find a different way to have fun. Now, if I could just get her to teach that to my 2-year old.

The transplanted shrub that bloomed when Sharon was born…blooms a month late this year and with a spectacularly colorful flower:

Dreams are easy. Someday, I want to run for public office. With all the critical issues we face in society today, even if I don’t have the “right” answers, I feel like I’m not “in-the-game” and should be. I want to write books–not just to tell people my ideas, but because I believe writing is my strongest talent and I should be using it and improving it by writing things that matter. I want to make a difference in the world and yes, a significant part of me wants to be noticed. For all of this and more, I have a lifetime.

But what am I going to do with the rest of my day? I managed to go for an hour-and-a-half bike ride in the rain tonight after work and cook myself dinner using produce from our Community Supported Agriculture farm…and now I am writing before going to sleep. Should I go cultivate my twitter persona by tweeting something clever? Should I update my LinkedIn profile, Facebook, etc.? Should I read the incessant stream of online social media advice from blogs I follow? Should I clean the house so things will be nice when my wife and kids get back from their vacation? Or should I watch the Olympics?

I’m not without ideas and I have taken action. I started WestwoodBlog–although in the past weeks, I’ve found it hard to come up with new material. I joined a town committee and will be setting up community access television. I joined a book club in Boston. These things are all more like “hobbies” than even “baby steps” towards changing my life though–they are things I do seriously and they represent part of what I want in my life, but they do not directly increase the probability that 5 years from now, my technology work that I currently do will be a fond, distant memory and I will be closer to the public service and opinion leadership role I desire.

I have to find discipline. I’ve found discipline before, but was easier. Marathon training: I know what I need to do so I do it, even when it means getting up at 4am and running for 3 hours in the cold dark winter. Getting admitted to practice law in Massachusetts required taking a class and preparing for weeks to pass the bar exam. Those goals were not easy, but knowing what to do to reach them was because they are well-defined by external forces. The day to day just fell into place in a non-negotiable way because there was purpose driving towards the goal. So I need a new goal.

It is easier to decide what not to do:

• I don’t need another job; there is no silver bullet job that will satisfy my life. And any super-demanding job that required the sort of emotional commitment most Silicon Valley start ups require would suck away all time from the rest of my life.
• I don’t need a degree. Maybe, if I thought my future path was to be the town planner…and for that, I’d need a masters, etc. But there are not guarantees there; any more advanced degrees would be a waste of time and money I think.

I need a goal that is finite and achievable. X blog posts per week…or a new blog on Z…or getting something published somewhere–those are the incremental goals like “run 20 miles,” or “work through all the 3-hour practice exams.” They are executional; they are hard to follow without the target that compels them.

I don’t have an answer today so I’ll think about it as I ride to work.

Blog experts say not to post things like “what you do want me to blog about?” because it’s gutless and demonstrates you don’t have a clue what you’re writing about. Well, I’m going to go one step further than that and start a thread here on what could be a business plan for this site.

Thing is, there is nothing new; it’s not like my idea here will be so revolutionary that potential competitors will find my blog and steal the idea. I think a more likely outcome is that similar-minded people will find this idea, realize how they could contribute to it, and join me.

I want to create a resource site, a social resource for people who are and want to live creative, innovative lives. The topic is broad, but it is driven by two realizations:

1) The goal–in addition to helping people, being interesting and relevant, and perhaps helping to change the world–is to make money. To make money, I need a site that can attract a significant, well-defined audience. So, while a blog or site about tools for becoming involved in your community might be a good idea, it would have such narrow appeal that it would not be marketable. In order to be successful–in a way that the founders can monetize it–the site must attract and capture a large audience that advertisers want to reach.

2) The quality of the writing is part of the value proposition. Penelope Trunk did a great job of hitting goal #1 above with her startup BrazenCareerist. It’s a site that clearly attracts the Generation Y professional–young people starting their careers who blend work and life to achieve their still-idealistic goals. But it is not necessary or even desirable for such a site to be 100% valuable content–bits and bits of factoids and advice nuggets. Part of the value of any media is that is enjoyable to experience.

Consider home improvement television. It is theoretically possible to record a show on how to build a deck, then play it back while you work on your deck. But hardly anyone does that. Most consumers passively watch these shows because they like the people telling the stories. They relate to what those other homeowners are doing in renovating their homes and they watch the show not only to gather ideas, but to live vicariously.

A resource for creative and innovative living must be more than tips and tricks, best practices, etc. You can get stuff like that from Lifehacker or many, many other blogs that cater to a specific interest.

The purpose of the site should not be to have the best tips or information you cannot find elsewhere. That’s a very difficult challenge and hard to stay on top of. I think a successful site will present quality in a personal and engaging manner to stimulate good commentary. Often useful, usually relevant, always interesting.

To be continued…

Innovative, creative living is the theme that connects the eclectic ramblings of this blog. To create a resource with broad appeal, but passionate focus, I’ve decided to organize around a set of key content categories. Content–whatever media form it takes–e.g. blog posts, articles, podcasts, video shorts, etc.–should be relevant to and help answer questions I believe people like me are asking around these topics:

• Sustainability – How can we favor conservation over consumption? We join CSAs, set up rain barrels and recycle, and look for many little things to do to make the world a better place. We also long to find ways to solve bigger problems like world poverty and are inspired by the example of social entrepreneurs like Muhammad Yunis. But we are not mindless slaves to “green living” faddism. I think there is a long, rich thread to be explored talking about how we can work sustainability–as a form of social justice–into our lives so it is not just a marketing play or big ideas we can only contribute money towards…by telling the stories of many things people are doing, I believe we can inspire others to action.
• Parenting – I feel more practical than most of what I read. When I talk–to other dads, at least–I get the sense that we are all just muddling our way through. Generation X is different–supposedly, we were latchkey kids or something and now we make parenting a bigger priority than our parents did. Not true for me; my mom stayed home until I was 16, but the point is I think most of us are not really interested in reading about Manic Mommies and don’t relate to people who are so absorbed in their parenting that after putting the kids to bed, they go blog about it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is a saturated field these days. Here’s a less manic mommy blog that does a great job of covering a broader spectrum of experience. But, while I think stories of Equally Shared Parenting and the great comment thread it inspired on Penelope Trunk’s blog, are fascinting, I want to hear stories from parents with perspective and ambivalence. Generation X may be rewriting the rules of parenting, but the great stories are not the lists of urgent things to do to make your kid better or heartfelt stories of daily life, they are the honest stories of parents who describe how parenting is a different kind of hard. I have not written that post completely yet; it is a difficult tightrope to walk, because there is a fine line between ambivalence–holding strong, conflicted feelings and opinions on an issue–and uncaring or selfishness. I want this site, this resource to have the guts to go there.
• Community – We want to be a part of where we live but we don’t have time. How do we make the time? I’ve blogged about this here and even created a separate blog, WestwoodBlog, as part of an effort to get involved. Part of the story here involves talking about social media like I’ve done for facebook, twitter, and wikis. But that’s only a start. Most of us are not going to start a town blog or wiki. I’ve seen my town blog was valuable, but not exactly as I hoped–I have still not achieved the participation level I hoped for like what Brian Keaney did with myDedham.org but I think people in town want to read the blog and found it useful during town meeting. I’m also working to set up our Community Access Television station and perhaps that will “fit” the participation level of more people. But regardless, just getting the information out there is valuable. If this site can tell stories of how creative people are engaging with their communities–with or without technology–it will help us all think of ways to be involved.
• Active – Exercise should be recreation. I think we want to be active, not just as a chore to keep fit but because we love riding bikes, hiking in the woods, running and being outdoors. People ask how I find time to exercise and I don’t; I’ve made it a part of my life. Stories of creative life have to include stories of adventure and active living. We don’t need to scale Everest or prove anything, but it is a part of a complete life.
• Career – the bottom line is that we want to live first, work second and we choose careers in an online/connected world that helps us achieve that. Or we start our own businesses. But we are not workaholics anymore. Career is a part of a blended life. This site will leave the advice to the professionals, but tell stories of those who are taking control of their careers to provide for the lives they want to live.

That’s my list for now. There are plenty more things that could be on the list…like Art, Entertainment, Technogadgetry, Relationships…but I don’t have the passion, expertise, or interest to go deep in those areas yet. If I were truly assessing the market, I would probably be driven there, but I think these topics are enough–they are what’s on my mind anyway and I think I’m not alone. The site doesn’t have to be comprehensive, it just needs to cover some key areas to fulfill the mission of: Often useful, usually relevant, always interesting.

What next? Enough thoughts for tonight. Perhaps I’ll talk about media types tomorrow.

I’m an inherently disorganized person, but I manage to get a lot of things done. It really is as simple–and challenging–as finding time.

There is no balance to be had in life. We cannot plan, predict, or organize our lives so that we create the time we need, when we need it. Something always interrupts us; there is always a need to shift priorities, or things just take a lot longer than we planned. So I’ve come to think of all time as precious opportunity and to ask myself, what can I do with this moment I have now?

A coworker remarked this morning how she just didn’t have time to get into facebook, twitter, blogging, etc. I had emailed everyone that they might like to follow me on twitter. And when people find this blog, or my other blog, WestwoodBlog, or they see the books I’ve read and reviewed, they are incredulous, especially given that I have 3 kids under 4 at home. But I find little bits of time here and there…

On the train to work–once I had an internet-capable phone, I found I could do so much in 20 minutes–checking twitter, facebook, sending some short emails on work related stuff, while I read a book or sketch out ideas for another project. WestwoodBlog was designed in about half an hour on the train. (Of course it took a lot longer than that to implement, but the core idea and commitment to make it happen was something I sketched out furiously in a notebook as the train sat delayed due to some problem.)

It is harder to do the big stuff. But the big stuff is made up of little stuff. I have a vision of what I want in my life and when I have extra time, I chip away at the broad parameters of the “next step.”

There are limitations and compromises…to compare this to running, I know can’t sign up for a marathon given my current schedule because I cannot commit 5 days a week to running. But I can do 10Ks and 7.5 milers and keep the joy of running alive until I’m able to prioritize that kind of training regime again.

My blog…I have some ideas of how to take it to the next level…but for now, it needs to be “what can I do today?” Lately I think what I can do is engage with twitter and let my network and knowledge continue to expand until I find the next incremental leap I can make…to have some patience and be ready for opportunity.

Another way to think about life these days is to compare it to working on a large document. I don’t have the table of contents written, just a theme. And if I tried to write the outline out, I’d get lost in the details. So instead, I write short chapters and save often.

This morning I saw a tweet from Chris Brogan asking “What numbers guide your career right now? What types of measures are you living by?” I shot back something kind of off the cuff like “mortgage, bank account balance, number of days of PTO available, whether this month is 3 or 2 paychecks” which I suspected was not what anyone wanted to hear. I think we’re supposed to be more strategic than that, to be “in control” of our careers, and presumably striving to better ourselves and measure it in some way.

But at the end of the day, my numbers may not be what I measure success by, but they are what I watch to stay on track. I made a choice to start a family, live in a relatively affluent Boston suburb, and survive on one income while my wife stays at home to raise 3 kids.

The mortgage is the result of selling a larger, more expensive house in Needham to buy what I think is a better house in a better town, for less money, a slightly longer commute and a lower mortgage. But it’s an adjustable rate interest only mortgage that we pay extra on each month. My goal is to drive that debt down below 300K in the next couple years.

The bank account and timing of paychecks is my effective cash management practice of continuing to live paycheck to paycheck while setting aside whatever I can to saving or to pay down debt so that I never feel I have money to burn.

And the days of PTO? I feel like I never take a vacation, but somehow the days are used up. I was out for 3 days this week and it seems like I was gone for a week or more.

I felt kind of pedestrian for posting that comment, but I’ve also come to realize that for most people, career is about paying the bills. I’d love to say the numbers guiding my career were the number of visitors to this blog, how many posts per week I could average, and some kind of “influence metric” that showed people cared about what I wrote. But for now, I’m on a long drive where it’s less about miles covered and more about keeping the tank full and avoiding tickets.

The other night, as my wife went to a meeting–one of her rare opportunities to get out and do something for herself versus managing our three kids–I decided to take the kids to Costco to pick up a couple of critical resources we can’t run out of: dog food and Enfamil. 6pm to 8pm is the home stretch of time between dinner and bed for our nearly 4-year old, 2-year old, and 3-month old. And a little mini-excursion is better than watching Max/Ruby/Dora/Diego.

But I don’t think I had done a solo trip like that before, so I was a little apprehensive. Parking lot…big store…etc. But I moved fast and they stayed in the carriage until I was stuck in line and the fun began as 2-year old Jason had become bored. A couple behind me noticed Marshall who was happily smiling at them and complimented me on how “interactive” he was for 3 months old. I said something like “I’ve got my hands full tonight,” to which the guy followed up with “Where’s mom?”

Now I know he didn’t mean anything by that, but I realized how different we perceive these situations depending on both the gender of the observer and the participant. I’ve been guilty of it too. Frantic mom with 3 toddlers crying and whining = mom who can’t control her bratty kids. Man with 3 toddlers crying and whining = heroic parent who is pitching in to help. For men at work, people fret over how if Dad is working late he is missing out on quality time with the kids. Mom working late has outsourced her parenting. Or if she leaves early, she’s not committed to her job.

It’s really nobody’s business. We do what works for us and try not to get caught up in imagining what other people might be thinking. But it takes effort to ignore…and I think men have a lot less to ignore because for us, taking care of kids is something “extra” not expected. For working moms–it’s two jobs. And for stay at home moms, it is one really big job without the break of being able to go sit in a cube where you can blog if you feel like it and eat a leisurely half-hour lunch without interruption.

As a former attorney, I should have been more conscientious, but I was surprised to receive an email from Richard Florida’s Creative Class Group asking me to stop using their registered mark. I’ve adopted the term in my writing and come to think that it represents a better way to think about the people with whom I identify. Technically, the mark refers to:

[The] group of individuals in creative fields of employment, where the individual’s primary employment duties require him or her to innovate, create, or high-level problem-solve, namely– the arts, music, science and engineering, design, entrepreneurship, education, and the knowledge-based professions of business, finance, law, and health care. [from USPTO]

My initial reaction to their email was defensive…but I thought about it and honestly, while I was definitely intending to promote the concept, and considered my use “fair use,” I was also probably hoping to piggyback off their brand. A goal of this blog is to share my perspective–to be a blog of that group of individuals who work in the fields described above and illustrate how we blend our lives, work and community involvement. It’s ironic because I also get into trouble with some readers here for using that rather “loaded” label: labeling anything “creative” implies that if it doesn’t fit, it’s not creative…and that smacks of elitism.

So, time for a new term, a phrase I can use to brand this blog in an inclusive way. I think the issues I’m talking about are not generational; I am Generation X, but feel a lot in common with the next generation and have a lot of boomer ideas too. And perhaps “class” is itself too loaded a term. But from day one of blogging, I have written about how work changes us and I think the mash-up life, the “blended life” (somebody is probably trademarking that!), and our tendency to approach life as a set of problems to be solved is largely a product of our work experience.

But it’s not just work and it is not just an effort to blend or balance work and life. We strive to put our unique stamp on everything we do. We don’t accept the status quo, even in the most mundane things–we want to improve–or at least add to whatever it is we are engaged in. We live a creative life–a life where every experience is an opportunity to think: what can I add to this? Sometimes it comes across as criticism–people see us questioning the status quo and pointing out flaws. Or it comes across as elitism–based on a little bit of information, we are ready to tell everyone how it could all be done better. So our challenge is to manage and communicate our true intentions better.

So, while I cannot claim this blog as a blog for a “class” of people, I can claim it as a blog for those of any economic background and any generation who share the creative impulse and want to live a creative life.

The Boston Sunday Globe features an article by Maggie Jackson on companies that are experimenting with allowing employees to bring their infants to work with them. It’s a controversy magnet of an article, but worth considering the underlying issues it exposes.

Bottom line for me, if I were running a company, I would say let’s give it a try and see what happens. If an employee feels they can be more effective if they are able to bring their newborn/infant to the office…and if it fits the office dynamic, it might be good for everyone involved. It might be the difference between another new mom who decides to “never come back” and someone who, in a supportive work environment, finds a way to balance things.

But there are so many issues…

• Although infants require less attention than toddlers, the first baby is always more effort because it is all new to the first-time mom. It is a little insulting to suggest that some women could continue doing their jobs, occasionally tending to the baby, while others stay at home to raise their kids. But that’s a parenting judgment and really nobody’s business.
• We all carry around work ethic ideas, even in our changing workplace, that we fall back on. No matter how flexible the schedule or how good the employee is at communicating expectations, there is still something magical about 9am and 5pm (plus or minus a few hours in some industries). A baby in the office disrupts people’s assumptions and they don’t know what to do with that. Is she working hard enough? Is she being distracted by the baby? Am I being distracted by the baby? It is funny how people get judgmental about others work habits so quickly, but it does boil down to an issue of fairness…people want to be treated as equals or better. But what does fair/equal mean when you try to compare people at different life stages? E.g. singles vs parents?
• Babies and kids in general just make some people uncomfortable. Frankly, they make me uncomfortable. I love my kids, but I’m just not a “baby person.” I had never held a baby before my first born and I think I still have not held anyone else’s child. But again…so what? Nobody is asking you to hold the baby at the office…don’t fear what hasn’t happened yet So many of the “what if” negative questions are really just things bound up in people’s individual neuroses and shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way of something that could be positive for everyone.

I think companies should keep an open mind and if an employee wants to give it a shot…go for it. But everyone should recognize that while it is an opportunity for growth, it many not fit the company. If it doesn’t work out, then the manager will have to make a difficult decision and deal with the consequences. But perhaps if all that is discussed openly up front, it can be managed without too much disruption and bad feelings.

Generation Y Entrepreneur Adam McFarland blogs about his plan to work “only” 20 hours per week, and it is a refreshing attitude to see. He, like many young people these days, is highly-influenced by Tim Ferris’s book, The 4-hour Work Week. It sounds crazy, but consider the following:

He explicitly excludes learning time, blogging time, commuting, and reading. For him, it is all about focus–a focus that comes not from a desire to be lazy, but from a time crunch imperative. It’s amazing how much work you can get done when you don’t have a lot of time to do it. And you cannot apply that intensity evenly across 40 hours, so if people say, “you should be working this hard all the time!” a reasonable response is “why?” You just cannot assume linear productivity.

I come at this from the opposite age perspective–as someone who has worked for half a dozen startups and has done the 60+ hour work week, I can tell you the end result is often not that much more than if people had spent 20 hours of focused time. There can be months of time spent on projects that ultimately go nowhere. Yes, there are some situations where you have a huge volume of work to do and you just have to crank through it…but most of the time in an office today is spent talking to people, sitting in meetings, and redoing things to make them a little better.

There are plenty of resources on productivity online and virtual cult of people interested in “GTD” (Getting Things Done). But those are only tools that usually presume you have 100 hours of work you need to get done in 60 and wish you could do in 40. What if you only had 20? You find ways to make it work out of necessity.

The same principle applies for VC funding. It is hard, extremely hard, to manage costs when you have 10 or 20 million dollars in the bank. But when you have $100K in the bank and 6 employees with payroll to make in 3 weeks…it is amazing how you learn to manage costs. Personally, that’s how I’ve managed my finances for years–whenever I have “too much” money in my checking account I transfer it to savings so that I live roughly paycheck to paycheck. When the “buffer” builds up, I find myself buying coffee again instead of choking down the free swill available in the office.

But I don’t know if the 20-hour work week can really work outside a very entrepreneurial context. The reality is that when you own the business, limiting your work hours is a discipline, but if you are not an owner…it is very hard to maintain that kind of discipline. I think the dirty secret of most companies is that they know most workers are only working 10-15% of the time anyway. People cannot easily coordinate their “productive time” with other employees. I suppose you could declare the work day was 9-1pm, but people need scheduling flexibility and unexpected problems cannot be scheduled to occur when people are best positioned to solve them.

A better model is to recognize that goals and deliverables are necessary and time is not important. It’s OK to read a blog at work while you are waiting for something to load or when you have 15 minutes before a meeting. And there are times when you are at home on the weekend when you will need to do some work because it needs to be done and if you wait until Monday, it won’t happen. There is also value in the “non-work” activities that go on at work…getting to know the people you work with, having lunch with them, taking time to enjoy the day…these are not “wastes” of time, they are part of working life.