T,
Thank you for finally getting back to me. These last 3 months have been very difficult not hearing from you. Fact is I care about you! I know you are always pulled in 5 million directions and like to remain private but yet I still missed you. While you were gone though nobody stopped talking about you, and not much of it was very nice. Fact is, as you pointed out to me on Friday is that it was justified. You did some really bad things. A lot of people out there are still wondering how you could do all of those things to 'them' but I am not one of them. Personally you didn't hurt me. Even as someone I admire and respect for how accomplished they are in business i understand everyone is flawed. I do feel deeply though for those you hurt. I am glad you took some time to acknowledge them. Of course it was your immediate family first and they will hurt the deepest and those wounds may never fully heal, but the other relationships in your life can be repaired. Your business partners need you as badly as you need them. You will get a second chance with them and you know it. There are others though that won't ever be able to express to you the difficulty you have put them through. How do you explain to an 11 year old who sees you as 'larger than life' that you are not only human but that you took advantage of your position, exploited it, and in hindsight exploit him and millions like him.
As sad as I am though, you know what, I want to believe you, I want to see the humanity through the rigid exterior. I have learned over the last several years that everyone has their own story and no one person can truly understand what it is like to walk in an other's shoes. So, I like many, will be here for you. We will wear our hearts on our sleeves and hope beyond hope that you conquer your personal demons, for this is really where you and 'I' connect. It is where you connect with the world, not with a 350 yard drive. We ALL fight our demons. We all do the wrong things and we all have to pay the price. The smartest line you delivered was the one about overcoming adversity. I am right there with you brother.
The road ahead of you is a long one, and you will never be the same. In my mind that's a good thing. You can actually become BETTER! You already have given so much in charity and have helped thousands of kids that needed it. Now you can take this experience and quadruple those efforts. Live your life with humility at every turn. Open your heart to the word not just your checkbook. In therapy discover what it was like to feel pure joy because as I see it, that's what you are seeking. Hopefully what you are learning is that no one person, or experience can give you that joy until you find it in yourself. Be thankful for all your blessings and celebrate them above all else.
If I have one bit of advice or critique from what you said to me on Friday; don't go anywhere near deflecting what you have brought on upon yourself. No reasonable person should be following a two year old to their school, however, YOU brought that upon your daughter. As senseless as it seems those photogs are doing the job they are paid to do. They would not be invading your privacy if it wasn't for your actions. As crappy as that sounds you and the family will live with this for quite some time. The more contentious and accusatory you get about it the less we will support you.
I do really wish you well my friend. I hope that someday, no matter the outcome, you will look back at this experience and it will have made you and those around you better people. Then the actions you took in these trying times will have shown your true contrition.
Your Friend
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Big Brother is here and I am embracing him
How many of you out there when you first saw FACEBOOK said, "that's silly, why would kids do that"? Be honest. When FACEBOOK started it was for kids on college campuses only and that was my first reaction. Why communicate on the computer when you can just walk across the proverbial Quad? Well, like 350 million + people I am thrilled that FB 'opened' up to allow anyone in. It has allowed me to connect, reconnect and express myself in ways that were impossible just 3-4 years ago.
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Art
Art - by definition:
1. The products of human creativity
2. The creation of beautiful things
3. A superior skill that you can learn by practice or skill
Three definitive definitions of the same word. All come to a conclusion for a very broad term and they all explain the word in a very broad way. The concept of what is art and what is not is one that is always hotly contested when it comes to certain 'fringe' types of 'performance' or material. For me, I have always been fascinated with certain aspects of art while completely uninspired by others. Over the years my mind has been opened up to new experiences and new understanding through the Arts that I could never had access to without 'its' assistance. As I look back at these three definitions I am actually inspired to poke holes in them, and thus through written word, create 'art', but then again, "art is in the eye of the beholder" (I guess that is a thought and not a definition)...
Definition #1 seems pretty cut and dry; the product of human creativity. Simple, clean, easy, yet in today's technological age is it correct? The spectacular web of a spider, the song of the humpback whale as she searches for a mate...are these not 'art' as well? But those things are created for 'survival' and not for pleasure (or out of pain), but yet the definition of art did not mention either of those things.
The second definition, the creation of beautiful things, is one I have a real problem with. Who judges what is beautiful? It is an age old question and one that hit me last night as I went to see 'Next to Normal' on Broadway. It is a difficult musical to discuss without giving away the plot or some key themes that you should really experience 'without prejudice', but let me just say that in it's pure power and rawness I found art. I found it to be disturbing, sad, touching and very real. Yet as I sat there I realized that I was responding to the art based on my own experiences. I have heard of people being moved through art in this way before, but for me it was a first. I physically and emotionally felt the pain of each of the six characters. I saw their hopes and fears and related in a way I never have before. But, I am guessing it isn't for everyone and many won't find much 'beauty' in this work of art.
What I realize more and more is that we each truly have a story and no two stories are alike, and as we weave through each others lives those stories get intertwined and interconnected and sometimes they get completely severed. This morning I was crammed on the #2 train out of 72nd and Broadway. It was 31 degrees above and a mix of rain and sleet were coming down so the train was unusually crowded. As I packed in, four more people tried to get on, three with success and one left behind. At first I was annoyed that we had taken more on, but I realized they are now a part of 'my story'. What of that fourth person that didn't make it? Is she 'lost' forever to me? What if she had something to say that could have changed my life? I will never know, nor was I meant to. Last night, I was meant to see that play. In reality, if not for my cousins being in town, it would not have been on my radar. I would have read the synopsis and said "not for me thanks", but through a series of events, there I was, center stage, 5th row and I felt all alone with the actors. I could look them in the eye and I felt like they looked right back and they knew 'my story'. They knew I needed this and that by being present they had helped mold my story. The show had so many lines, and nuggets of insight that I know my mind processed yet I can't remember the exact phrases. I do know I need to go back and feel it again.
Up until last night the real genres of art that have touched me have been music and film. I now include theater in that mix even though I have been going for years. Living in New York I realize I have the chance to explore all sorts of genres of art that are kept hidden from most. I no longer want to just go to the 'hit' play because of the name in it, I want to go deeper, see more, feel more.
Last night inspired me to write more, be more and do more with the time I have left. I am 41, I am at the peak, my personal summit. The days and years behind me, for better and for worse have led me here, and despite the challenges, there really is no other 'place' I would rather be. In the last two months life has thrown more challenges than I thought were fair; I will not shrink from them. I will take them in, ingest them as input and make sure the output they create is used for good.
Fortunately for us we are our own story tellers and the final line is really never written. One of my favorite lines from a movie is "what we do in life echos in eternity". Well, that eternity is our children, our friends and those we interact with.
My story continues to be told, but after last night I am determined to be its author and not just a character in it.
1. The products of human creativity
2. The creation of beautiful things
3. A superior skill that you can learn by practice or skill
Three definitive definitions of the same word. All come to a conclusion for a very broad term and they all explain the word in a very broad way. The concept of what is art and what is not is one that is always hotly contested when it comes to certain 'fringe' types of 'performance' or material. For me, I have always been fascinated with certain aspects of art while completely uninspired by others. Over the years my mind has been opened up to new experiences and new understanding through the Arts that I could never had access to without 'its' assistance. As I look back at these three definitions I am actually inspired to poke holes in them, and thus through written word, create 'art', but then again, "art is in the eye of the beholder" (I guess that is a thought and not a definition)...
Definition #1 seems pretty cut and dry; the product of human creativity. Simple, clean, easy, yet in today's technological age is it correct? The spectacular web of a spider, the song of the humpback whale as she searches for a mate...are these not 'art' as well? But those things are created for 'survival' and not for pleasure (or out of pain), but yet the definition of art did not mention either of those things.
The second definition, the creation of beautiful things, is one I have a real problem with. Who judges what is beautiful? It is an age old question and one that hit me last night as I went to see 'Next to Normal' on Broadway. It is a difficult musical to discuss without giving away the plot or some key themes that you should really experience 'without prejudice', but let me just say that in it's pure power and rawness I found art. I found it to be disturbing, sad, touching and very real. Yet as I sat there I realized that I was responding to the art based on my own experiences. I have heard of people being moved through art in this way before, but for me it was a first. I physically and emotionally felt the pain of each of the six characters. I saw their hopes and fears and related in a way I never have before. But, I am guessing it isn't for everyone and many won't find much 'beauty' in this work of art.
What I realize more and more is that we each truly have a story and no two stories are alike, and as we weave through each others lives those stories get intertwined and interconnected and sometimes they get completely severed. This morning I was crammed on the #2 train out of 72nd and Broadway. It was 31 degrees above and a mix of rain and sleet were coming down so the train was unusually crowded. As I packed in, four more people tried to get on, three with success and one left behind. At first I was annoyed that we had taken more on, but I realized they are now a part of 'my story'. What of that fourth person that didn't make it? Is she 'lost' forever to me? What if she had something to say that could have changed my life? I will never know, nor was I meant to. Last night, I was meant to see that play. In reality, if not for my cousins being in town, it would not have been on my radar. I would have read the synopsis and said "not for me thanks", but through a series of events, there I was, center stage, 5th row and I felt all alone with the actors. I could look them in the eye and I felt like they looked right back and they knew 'my story'. They knew I needed this and that by being present they had helped mold my story. The show had so many lines, and nuggets of insight that I know my mind processed yet I can't remember the exact phrases. I do know I need to go back and feel it again.
Up until last night the real genres of art that have touched me have been music and film. I now include theater in that mix even though I have been going for years. Living in New York I realize I have the chance to explore all sorts of genres of art that are kept hidden from most. I no longer want to just go to the 'hit' play because of the name in it, I want to go deeper, see more, feel more.
Last night inspired me to write more, be more and do more with the time I have left. I am 41, I am at the peak, my personal summit. The days and years behind me, for better and for worse have led me here, and despite the challenges, there really is no other 'place' I would rather be. In the last two months life has thrown more challenges than I thought were fair; I will not shrink from them. I will take them in, ingest them as input and make sure the output they create is used for good.
Fortunately for us we are our own story tellers and the final line is really never written. One of my favorite lines from a movie is "what we do in life echos in eternity". Well, that eternity is our children, our friends and those we interact with.
My story continues to be told, but after last night I am determined to be its author and not just a character in it.
Friday, February 5, 2010
To 'split' or not to 'split' that is the question
For the record I am staying put, you couldn't drag me away with 1,000 horses (is that how the saying even goes?).
What I am talking about is my blog, too which more than one of you might say, "do you even write enough any longer for it to matter?"...to you Craig, I say "ha ha".
The other night I attended a panel which was part of Social Media Week here in New York. The panel was about Sports Blogging, which is something I do fairly regularly. What I realized is that more than one panelist had multiple blogs, each devoted to different themes. In fact, one blogger, Dan Shanoff, has an entire blog dedicated to one player (Tim Tebow, if you don't have Tebow-fatigue you can find it here, http://www.timteblog.com/).
I realize I talk about a diverse amount of topics and I don't necessarily blog for a given audience, but by maybe splitting up into a couple different blogs, I could drive traffic based on content. The flip side would be my need to really focus on my writing and be more diligent about putting my thoughts down in a coherent pattern. I think I like the idea of the 'pay off'.
The next question is how 'diverse' do I get? Yes, it seems a sports related blog makes sense. I don't think I need just a 'Gator' focused blog, or a Fantasy Football one, well maybe one there, or a Philly related one...maybe baby steps, split once and go from there. Outside of sports I could see wrapping the rest up and staying here at 'Where Do We Go From Here' but who knows. I still like the title of this site because I am constantly still asking that question...
I guess my next step is to come up with a new name for a new blog and then I'm off...
What I am talking about is my blog, too which more than one of you might say, "do you even write enough any longer for it to matter?"...to you Craig, I say "ha ha".
The other night I attended a panel which was part of Social Media Week here in New York. The panel was about Sports Blogging, which is something I do fairly regularly. What I realized is that more than one panelist had multiple blogs, each devoted to different themes. In fact, one blogger, Dan Shanoff, has an entire blog dedicated to one player (Tim Tebow, if you don't have Tebow-fatigue you can find it here, http://www.timteblog.com/).
I realize I talk about a diverse amount of topics and I don't necessarily blog for a given audience, but by maybe splitting up into a couple different blogs, I could drive traffic based on content. The flip side would be my need to really focus on my writing and be more diligent about putting my thoughts down in a coherent pattern. I think I like the idea of the 'pay off'.
The next question is how 'diverse' do I get? Yes, it seems a sports related blog makes sense. I don't think I need just a 'Gator' focused blog, or a Fantasy Football one, well maybe one there, or a Philly related one...maybe baby steps, split once and go from there. Outside of sports I could see wrapping the rest up and staying here at 'Where Do We Go From Here' but who knows. I still like the title of this site because I am constantly still asking that question...
I guess my next step is to come up with a new name for a new blog and then I'm off...
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