Just a guy trying to get by

My review of the Orvis Hopsack Travel Blazer

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:13:00 +0000

I travel quite a bit. I've been from the Arctic to Mumbai, the Great Wall in China to Iceland. Throughout my travels I've struggled to find a really good sports jacket or blazer that can handle the rigors of travel and still look good. I've tried many styles and finally purchased a Orvis Hopsack Travel Blazer, that "defies wrinkling".

Fit
I wear a 44 Regular. The Orvis 44 Regular is a bit tight. I'm not opposed to having a jacket tailored a bit. I'd rather pay $60 to my tailor to make sure my jacket looks like something custom made. I ended up buying the 46 regular but need to get the sleeves shortened just a bit. I bought the larger size because I often pack a light sweater and wanted room. I could have it taken in a bit, to about a 45, but don't think I'll bother.

The jacket is a three button style. But it doesn't button like a three button. If you button the middle button the lay of the jacket is similar to a two button jacket. If you button the top and middle button it bunches up funny. I just don't bother with the top button and treat the coat like a two button style.

Wrinkle Resistance
The wrinkle resistance of this jacket is nothing short of amazing. I flew a commuter jet from the East Coast to Chicago and the jacket ended up stuffed in a tiny overhead bin. Once I was at the hotel I hung it up, put it in the bathroom withe the shower running and the wrinkles CAME RIGHT OUT! It was amazing. I did have one stubborn wrinkle but got by steaming it on the hangar with my hotel iron.

At the end of every day I just hung the jacket up. The wrinkles just naturally came out. Amazing.

Durability
The fabric is strong, durable polyester/wool blend. It doesn't look like a $1,000 sport coat. The bottom exterior pockets are sewn on the outside. That said, if you have it slightly altered to your body you won't look bad. Pair the coat with some wool trousers, white shirt and conservative tie and you can attend almost anything but the most formal of functions and look fantastic.

The interior lining is the weak link in this product. The interior pockets are useless. The right sided pocket has a thin zipper, for security I suppose. It is simply useless. I never zip the zipper. Just keep it open. The left side interior pocket is a button pocket, which was much more functional.

The top interior pockets are too deep. You'll lose your stuff in them. Orvis, please fix this. Use a smartphone as your template. The bottom interior pockets are equally useless. They aren't quite deep enough. You can't really put a wallet or mobile phone in them. The other issue is the stitching on the pockets. Three days into my trip I went to reach in the top left cavernous interior pocket and ripped the lining. I'll have to exchange the jacket now. Very frustrating Orvis, these pockets should have extra heavy stitching to prevent tears.

Overall
Would I buy this jacket again? Yes! Does it live up to its name as a tough travel blazer? Sort of. Should you buy it? Yes! Orvis stands by their product. I'll easily get a replacement, but I shouldn't have to. If you buy it consider having the interior pockets reinforced by your tailor. Orvis should consider making this a two button jacket.

Do you have this jacket? What do you think?

My three words for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words. He doesn't do a New Year's resolution, instead he works his goals around these three words or themes. He's not alone, others have taken the three words idea and expanded on it.

So what are my three words for 2012?

Grow

I want to grow. Grow my knowledge base, my education, my skills as a public speaker. How? I can grow my knowledge base in the maritime sector by taking advantage of the various certificate programs available at Lloyd's Maritime Academy or one of the many brick and mortar universities such as SUNY Maritime.

I can learn more about social media and the social media landscape by taking advantage of free (or nearly free) programs like Podcamp or Social Media Week.

Finally, I can increase my public speaking skills by rereading books like Presentation Zen, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, and taking another course with my favorite public speaking coaches, the team from Speaking for Results- Rande and Robert Gedaliah in New York City (they get it).

Shrink

So, what does shrink mean? I want to do more than lose weight. I want to get fit, reduce my "size" and decrease my running times. If Peter Shankman can challenge himself and shrink (all on a crazier than normal schedule) than I can do it too. Oh, and I still want to run at least once with him (Peter, you can reach me here or here).

Expand

Now this may sound like an oxymoron. Didn't I just want to shrink? Well, I want to expand- expand my networks. I want to meet more people. I want to thank more people. I want to try and help more people. I do that through a variety of tools, both online and "off the grid". I use LinkedIn, mainly for professional and network building. But I go old school and write letters as well, so should you.

So what does 2012 hold for you? I hope it brings happiness, prosperity, and success. You deserve it.

Photo credit: Newtown graffiti via Flickr

Meet Joe; Amtrak Red Cap

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:46:00 +0000

This is Joe. Joe is an Amtrak Red Cap at Boston's South Station. You should get to know Joe and his colleagues if you're taking the train.

Red Cap

Red Cap service can get you on your train about 30 minutes before the mad throngs of passengers start pushing and shoving their way on the train. If you've ever boarded an Amtrak train in Washington, DC, New York, or Boston you know what I mean. A huge line of angry anxious passengers all fighting to board first, snag a table in the cafe car or a seat in the quiet car. It's mayhem.

Elite

You'd have to be an elite level flyer or pay extra to get this kind of service on an airline. But Amtrak offers the service for free. What is it worth to me? I give guys like Joe $5 for the privilege of boarding first. It's the best $5 I spend when traveling the rails of the East Coast. So do me a favor when you're in Boston. Look for Joe and let him make your Amtrak travel smooth and easy. You'll thank me.

Business cards, now what?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:14:00 +0000

You know that big stack of business cards you collected after that last conference? Yea, that stack over there, collecting dust, on the corner of your desk. You know there were several good prospects, right? There was also a woman who said she might know somebody that could use your services. But you never followed up with them. You haven't connected with them on any social space either. Before moving forward, however, follow this advice on how to sort those cards.

Have no fear

How are you going to tackle that stack and start building relationships? If you have an iPhone you can start using CardMunch. What the heck is CardMunch? It's a nifty app from LinkedIn that takes a photo of the business cards you collected, sends them in for transcription (from the folks at Mechanical Turk) and adds it to your contacts. Perfect!

What's the catch? There isn't one! Not unless you count actually following up and making connections a catch. Occasionally you may need to go in and tweak the entry. For the most part, however, the entries are 100% correct.

Make it personal

The best part about CardMunch is its ability to give you an immediate opportunity to connect with these people. You can send a quick follow up email, add people to your iPhone contacts, and even send LinkedIn request. Why are these touch points important? Because you want to be able to help these people. That's why you collected their business card in the first place right?

But before you start slinging friend request and follow up emails make sure you get into the CardMunch "guts" and start tweaking the outgoing messages. You don't want to to just read "I'd like to connect with you on LinkedIn." but instead something like "It was a pleasure meeting you and I'd like to connect with you here." You don't want to dump a totally canned message on these folks. Better yet, customize the request to the event you just attended. "It was a pleasure meeting you at #IMS11 this year and I hope we can connect here." is personal and shows you care to customize the message a bit.

Practice what you preach

If you're requesting people connect with you on LinkedIn make sure your LinkedIn profile is decent. How do you do that? Follow Chris Brogan's advice on making your LinkedIn profile really work. In the meantime I have some business card to scan!

People who get it: Hilton

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:08:00 +0000

Last week I was traveling to London for business. I booked a room at the Hilton London Kensington and prepared for my red eye on American Airlines. I knew I would be arriving early and called the front desk to ensure a room would be ready for me when I arrived the following morning around 8 o'clock. The front desk person I talked to on the phone said nothing would be available. I was pretty frustrated, explained I had morning meetings and would be arriving from a 7 hour flight from New York. Nothing would convince the desk manager to have something ready for me. Then I Tweeted Hilton.

Within a few minutes I received a reply from Hilton and an email from their night manager Ashigh Juneja. Ashigh took care of everything and made sure a room was waiting for me when I arrived. He even greeted me when I checked in to make sure everything was acceptable. Who says customer service is dead!

How was the hotel? Wonderful. The staff was friendly, even the housekeeping and maintenance staff greeted you in the hallway. The room was small but included all the necessary amenities necessary to make the stay comfortable. The property is a short taxi ride from Paddington Station (about a 10 pound fare) and withing easy walking distance of a Tesco and the Holland Park tube stop.

Well done Ashigh and well done Hilton. I'll certainly be staying with you when I return to London!

Furlough beards

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:57:00 +0000

It's not really a secret I'm a Federal employee. I'm also facing a furlough come midnight tonight.

So what am I doing about it? I've posted over on Govloop that I'm growing a furlough beard. It worked for Conan right?

Will you join me? Grow what you can! If you're a lady, maybe furlough legs?

Instead of drill baby drill I say grow baby grow!

And Congress? Beard or no beard... I vote.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Working

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Do you attend trade shows? I often exhibit at several trade shows a year. While its easy to get caught up in the receptions, parties, and freebie giveaways its also important to ensure you have some sort of return on investment. How do I prepare for trade shows?

Before

Before a show I try to get a list of the attendees. If I can get the list I prepare an email to send to each participant. This is just the "come see us at booth XXX" email. I use Mail Chimp to distribute the email. I like Mail Chimp because it's free for lists less than 2,000 people. The folks at Small Biz Survival have a great pre-tradeshow checklist you should read as well.

I also send personal emails to the people I want to personally meet. I quickly explain why I'm want to meet and propose a time. Chris Brogan's post on meetings is a great reference on how to conduct business during a meeting. I view trade show meetings as something short, a quick overview of what you want to do, and the pitch- will your prospect support, buy, agree to, etc.

I also Google the people I want to meet. I learn as much about them as possible. Are they quoted in an article? Did they just earn an award? Are they newly promoted? All important stuff that can help break the ice or show you have done your homework. Use online tools such as LinkedIn to also learn and connect with people.

During

Drink plenty of water, have fun, meet people. I tend to write short notes on the back of business cards right after I meet someone. It helps me remember something about them and jogs my memory when I get home and need to decide if it is a relations worth developing.

Got an iPad? Use it to demo your product, collect leads, show photos, video, or other trade show specific content. If the event is a conference, try and get all the conference materials electronically and store them on your iPad. It'll easily take the place of the huge binder you wish you didn't have to lug back on the plane. Here's some more great advice on using an iPad at trade shows.

After

Now what do you do with all those business cards you collected? Again, Chris Brogan has some super advice on what to do after SXSW but his advice can be applied to any trade show. The highlights include separating your business cards into three piles-

business
colleagues
trash

You can quickly whittle the wad of cards you have down to a reasonable pile just by those three piles.

Make sure you follow up with the people. Do you have a deliverable? Send a quick note, a "hi, great meeting you at the trade show. I'll have something for you soon." You don't want to become irrelevant after all the time and effort you put into getting those meetings.

Have I missed anything?

What else can you think of? How do you do it?

Photo credit: Laughing Squid

What would you do?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Today on Facebook Chris Brogan asked what you would do if you knew you were going to be homeless, what steps you might take. It was a serious question and had many comments. I chimed in with a few things I would do if I knew I was going to be homeless.

Make sure I had library card for essential services like fax, internet access, newspapers, free classes, resume help, etc.
I'd buy a prepaid cell phone and max out the minutes.
I'd make sure I was right with God and find a church/temple and see if they would barter (food, housing for cleaning or handyman work).
I would alert family. Not necessarily ask for help, but tell them the truth.
I'd call/notify creditors (hospital bills, credit card companies, etc). Better to have it "in the notes"
I'd figure out how to rent a post office box. Pay for 6 months for the smallest box I could find. Everyone needs an address even if it is a PO Box.

What would you add to the list? Have you been faced with homelessness? How would you cope? You can learn more about homelessness by checking out the Invisible People project.

Photo credit: fotografar

Thank you Penelope

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Several years ago I met a Boston Globe columnist name Penelope Trunk. It was at a Publicity Club of New York luncheon that dealt with something about blogging. I don't remember the details but I remember her passion about writing and blogging. I took the bold step of sending her an email and discovered we had more in common than I imagined, like the fact we are both parents of special needs kids and we were both (at different times) at Ground Zero.

We met a time or two for coffee, made small talk, have emailed back and forth and forged what I hope is a good friendship. Recently I have asked her some questions about something important to me and she really showed just what a good friend she can be. I appreciate her candor and am thankful she is my friend. I wasn't sure how to show my appreciation (she knows a more personal way I'm trying to show it- not what you're thinking) but I thought saying it in this space would also be a nice way to share my thanks. Want to know more about what Penelope does? Check out her company Brazen Careerist or read her book (which she graciously let me read before it was published).

Thank you for being a good friend Penelope. And Happy Birthday.

Photo credit: Fotolia

I did it

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Some time ago I asked the question if I should run the Hartford Marathon or not and you are all probably wondering if I did it. Well I'm proud to report that I did finish the Hartford Marathon in 5 hours 20 minutes and 8 seconds! Thanks to those of you that were wondering (all 7 of you) and thanks to my friends (including you John Wall) that supported me on Facebook and Twitter!

See you at the New York City Marathon in 2011! I received a guaranteed entry.

A take on social networking

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:06:00 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my Sunday paper and started reading Parade Magazine. One small story included a piece about a reunited family. A gentleman had never known is his family and more than 80 years later his daughter turned to Ancestry.com to find people with the same last name in their local area. She invited these folks with the same name to a party at her house and encouraged them to bring photo albums.

What happened when this group got together? They realized, as they shared photos, food and drinks, that they were connected- related! In fact, the elder gentleman looking for his relative actually had several of the same photos as the guests.

How does that time in to what we do with today's social networking tools? This demonstrates the need for the human touch. The fact we need to get out from behind our computers and shake hands. We need to meet people, break bread, and raise a glass. Programs like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook may help us connect across the miles but nothing says "I want to build a relationship with you" quite like meeting that person face to face. It's the best form of social networking there is.

Photo credit: freeparking

Is my Kindle irrelevant?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:15:00 +0000

I have an Amazon Kindle (consider all links affiliate). I love my Kindle. It took some time to get used to the whole e-reader but I made the transition. I travel quite a bit and the portability of the Kindle suits my style. But I am being tempted by the iPad. Do I need an iPad? Probably not. Can I justify the iPad? Sure I can!

Besides books I have many pdf files downloaded to my Kindle. I often convert documents I need for a conference and email them to my Kindle. Can I do that with an iPad? I guess I could. Can I then use the iPad to project documents on a screen? With the VGA adapter I could.

Am I talking myself into buying an iPad? I might be! What are your thoughts on either a dedicated e-reader or the iPad?

Photo credit: oskay

The social web and paper

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:10:00 +0000

By now we all know the importance of building our network using the social web as a "touch point"- a way to connect with people and build/strenghen relationships. But don't let social media be your end point. Instead it should be your foundation, where your socialbility (I think I just invented that horrible word) begins. Why am I mentioning this?

I just got back from being on the road almost an entire month. What's the first thing on my agenda (besides submitting the dreaded travel vouchers)? Sending several hand written thank you notes. Yes, I said hand written thank you notes. In a world of e-vites, Foursquare, Twitter, and "liking" things on Facebook I still send a select number of clients and friends thank you notes. Why? Because email is nearing the end of its life expectancy and hand written notes are just, well- better! Worried you have forgotten how to write a good old fashioned letter? Take a look at Writing Letters with Pen and Ink (affiliate link) to get you started.

I write my notes on heavy stock, embossed with my name, and in bright blue ink. I keep the notes short and poignant. I usually make a short personal comment and then say thanks. I hope the recipients appreciate the sentiment and remember the time we shared favorably. Read more about what paper and supplies I use here.

Why should you hand write your notes? Because it's the right thing to do to demonstrate you care about the other person. What do you think?

Photo credit: jude bird 86

Should I do it... follow up

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:10:00 +0000

A few months ago I wrote about possibly running the ING Hartford Marathon. Well, I signed up to run it.

I guess I better start training if I am going to break 5 hours!

Photo credit: Josiah Mackenzie

Why I won't pitch Chris Brogan

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:41:00 +0000

You know Chris Brogan don't you? He's the social web guru that is all over the interwebs with lots of interesting projects. He's a pretty nice guy, maybe too nice. He provides lots of interesting free content, some great stuff through his paid projects, and even more stuff through some of his lesser known projects. But he's a guy just like me. That's why I won't pitch him.

Occasionally Chris writes about his day. He's in overdrive mode almost all the time. He engages EVERYONE and makes the whole social web look easy, but he's working. He has helped me and chances are he has helped you too. Did you get an invoice? I didn't. That's another reason I won't pitch him. Shucks, if anything I owe Chris Brogan money!

So the next time you get all snarky and think Mr. Brogan is being all high and mighty when he writes about trying to get a handle on his day remember this. He is giving you- us- the tools we need to succeed in this space for free. You want more? You gotta pay.

This isn't a Brogan love fest. If you understand the nature of what he does you can see the value he provides. If you use the tools he provides, you can't help but succeed. That alone is priceless.

Why won't I pitch Chris Brogan? Because I get so much more from him for free than I could ever give in return. I don't have the bankroll to hire him full time, for a week, or even a day. But I don't have to. He routinely sends me things. Thank you for being a friend, Chris, and for giving away such great stuff.

Photo credit: Steffe

In the CLEAR

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:53:00 +0000

If you are a frequent traveler you know doubt were familiar with the CLEAR traveler program. If you were a member of CLEAR you were heartbroken when the service unceremoniously shut down last June.

Well fellow travelers, CLEAR is back! Who swears by this convenient TSA security time saver? Folks like Peter Shankman and Mitch Joel among others (including me). I can't find any information on when CLEAR may be up and running, but I hope it's soon.

What do you think about the return of CLEAR?

Photo credit: g_flow

People who get it- Speaking for Results

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:56:00 +0000

Today I am starting a new feature I call "People who get it". I want to highlight groups, people, or organizations that get it. I want to praise good customer service, good marketing, good outreach- just goodness! Julien Smith once wrote that bloggers often use their platform to complain. Hopefully this will fill the void of complaints and highlight what good stuff people are doing.

Who get's it? Rande and Robert Gedaliah at Speaking for Results. I recently attended one of their workshops. They were great. They worked well together. They really worked hard to ensure the students learned how to improve their public speaking (trust me, some of us really needed work). They taped us and made us review our presentations. They taught us the skills we needed to become comfortable sharing our story. But more than just good speaking coaches, Rande and Robert became our mentors.

What do I mean by mentors? Every few months I get a reminder postcard from their company, Speaking for Results. They actually write on the card. The last note said "Ben, continued success!" Then on my birthday they sent me a quick email offering birthday wishes. Some people might call this clever marketing, I think it's being human. I will always need to refresh my public speaking and the first place I will turn is to Rande and Robert. If you don't think you need help learning how to speak in public you haven't read this, this or this.

What's so special about what Rande and Robert do? They engage, they listen, and they are human. If I have a question about speaking, want a pep talk, or just want to bounce something off of them all I need to do is email. They respond. They are great. If you are in New York consider checking them out. They offer workshops on a routine basis.

Do you get it? Do you know someone who gets it?

Photo credit: theparadigmshifter

Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:27:00 +0000

So I am sitting at home reflecting on Memorial Day. I am thinking about the guys I went to basic training with over 20 years ago and wondering where they are now. Did they make a career of the Air Force? Did anyone die in combat? Do they feel as proud as I do for serving?

I was fortunate. I never saw combat. Heck, there wasn't much of anything going on in the world when I served. We invaded Panama in 1989 but that was about it, until Desert Storm. Boy how I wanted to go. It never happened though. As Milton said- "He also serves who only stands and waits."

How do you celebrate Memorial Day?

Air Boss video review

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:49:00 +0000

I have written about what I travel with but I finally took a moment and shot this video to actually show you what I use. The Air Boss, by Red Oxx, is my main carry on bag. Follow these affiliate links for the other items I mentioned like the clothes line, Eagle Creek pack it cubes and folder, and iGo charger and splitter.

What do you travel with?

So should I?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:14:00 +0000

I had high hopes of getting into the New York City Marathon this year. Last week was the lottery and I learned I did not earn a spot in the race. I do have the option of running for charity and, perhaps, I would take them up on that offer except my favorite charity isn't partnered with ING. Instead I am considering running the Hartford Connecticut marathon.

I really need to work out, begin running in earnest, and lose some weight and the thought of running 26.2 miles should be motivation enough to get my butt in gear. Honestly, however, I don't know if I have it in me. No, I know I can run 26.2 miles. I don't know if I have the discipline necessary to train for a marathon!

How do you motivate yourself? How do you get out there and just do it? How do you keep from eating that extra helping of lunch or dinner and instead go out and run? Where do you find the time?

Photo credit: billjank

Dear Connecticut, don't leave my son behind!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:36:00 +0000

The budget deficit facing the State of Connecticut is no secret to those of us faced with figuring out how the Governor and Legislature is going to balance our budget. Balancing the budget to the detriment of people with intellectual disabilities, however, is not the way forward.

What does this have to do with my son? My son has Down syndrome. He is almost seven years old, attends public school, and by all measures is a healthy young boy. We moved to Connecticut because we wanted a good school system and a community accepting of people with differences. We settled in Trumbull because of the strong schools and a community organization dedicated to helping people with special needs. That organization is the Kennedy Center.

After we got settled my wife and I applied for services my son is entitled to through the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS). In May of 2009 we received encouraging news that our son was eligible for services and we had been assigned a case manager. Within two months that offer of service would be taken away from us.

Citing anticipated retirements of agency case managers, we were told our son would no longer be assigned a case manager. We were saddened to learn our son would not receive the services he was entitled to. Services such as advocacy at school meetings, among other things, were longer offered to us. We instead turned to the private sector and the Kennedy Center.

Imagine our surprise when we learned organizations like the Kennedy Center were also facing funding reductions. We just couldn't seem to find someplace to turn to. Even more frustrating, and something that certainly should be looked into more closely, is just how much money places like the Kennedy Center SAVE the Connecticut taxpayer. It just doesn't make sense to not adequately fund these organizations.

Want some examples? It is important to first understand how services are provided to eligible clients in Connecticut. Connecticut has a bifurcated system of service delivery. This inefficient hybrid system is one of only a handful in the United States. So let's look at the numbers-

According to data from the Report of Auditors of Public Accounts 2005, the cost per consumer cared for by the public sector is $131,898.00
The same audit, however, shows the cost per consumer cared for by organizations like the Kennedy Center at only $29,081.00!
The total cost of the current bifurcated system is $902,706,147.00.
The total cost if private providers such as the Kennedy Center provided all services would be $568,329,983.00!
The total savings to the State of Connecticut TODAY if the private sector provided all services would be $334,376,164.00. Why aren't our elected officials looking at this number and asking for change in Hartford?

What's worse is that DDS is decreasing the funds going to the private providers! Using a somewhat convoluted attendance based system (at an attendance rate set below what even State employees meet) the State of Connecticut is squeezing the private providers to the point of no return. Their ability to serve people like my seven year old son is getting more and more difficult.

At some point the back of the private providers will break and families like mine will be left out in the cold. If the private provider network cannot survive the State of Connecticut will have to provide service to every single eligible consumer. That increase of service would bankrupt our state. Let's look at that scenario-

If DDS provides service to all 19,543 eligible consumers in Connecticut it would cost taxpayers $2,577,682,614.00! Yes, that is $2 Billion with a B! (the formula is 19,543 people at $131,898.00 per person)
Let's turn the tables a little and look at how much could be saved if private organizations provided service to all 19,543 consumers in Connecticut. Taking the same number of clients (19,543) at $29,081.00 per person equals $568,329,983. That is a savings of $2,009,352,631!

I'll let you decide what's best. To me the answer is obvious. This situation affects my family directly and I am disturbed the Governor, Legislature, and taxpayers of Connecticut are not seeing this. As a community, however, we can share this story with our leaders in Hartford and demand change. Change is necessary to ensure vulnerable people, like my son, are properly cared for. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, helping people who may not be in a position to help themselves is our collective responsibility.

Saving scarce money and finding ways to provide quality service at a lower price is also our collective responsibility. I hope this illustrates one way the State of Connecticut can save money and provide quality service to our own residents. People like my son.

Photo credit: Javier Delgado Esteban

Tis the season for thank you notes

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:10:00 +0000

It's that time of year again. Gifts and well wishes from family and friends. Often from people we too infrequently. Others may get a simple email or text message from us. But why don't you go retro on people this year? Why not send a personal note?

I have found in both my professional and personal dealings that a note can often do more for business than any other form of marketing. As for your family, who wouldn't want a nice hand written note from you? Chris Brogan has written about thank you notes, and a recent article in the Wall Street Journal described the basics of thank you note writing. Jeffery Fox, author of How To Become CEO even devoted a chapter to sending hand written notes. Face it, if you want to stand out you need to start writing again.

I have two versions of personalized stationary. One for work and the other for more personal messages. There are all sorts of vendors for personalized stationary but the best I have found is Classic Communications. Barbara runs the place from her apartment in California. Her stationary is top notch, the card stock is thick, and the lettering is all raised. In other words, this is quality stuff. Her prices are also quite reasonable, customer service is a breeze and shipping is fast. What more could you ask for?

Does sending personal notes really work? Well I have sent several notes with some thank you gifts and they always stand out. Why let yourself succumb to the electronic world? Be retro and start sending hand written notes.

Do you write notes and letters? How do people respond to them?

Photo credit: Jonathan_W

New York City Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I watched bits and pieces of the New York City Marathon on TV this weekend and was jazzed by the coverage. If you read the archives of my blog you will see that it started out as a running journal and has grown from there. I tend to write about everything, and nothing, more. I am still running though.

I entered my name in the lottery for the New York City Marathon in 2010. I really hope to run it again. Nothing compares to this amazing race. The people are incredible and lend so much support.

Now I need to start training! Wish me luck.

The Joys Of Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Today the car broke down. Well, it didn't really break down today. The car has been leaking water for some time and I finally got around to taking to the shop and having it looked at. What does that have to do with anything? Well I am waiting for it to be fixed and writing this post at the same time because of mobile technology. Yup, I am enjoying a coffee and hashbrown at McDonald's down the street from the shop.

The most important trick I use when working mobile is to change my signature block in both my iPhone and work mobile device. Why do I do this? Because they often have default signatures that say "sent from my iPhone" or "sent from my mobile handheld device". Take those off and your clients will never know if you are in the office or on the beach (disclaimer: I am NOT at the beach).

How do you use mobile to get your job done?

Photo credit: uploaded to Flickr by DonnaGrayson

I hope I'm not that guy

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin Strong) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:26:00 +0000

Chris Brogan talks about "that guy". The guy who selflessly promotes himself with little regard for others. While I do promote my professional blog I keep a separate account just for me. I hope that helps keep the brands separate. I am reading Trust Agents and highlighting passages and bookmarking pages to make sure I am not "that guy".

I have a solid circle of friends and an even larger circle of acquaintances that I like to help. If I know I can help connect people I do, without looking for something in return.

I am trying to connect people in other ways as well. I am helping establish a podcamp for the the United States Coast Guard, I am working with a nonprofit that assists people with intellectual disabilities find their way in social media, and I am contributing to other blogs just for the joy of writing. I know this may sound like I am tooting my horn. Perhaps I am just trying to convince myself I am not "that guy".

If I can help you with something, anything, never hesitate asking. I am a novice in this space. I want to learn.

How are you perfecting your approach?

Photo credit: uploaded to Flickr by eytonz