This is awesome

I love that the concert was at Camp Casey (where I was stationed when I was in the army in 1997). “Rich Man’s War” is on my shortest list of favorite songs.

Big brands, media and fatherhood … what, me worry?

Have you ever worried about the influence that big brands and the media have over your kids? It didn’t occur to me until about a year ago, when my son was really starting to communicate effectively. I was shocked, at first, and then not so much when I thought back to my own childhood. Nonetheless, I remain a tad freaked out by the strength of big brands and big media in shaping children.

Check out my post on the Alex Toys blog for my full thoughts.

What I want for my birthday from LinkedIn

I’ve become a big fan of LinkedIn PPC advertising. The CPC is pretty low (especially for the B2B space), and they have been converting at an aggressive rate. Obviously, my landing pages can’t take all the credit. So, clearly, LinkedIn’s targeting and various anonymous algorithms are firing on all cylinders. I just wish that LinkedIn would put together a mobile app for its advertising platform.

Here’s the deal: my market is all over the world. And, when I wake up in the morning, I’d like to get an early sense of whether it will be a good day or not. Decent progress on my campaigns, of course, could make that extra cup of coffee superfluous. Unfortunately, I have to schlep over to my laptop, fire it up and then head over to the LinkedIn advertising platform. That’s just far too much work for me. It would be so much better if I could just pull up my LinkedIn advertising dashboard on my iPhone or Kindle.

So, LinkedIn, please, please, please: give me a mobile app for your advertising platform. To hit my deadline (check the headline), I’ll need it by the first week of March.

I love this video

I’ve always gotten a kick out of it, especially given the hype in the social media market until the Facebook IPO flamed out. Now, it’s great for nostalgia.

I have to admit – sometimes, I really do miss running Inside IPO (which is no more …). Also, I’m guilty of “I have an amazing team” – specifically the folks at my last gig.

Get More out of Your Next Conference Call

You spend a lot of time in your office. And, what do you do with it? Sure, you work like a dog, but there might be one more way you could multitask. Last week, I ordered a small set of handweights and had them shipped to my office. Now, when I’m reviewing a document or sitting on a conference call, I can get in shape at the same time. I’ve done it more than a few times now and have realized that just having the weights around makes me more inclined to use them.

Valleywag Is Coming Back!

I still haven’t forgotten the sting that came when Valleywag was folded into Gawker, at which point it began a slow, pitiful death. I was a big fan of the blog, which had an amazing contributor base. To a certain extent, I learned the basics of blogging (and more) from them. Well, Nick Denton tells Business Insider that Valleywag is coming back, and I couldn’t be more psyched.

Got a Social Media Obsession?

For the social media-obsessed, right? When you wear something like this, you’re really sending a message. Now, to find the right hashtag for something like that …

My New Thing: Hoboken Dads

I just joined a fantastic new group called Hoboken Dads, which is pretty much what you think it is. It’s a great group meeting a very clear need in Hoboken, and the first event (a happy hour for dads) was nothing short of fantastic. So, I hope a few of my fellow dads in Hoboken sees this post and gets involved. By the way, I’ve signed on as the web editor, so I’ll be leaving some fingerprints in cyberspace again, after having been under the radar for a while.

The next Hoboken Dads event is coming up on February 9, an open gym afternoon at the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club, with two more to follow on March 9 and March 23.

Two Reasons to Be a Carnivore

Those are the only two reasons I need!

A Big Mistake #WithMitt

Have you downloaded the iPhone app from the Mitt Romney campaign? I have, and full disclosure, I support neither Romney nor Obama. The app allows you to take photos that are framed with inspirational messages like “The America We Love” and state that you’re #withmitt. For supporters, this is a great way to spread the word. Take pictures of what you love about America, post them on Facebook and Pinterest, tweet them and so on. It really does sound great.

Until the wrong person starts to use it.