Anonymity

Aug
4

The Power of Small Talk

Justin on August 4th, 2011

Today, I had to make a copy of a key, so I walked to my local hardware store. “How much does it cost to copy a key?” “It depends on the key,” said the woman at the counter.  “One dollar, two dollars or three dollars.  Usually, it’s a dollar.” I gave her the key. “And [...]

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Armchair Sociology, My Social Media POV, Storytelling 4 Comments »
Sep
3

Remember Where You Come From

Justin on September 3rd, 2010

Last weekend, I drove home to Erie, PA, where I was born and raised for most of my first 20 years.  And what began as my annual pilgrimage to eat The Best Pierogi in the World turned into a reconsideration of why these moments matter. Every August, Erie’s Holy Trinity parish hosts a citywide Polish [...]

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Armchair Sociology 21 Comments »
Mar
29

What Kinds of People Do You REALLY Want to Meet?

Justin on March 29th, 2010

When you’re surrounded by strangers, it can be hard to strike up a conversation.  Presumably, things would be easier if you already knew something about some of those people. But what if that knowledge actually made you more reluctant to start a conversation? That’s what I’m wondering about Meet Gatsby, a Foursquare-related program that connects [...]

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Armchair Sociology, My Social Media POV 2 Comments »
Mar
26

Are You Waiting Until You’re Popular Before You Start Being Relevant?

Justin on March 26th, 2010

A few years back, I read a story that’s stuck with with me ever since. It was in one of the many “how to write better” resources (possibly The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner, although that one’s still worth recommending regardless).  In it, the author reminisced about something one of her university professors [...]

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Armchair Sociology, My Social Media POV 34 Comments »
Feb
26

An Open Letter to My Audience: What Do YOU Need From Me?

Justin on February 26th, 2010

I blog a lot about the importance of audience.  Now I’d like to understand my own audience a bit better. NOTE: This is a long and winding post, and you may be in a hurry.  If so, let me ask you for a quick favor: my whole reason for writing this post is to better [...]

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Armchair Sociology, Blogging, My Social Media POV 15 Comments »