My Views About Facebook

Although I’m no stock trading junkie, I will say that I closely followed Facebook’s IPO back in May – that’s me and the rest of the world.

No question, the company’s really cool, has revolutionized the ways in which the world’s citizens stay in touch with one another and share information. I’d argue that Facebook has been a game changer. And its uber-charismatic head honcho, Mark Zuckerberg is enigmatic too. It had, or maybe still has all the trappings of success. Problem is, if the company’s stock price is anything to go by, it’s a flop.

Sadder yet, a friend was recently at their California HQ and saw a red and white poster affixed to a wall, bluntly asking “What could go wrong?” Below in black ink, someone had scrawled in tiny letters, “Everything”.



A mere four months ago, it was hailed as the most valuable tech company to ever have hit Wall Street. As I write this piece, its stocks is down another four percent, trading at $19.28 a piece – less than half of what they were three months ago. Zuckerberg and his team of hench-men/people (to be politically correct), Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Ebersman have left Wall Street and financial analysts wondering whether they have the acumen to deliver on their once-lofty promises.

Their IPO was riddled with problems with exceptionally ambitious pricing. All sizzle, no steak. Not only were Mark, Sheryl and David caught unprepared, but worse, so too were Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley – both financial titans. Now Facebook needs to convince the unforgiving street and miserable investors that it is not a fad and that indeed its business model is solid. Problem is, there’s no evidence I’ve seen to suggest it’s solid and not just a fad.

In some ways, the Facebook saga reflects the increasingly uneasy truce between The Valley and Wall Street. Simultaneously symbiotic and dismissive of one another, each is focused on making money with different approaches. Wall Street wants to see revenue and profitability growth. The Valley wants to see coolness – hence the unease. And in reality Facebook’s exec’s while they may know how their tools will forever change the world, have not revealed any such plans. It’s a disaster to say the least.

No question, Facebook’s public offering has stuffed its coffers with scads of cash. And as a result, the company is trying to show investors its aggressive expansion plans, investing in expensive engineers and data centers. But sadly, it’s not enough to stop its stock from continuing to tank. Seems like the more it invests, the more its stock dives.

Facebook’s also trying to show that not everyone is fleeing its stock like rats off a sinking ship. Reed Hastings, a director, bought $1 million in shares. But that was miniscule compared with the $9 billion in shares sold by insiders at its peak public offering price. To note also, since then, another director and an original investor, Peter Thiel, sold more than 20 million shares. What does this say about insider’s confidence levels? You judge!

I think also that wireless is where it’s at – Facebook’s biggest single challenge. "Our mobile future,” reads another poster on Facebook’s sprawling camps. The company says it’s focusing on making Facebook more attractive — and lucrative — on mobile devices. It promises to roll out new features in the coming weeks. We’ll see how successful this is (or isn’t) – the jury’s out.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on Zuck and his leadership skills. The same qualities that created his coolness factor, including his quirkiness and ambition, are now what even his most ardent fans are questioning. Methinks he’s doing a worse job of managing Wall Street than he is of managing the company. And nor does it help that Wall Street and The Valley speak entirely different languages. Translation services Zuck?

There’s a new term doing the rounds on the Internet – it’s called being “Zucked”, as opposed to being “F%^&*d”. It’s what you call someone who loses half their fortune fast. Oh, woe. Poor Zuck!

At least I’ve not been “Zucked” – my fortunes are still intact.

Note: I am neither long nor short on this stock. This piece should not constitute any investment advice.

We’re in the Dog Days of Summer – Win 25,000 Aeroplan Miles

No question, most of us work hard and long hours too – it’s a sure-fire way of getting ahead. My grandmother told me, “Jonny, wake up before the other kids do, and you’ll go further than them, even if they’re smarter” – that was 40 years ago. Wow – is it ever true today. In fact, I’d argue that it’s truer today than it was in my youth. Not to brag – but for me sleeping in has always meant being out of bed by 8:30am, even on weekends. It’s just a fact. Rule: daytime is for productivity. Nighttime, for fun and sleep. The exception to the rule being is if you work the afternoon or night-shift.

Don't be a sleeping dog during the dog days


Notwithstanding the importance of getting enough sleep, my kids however don’t really see it that way. They’re teenagers now. Regular run-of-the-mills kids. They’re sometimes rude, even arrogant. And on weekends, they sleep until 11am, 12, 1 or even 2pm. I choose my battles – this not being one of them. They know I hate it. They know it bugs me – and I hope they know the reasons why it bugs me. Enough said, but sleeping-in does go hand-in-hand with the period of year we’re now in – aka, The Dog Days of Summer.

Background - "Dog Days" (diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere, they typically occur in January and February, in the midst of the austral summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.

But I digress!

In the workplace, I’ve never seen people slack off as much as they do in the last two weeks of August. The last 2 weeks of August make from December 15 to Jan 4 every year seem like a hive of activity – if you know what I mean. Now, I’m not saying people don’t deserve vacation, ‘cause they do, but if you’re working or showing up at the office, then work, don’t slack off. If you’re slacking off, not only are you wasting time, but you don’t deserve your salary either.

Business is going to pick-up come Labor Day. Here’s some stuff to get done during the dog days:

1. Get yourself checked up! Delaying going for your yearly physical guys? Scared about the doc’s finger? How long’s it been since you had a mammogram or PAP smear ladies? Delay no longer. Get it done. If there are any issues, the sooner it’s discovered and treated, the easier and more likely you are to recover. You know that already. Summer’s the perfect time to get this kind of stuff done.

2. Call 5 people a day to whom you’ve not spoken to in a year or more. Sounds daunting? Who cares? Don’t email them – that’s a cop-out. Call them. Say hello. Ask about their family. Catch up. Shoot the breeze. You get the picture. The most successful people are excellent networkers. They know who to call when – and they do just that. The benefits of keeping in touch are often under-estimated. As Nike says, “Just Do It!”

3. Step outside your comfort zone. Just once! It’s been said by smarter minds than I that the only way to conquer your fears is to conquer them. It’s not rocket science, duh! Maybe it’s time to do that Zoomba class you’ve been threatening to do on account of your seemingly-ever-expanding butt or maybe you’d rather have root canal without anasthetic than make a presentation. Well, forget your fears and comforts. Step out just once. Do the class and make the presentation. The second and subsequent times are easier.

4. Work on bettering yourself at something – anything! Have you longed to solve Rubik’s cube? Improve your tennis game? Get to know 5 co-workers? Be a better spouse? Lose 10 pounds? Well stop procrastinating --- the time is now.

I’ll be looking to see what you’ve done during the dog days. Blow me away with results – and if I am, you’ll get 25,000 points anywhere Air Canada or its Air Alliance flight partners fly. No kidding.

My Wonderful Journey Of Eighteen Years

Eighteen years ago today, I embarked on a wonderful journey – a journey that has made me whole (as a human being). I got married to Karen, the love of my life – and eighteen years later, we’re still going strong.

My brother in-law, suggested that I meet Karen (a friend of his). He explained that she was “articulate, meticulous and well organized.” I on the other hand am in-articulate, don’t see details and am not-that-well organized. In other words, on paper, the match could not have been poorer.

I called Karen the day after I got her number and we went out a few days later for dinner downtown Toronto. We had lots to say to one another and the conversation was fluid (well, the drink or two that we each had, did help). We closed the restaurant that night and I dropped Karen back at her apartment.




Very sadly, within minutes of me dropping Karen at home, she learned of her father’s passing in Florida, where he lived. Karen spent the next ten days in Florida with her mother and brother. I’d learned of the passing from a mutual friend and promptly left a message for Karen offering my condolences. On her return, Karen called me and we hung out a time or two or three. There was something there and so we started dating – we’ve never looked back. Twenty two months later on August 7, 1994, we were married in Toronto. We’ve also been blessed with two children – Jason (14) and Amanda (11).

By any measure, we’ve had an eventful marriage. We’ve seen lots and done even more. We’re a happy family during a time when marital affairs seem the order of the day and when divorce is rampant. But like everything in life, I am a big believer in continual learning, growth and improvement. Eighteen years into my journey, here are a few things that I have learned:

1. ‘Fess up – No matter who you are or what you do, from time to time, you’ll screw up. We all do. A big screw up or a small screw-up – ‘Fess up and say (and mean), two very powerful words --- “I’m sorry"

2. Know your limit, and play within it. We all have different limits and thresholds. Know what they are and stick to your limits. I make no secret that I work really hard, and play really hard. It’s the playing hard that keeps me working hard and then the working hard that keeps me playing hard – and while I know that I push the limits on both fronts, I always stick within them. Important for sure!

3. Don’t sweat the small sh*t. Yeah, I know I have an irritating habit or two – for sure. And so does Karen. It’s small stuff like which direction the tube of toothpaste is put back into the drawer. Does it really matter? No – so then don’t worry about it. And we both have not sweating the small stuff down to a fine art.

4. Being generous in love is a good thing. The love you make is directly proportional to the love you take. Don’t take too much love without giving. Be good to yourself. And be good to your spouse. Not some days. Not even most days. But everyday. Show your spouse random acts of kindness every day - I really mean that!

5. It’s a journey – not a destination. This is so true and becomes more and more true as the days pass. Marriage is all about it being and ever-improving-work-in-progress. Think of marriage like a picture an artist paints, or a sculpture and sculptor does. They’re always tweaking, observing and refining – and so should any smart spouse in a marriage.

This reminds me of the song that relates closely to marriage. Time Warp. It’s a classic from the Rocky Horror Picture Show --- “It's astounding, time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll. But listen closely, not for very much longer. I've got to keep control.”

a. Time flies – make the most of every second

b. Madness – be spontaneous. Change things up a little. Sometimes being a little silly is a good thing

c. Always, always – be in control of your emotions. Never ever let them control you.

Karen – thanks for the first 18 years. Here’s to the next 18. I love you very much.

I’ve got Erythromelalgia. Help!

I’ve got Erythromelalgia. And I’ve learned to live with it.

Erythromelalgia, also known as Mitchell's disease is a rare neurovascular peripheral pain disorder in which blood vessels, usually in the lower extremities (feet in my case), are blocked (frequently - on and off daily), then become inflamed and very uncomfortable. It’s a horrible condition which unfortunately is getting worse. There is also no cure for this condition.

I’ve had this condition since I was a kid – my earliest recollection being me wanting to wrench my shoes off my swollen and boiling feet after even a ten-minute walk. Not a good situation. I’m the guy that only ever wears closed shoes when I work out or play tennis. Every other time, I’m in my crocs or sandals. And I mean every other time. I meet clients in my crocs. I go to weddings in my crocs. I go to work in my crocs. I wear a suit and tie with my crocs -- and even in 2 feet of snow, I wear my crocs. When other Torontonians trudge in the snow in boots and galoshes, you’ll see me in my crocs.

I promise I’m not looking for attention, nor am I looking to stand out, as I do like a sore thumb (pardon the pun), but my condition is awful – my feet are perpetually hot. There’s no foul foot odor and nor is there profuse sweating or swelling. It’s just searing heat, all the time coming from my poor feet.

Yeah – it’s uncomfortable – but I’m not going to die from it. I soak my feet in a pail of ice water to relieve the heat. I can’t remember if I’ve ever been able to put my feet under the comforter when I sleep – they’re always above the comforter. Sometimes, it looks like my feet have little bubbles on them --- perhaps the heat is trying to escape.

I’ve also seen doctors and specialists – there’s nothing that can be done – my condition is rare and incurable.

But hey – I’m healthy. Low cholestrol. Height and weight proportionate. Average blood pressure. No addictions. Work out regularly. Great kids. Great wife. Emotionally stable. And I don’t smoke. What more could I want?

Most of all, I’m grateful that I only have Erythromelagia.

Now, I’m going to get back to the telly to watch the Olympics.

There's a Brouhaha Brewing in PR - And I Don't Like It.

There’s a brouhaha brewing in the PR world and I don’t like it. Now, I’m not going to take the side of either party, but as a PR practitioner of almost 22 years, I’m commenting. Like it or not.

One the one side is Peter Shankman, founder of HARO and a vice president of Vocus. Never met the man. Dialoged with him often. We follow one another on Twitter. Peter’s an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. We’ve exchanged many emails and tweets over the years. Good guy. Lots of Twitter followers (for what that’s worth). He’s got a great rep. Adds value to the PR eco-system. Seems to have his sh*t together and has a stellar roster of clients.

On the other side is Ryan Holiday. Calls himself a media strategist. Seems to have his act together too and I’m sure he knows his stuff. Like Shankman, never met Ryan either. But I don’t like him. Not one little bit.

I’m not here to take side or judge right from wrong and I don’t give a rat’s ass what either thinks of me, but I’m compelled to correct some glaring inaccuracies.

Shankman and Holiday are fighting – see http://huff.to/Ocnn3C and http://bit.ly/Ovwede

Both postings are pretty vicious. Clearly Holiday’s got the hate on for Shankman. And I’m not sure why.

Hey Holiday --- you may want to take note of the following:

1. You say, “HARO is a cesspool of media manipulation and enabler of bad journalism”. I say “Bullsh*t” --- HARO is a legitimate service that matches reporters looking for sources with sources. What’s the matter with that? Why’s it a cesspool? How’s it enabling bad journalism?

2. You say, “Help A Reporter Out embodies everything that is wrong with much of modern online journalism. HARO is a social network that connects reporters with "expert sources" (publicists) so that the experts can shill their products, and thus the reporters don't have to bother doing any reporting. “ --- CRAPOLA dude. Yeah, HARO does connect reporters with sources … and so? There’s no experts shilling their products there – and it does not encourage lazy reporting at all. Sure there are lazy reporters – no question. But they will continue to be lazy with or without HARO .

OK Holiday – now you’re making a fool of yourself --- and then you continue

3. “Putting journalists and sources in the same secret room together does not serve a greater good, it merely services both parties self-interest to the detriment of the readers and their news.” --- Huh --- are you nuts? This has been happening in PR since PR began --- long before you and I were even conceived (For the record, I am 46). There’s nothing secret about this room to which you refer – and putting sources and reporters together is the only way stories get written. Duh!

4. Then you go on to say that Shankman had to attack you to protect himself. Fact 1: Shankman has been successful long before you attacked him 2. Fact 2: Just because he has a VP title, how do you know his job is cushy. Yeah, he logs 300k miles a year --- I did that for a year or two. If you think cushy is waking up in another city 150 days a year, think again. I did that for two years during which I aged 10 – and that was before 9/11. Trust me. It ain’t fun!

5. You conclude with --- “He doesn't want you, the reading public, to know how the sausage is made. Because he owns a sausage factory.” Wrong again – HARO is a transparent service for reporters to find sources. That’s all it is. There’s no secret sauce here --- HARO does what it does well. There’s nothing profound!

Again, gents – I am not going to get in the way between you guys, but Ryan --- stop grinding your axe buddy. It’s getting very blunt now. Rather grab something long, cold and refreshing. It has 4 letters. Starts with a B. Ends with an R. Has two vowels in the middle. Kick back. It’s the summer time after all. Start thinking and stop hating. You’ll be better for it. And so will the world.

Visitors Day At My Son's Camp - What I Learned

This past weekend was one of the highlights of the summer for me – Visitors Day at my son’s camp. It was to have been the first time in 4 weeks we’ve seen each other –to say that I missed him would be a gross understatement. Now, I state for the record, that Jason is your average “garden-variety teenager” meaning that he’s a great kid who thinks he knows everything and that his parents are uncool – you get the picture. Little does the kid know how cool we really are!

Let’s go back in time - July 22, 2011, a fateful and horrific day. Anders Behring Breivik, 32 – a Norwegian lunatic entered a camp for teenagers in Norway and in cold-blood, opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle – exacting a swath of death on 77 innocent teenagers, each one mercilessly cut down in the prime of life. That’s beyond tragic.

I’ve also written this posting in the aftermath of the Colorado massacre in which another twelve lives were senselessly lost. It’s becoming too easy for lunatics to run rampant.

No punishment or sentence could be too severe for these sickos. I hope each dies a miserable death and rots in hell. Ironic that exactly one year to the day later, we were visiting our son - at summer camp. I paused for a few minutes appreciating our good furtune.

I don’t want to be macabre – it could have been my son, or any of our kids for that matter.

Sudbury's not close to Toronto – it’s a good four hours in the car – without traffic. (I would have said on Highways 400 and 69 – but since more than half my blog’s readers are outside of Canada – they’d likely not know what or even where these highways are – anyway, I said it). Factor in traffic. It could be six hours –no question. Karen and I swallowed hard (took one for the team), and made the trek. We’re very glad we did!

Please note that Jason’s camp (Camp Solelim) has not contributed to this posting and I am in no way affiliated with it, other than Jason being a fully-paid up camper.

The day was awesome. Here’s what I learned –

1. Enjoy what’s free. It’s been said that there’s no such a thing as a free breakfast – and that there’s nothing for nothing. I agree. But there’s pretty much only one thing that’s free – and that’s loving nature’s beauty. When we got to Jason’s camp, it was breath-takingly beautiful. Situated on a vista, all Jason needs to do is walk 100 feet to see the lake below. There’s lots of other panoramic sites too. Wow! And it’s free. There’s no question that being surrounded by nature and appreciating it for what it is – can only be good for the soul. I just hope he knows that.

2. Keep it simple. I cannot stress enough the benefits of keeping it simple. I would hardly say I am an experienced camper. In fact, I’ve never been camping. Not even once. But looking around Jason’s camp, it was abundantly clear that simple is the order of the day. Simple, rustic accommodations. Simple activities. Simple meals. Simple rules. So good. No doubt many businesses out there would be able to benefit from a day at Jason’s camp where they’d see (in a heartbeat), the benefits of keeping things simple.

3. Know what your biggest asset it and treasure it. Clearly, the 130 campers at Jason’s camp are the camp’s biggest asset. I know it. My wife knows it – and wow – for sure the camp knows it. It’s clear in the way the camp’s counselors look after the kids. Seems to me that each counselor enjoys a personal relationship with the kids in their cabin. I like that. Now, let’s just face reality for a sec. Jason’s a teenager. His friends are teenagers. And we know that teenagers will push the envelope, challenge authority whenever they can and be --- well --- teenagers. My son’s no different. But I was very comforted to see the excellent care and love they show for each and every kid – given personalities and teenagers --- not an easy feat.

As Visitors Day drew to a close, I looked around at all the smiling face. Parents were happy. Children were happy. Counselors were happy. I was again reminded of the horrific events of Norway exactly to the day of Solelim’s visitors day. It made me pause. It made me stop and think. I felt a tear run down my cheek. Stopping to think is something that we should all do much more often.

And if all I can do, is to make my blog’s thousands of readers world-wide stop and think for a minute, then I would have accomplished what I had set out to do.

As my friend Pat Condell says "Peace – if that’s not too much to ask for."

Sheesh - I am missing my kids

There’s a strange phenomenon that has invaded my wife (Karen) and I’s life for the past few summers. It starts the first week of July and ends towards the end of August. You guessed it right if you guessed summer camp. The phenomenon leaves as fast as it comes. It’s almost like Quidam. Anonymous. Fast. And fleeting. But even so, it’s not a pleasurable Quidam. (Karen would say otherwise – she quite likes the peace and quiet). I don’t like it. Not even a bit.

We have two kids. Jason is 14 and Amanda is 11. They’re just your average kids --- no better and no worse. Jason’s sometimes moody and belligerent, not unlike most other teenagers I know. We think he watches too much TV, plays on his PS3 too much and does too little work (homework and household chores). In other words, he’s your average teenager. Amanda is at that I’m-not-at-that-very-obnoxious-age yet. Give her a year or two, and she’ll be there for sure. We love them though and we're a happy little family.

Right now Karen and I can choose what to do in the evenings. We can eat at 6, 7, or 8 pm. We can go to the gym at anytime – and we can go to bed at anytime. There’s no nagging the kids either. You get the picture. It is a house of peace and quiet. There’s no revolving door of my kids’ friends coming in and out – and of course there’s no bickering and yammering to be heard (something my wife thinks they do too much of, even on a good day). And as peaceful as things are, I still find myself missing the kids – very badly.





How do I know that? It’s very simple!

1. I look several times a day at their camps’ websites where staffers post pictures of the campers. Some days I’ll see a couple of each, while other days, nothing. The instant I see a picture of my kid’s smiling faces is when I feel that warm and gushy feeling. Ohhhh – it feels sooo good. On the other hand, me seeing nothing can go on for a couple days until the pictures are updated. This is like torture for me. I find myself getting cranky.

2. First thing I do when I get home is to go to the mailbox. Is there a letter from Jason and/ or Amanda? Smile if there is and grimace if there isn’t. For the record, Jason’s been gone 13 days – have not heard from him once. Amanda’s been gone 10 – she’s written once. Clearly I’ve been grimacing more than smiling.

3. If you know me well, you’ll know that I have a presence. I make noise. I laugh. I see. And I’m seen. While I’m hardly the life and soul of the party – people know when I come and when I leave. I like that. And I like it when I can feel the presence of others. I’ve been feeling Jason’s presence for fourteen years now and Amanda’s for eleven. Suddenly to not feel their presence’s is just plain weird – I don’t like it.

4. Next weekend is Visitor’s Day at Jason’s camp. I can’t wait. It will be awesome to see him and hang. Let’s hope we will/ can hang together. Unfortunately, most 14 year old boys don’t want to hang with Mom and Dad, thinking they’re “un-cool”. Truth is that Karen and I are among the coolest, hippest parents that there are. Jason’s very lucky – doesn’t know it. Hope he realizes it one day!

5. I never noticed , but Karen mentioned it a day or so ago. She often hears me saying, “I’m missing you Jason and Amanda” --- it’s like I say it sub-consciously – without even realizing it. Seriously though, I miss my kids in the hugest way. I miss their presences. I miss the (sometimes inane)questions they ask. I even miss their bickering. I promise.

You know, four years ago, a close friend of mine and his then-wife suddenly and tragically lost their 5-year old little boy. It was devastating. It’s a horrific story of epic proportion. The very thought of it is bringing tears to my eyes right now for the ump-teenth time. And I am so grateful that I’ll soon see my kids again. It’s something that I so wish my friend, and their community at-large could say too.

As Peter Shankman would say – “Blue Skies”.