St. Patrick's Day Parade

The sun peeked from behind the clouds, but it took some coaxing from the parade goers, especially the children who braved the brisk temperatures for a chance to see a great parade.


This was the first time I attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and, while, I always support cultural and ethnic celebrations, I never felt motivated to attend the St. Patrick's Day parade in Worcester.

I realize it's because I associate St. Patrick's Day with working in higher education and being "on duty", and, thus, having to respond to students that otherwise were well-mannered and smart, who would drink themselves silly, and make some bad decisions. (I'm glad that phase of my career is in the past.)

Back to the St. Patrick's Day parade. Yes, there were a number of people hitting the bars along Park Avenue, but the vibe was controlled and people were catching up with friends, making new friends, and honoring the sacrifices made by the Irish and the impact the Irish have had, and continue to have on the world.

Here are some pictures from the parade:

Worcester Blogger Coffee Pictures

I was planning to post pictures of the Worcester Blogger Coffee on Sunday night once I got home, but I got lazy and decided that I'd post them on Monday.

Well, Monday came and then I was graced with footwear marketing campaign that I wanted to be involved with but thought the company and their team wanted to go with an advertising outfit in New York City.  Thus the delay with posting the pictures.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason and, while I don't completely know the reason at the moment, when I began to review the pictures, they brought a smile to my face and confirmed that we have some great Bloggers in Worcester who are passionate and, at the same time, don't take themselves too seriously.  And that is a good thing.

 

While I didn't note the folks in the pictures, believe me when I write this, these are just a few of the cream of the crop of writers in the Worcester Blogosphere.

Worcester Blogger Coffee 10/17 (Excitement plus some)

Remember when you were about to celebrate you're 10th birthday and you were so excited to tell people that you were 10-years-old? (Yes, it was a BIG deal for me. It was all about celebrating a double-digit birthday and you couldn't tell me otherwise.)

Well, I'm excited and looking forward to Sunday's Worcester Blogger Coffee, which is taking place at Cafe Nu, on Chandler Street, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

You see, I started the Worcester Is MAJOR! blog with the premise of writing about the City of Worcester and all the things that I saw that were good, bad and in between.

I'm looking forward to putting faces to names or the blogs to the people that write some unbelievable posts, from their perspective and how it may impact people here.

So, if you have a blog or don't have one, please join a good crew of folks at Cafe Nu on Sunday.  I can guarantee that the conversations will be lively and you might hear some information from folks who are passionate about Worcester.

Worcester TweetUP: 4/15 @ Canal 7-9pm

Meet some of the areas' Twitter users face-to-face, have a few drinks and socialize.

There's ample parking and get your night started with some very cool people.

We look forward to seeing you at Canal!

Social Media: The Middle of the Road

As more folks around the world Tweet and reach out to their Tweople (read: people someone follows on Twitter), many companies have created a social media policy that is being enforced, and, in some cases, an employee could loose their job for violating the policy.

With applications being released on a daily basis for all sorts of smartphones, particularly the iPhone and the Blackberry, more people are sharing information not solely via email, but through Facebook and Twitter.

I wonder how many people that read the many blogs that cover the news in Worcester and Worcester County use some form of social media?

Let your voice be heard and post a comment or email us at WorcesterIsMAJOR@gmail.com.

Twittering might help you find a JOB

In a wild and crazy economy, people have resorted to all sorts of ways to landing that job interview. Just last week CNN reported that the number of people lying on their resume rises when jobs are scarce.

Now, in the era of 24/7 news reporting channels and the unending plethora of information available on the World Wide Web, in enters social media darling Twitter.

For those that are not familiar with Twitter or wonder what all the hype is about, please read this article, which I found very straightforward in explaining why Twitter is so popular and important, at the same time.

The key with Twitter is that it's not solely about micro-blogging, but rather it's about the people who use the service and the information that they share.

Well, now folks are using Twitter to gather job leads and gathering information about the company.

Puff Puff Give

With the recent cigarette tax increase I wonder how hard it is for
folks to feed their habit?

When friends in New York City started emailing and Tweeting that it
costs $10 for a pack if cigs in the Big Apple, I pulled no punches and
said, "That's y'all's asses!"

As more establishments ban smoking, I wonder how many folks are
going to quit?

Do you smoke, and, if so, how much do you spend on cigarettes in a
month? Post a comment or email us at WorcesterIsMAJOR[@]gmail.com.

Twit for Twat

With the President of the United States, the Governor of Massachusetts and the Boston Police Department using Twitter, it appears as if there's a push to encourage City Manager Michael O'Brien to use the social-media darling, Twitter, in Worcester.

Let's see how long it takes City Manager O'Brien to respond with a "yes" or a "no", and if he chooses not to Twit, don't worry, we'll see a few City Councilors jump on the band wagon before he's forced to.

Governor Patrick: Technology To Feel Good About

The other day when I posted that the Boston Police Department was embracing technology and using Twitter, I poked around the Internet some more to find that Massachusetts' Governor Patrick, too, is on Twitter and all over the 'Net.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I may be late to the dance, so, if I need to head to the Administration Building for a "late pass", then so be it.

I find it very interesting that many of our elected officials are on the Internet using social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, to let people know what's going on and to communicate more.

Maybe we can change Mayor Lukes's mind about bloggers and embracing technology, but, quite frankly, I can give a rat's ass if she choose to use these tools.

But it would be dope to see the City of Worcester use a medium such as Twitter to get the word out about things taking place in the city, such as when a water main breaks and you don't have water for 3-4 hours, or how the City along with the Fire Chief have decided to shut down a fire station to save a few dollars. Hey, maybe if the news is coming from a service like Twitter or Facebook it would be more palatable and I wouldn't feel so dirty when I don't receive the news. Just maybe! Wishful thinking? I hope not.