NHT Blog

It’s a holiday today in the United States.  Schools, banks, the post office, and other government entities are closed, and there are likely even some businesses that you should think about calling before heading over to today (verifying if they’re open or not).

It’s days like today when you sit and realize that you have so much you could do, that you often end up deciding to do none of it.  That’s caused by being overwhelmed and I heard some advice a while back that for those instances “just do the next thing.”

I got an email in which someone was advising public relations professionals that if they had bad news to announce (about their own company or on behalf of a client), today is the day to do it.  The thinking, of course, is that it’s just going to get lost in the noise of all news outlets focused squarely on tomorrow being Election Day.

Even though it was more than six years ago, I can clearly remember sitting down for an on-location interview recording for my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  After finishing and having hit the Stop button, I asked, “With the huge social media following that you’ve gotten, do you actually (have time to) look through all the likes and comments that you get?”

I remember long ago on this site posting a blog titled, “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in the Facebook Basket.”  Heck, without even looking it up, I’ll bet that when I wrote about TikTok’s thin ice (relative to potentially being banned in the U.S.) I probably referenced that old post and cautioned not to ‘bet it all on TikTok,’ to do a takeoff on a popular gambling expression.

In my 24 years of living in Florida, last Wednesday night was the scariest weather episode.  Yet here I am back at another blog post, less than a week after Hurricane Milton ravaged not only my beloved Tampa Bay area but much, much more of the Sunshine State.

It’s tough to have to “move on,” or get back to work, after you’ve been so close to something so devastating.

Last night I returned home from the Florida panhandle, having been up there since last Tuesday for the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival.  Suffice it to say, I slept well last night after not only the long drive home yesterday but having been going, going, going the day before, in particular.

How busy was Saturday for me?  Here is a look at my timeline and the different hats that I was wearing, giving you some insight as to what all goes on in the world of folks in my profession.

There are all kinds of celebrations happening these days for yours truly.  In fact, the first of them began exactly one week ago today.  As much as it could have been my weekly blog that day, there is a reason I held it back until this morning.

While two days ago it was my birthday, the occasion that we are celebrating today is International Podcast Day.  Ten years ago, it began as National Podcast Day and over the years has grown to a worldwide celebration every September 30th.

I recently woke up one morning to a notification filling the entire screen of my phone, showing that an update was ready and asking me to install immediately or schedule it for later.  I don’t know why, but, for once I actually read the overwhelming majority of what was included in it.

You won’t be surprised when I tell you that a lot of what was in there had to do with AI features that they were adding.  It amazed me how the tone of the writing was rather presumptuous, both that us users had wanted these features and that we, of course, would be using them.

I felt for a while there like I was saying “The right ‘co’ word – collaboration – instead of the other ‘co’ word – competition” far too frequently on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  And wow, just like that it's actually noticeable by its absence!

As a performer, of course your focus is going to be on putting on a great show.  Similarly, if you’re an author, your priority is to write a terrific book.  Heck, even if your craft is podcasting or being a YouTuber, that’s where you are putting all your energies and making sure you’re delivering a top-quality product with each release.