I swear this will not turn into a blog about my work.

This has been a month of work trips, live readings, volunteer projects and personal distractions. Hence, the neglect here. (Not counting the drafts of things that felt best left in that form.) In many ways it’s been a fulfilling month but when the glass is full, it’s sometimes best to stop pouring water into it before you make a mess.

When I get some spare time, I’ll post the essay I read at The Paper Machete earlier this month and the two-minute burst of goofiness from last week’s 20×2 Chicago (though I think I’ll wait until the video goes up for that one as it works better performed than merely read).

Until then, here’s a piece I co-wrote with fellow Cramer-Krasselt’er Jeana Anderson about five questions brands should consider before they make  “newsjacking” a part of their social media plans, particularly on days when tragedy occurs. I can sum up the whole piece with this paragraph:

It’s unlikely your fans will get upset if you decide to “stay dark” for a day. If you post something anodyne, your commentary will probably get lost in the volume of conversation or you’ll risk earning a spot in the inevitable roundups of embarrassing brand posts. When in doubt, leave it out.

I’m a big believer in making a bigger impact with less content so it felt good to plant a flag here.