Genealogy Update

OK, I admit it. One of my interests involves working on my family genealogy. It's been a labor sometimes of love and sometimes not. It was an interest I shared with my Auntie Carol until she passed away last November.

She had the time, ability, and drive to extensively research multiple family lines involving her lineage and her husband's. My duty was to work on the non-Italian side of my lineage and on Roberta's heritage.

For whatever reasons, this has been a daunting task. Facts were scarce or contradictory leaving me with more questions than answers. However, eventually the beauty of the Internet and an increasingly connected technological world are helping me to break through.

A few years ago I made contact with Michael Wortman, a relative of my uncle Benjamin (aka Sigmund), who helped fill in a few blank spots. This past summer I made contact with Jeffery Meyerson who also had information about the Dellhime lineage going back to an "ancestral" hometown in Mutterstadt Germany.

Unexpectedly I've now been in touch with Pam Stemen who is a descendant of Florence's sister, Anita Hall. Pieces on the Dellhime side of the genealogy may finally be falling into place.

The other research frustration involves Roberta's heritage. This time a breakthrough occurred as the unlikely consequence of a DNA test. As some may know, Ancestry.com now offers a DNA profile service. It's new and the database not particularly large. It works by obtaining a collect kit from Ancestry.com, submitting a saliva sample, and waiting for the test results. The results are rather general - they identify regional markers like whether an ancestor was from the British Isles and other locations.

You also get recommendation on possible matches with other Ancestry.com members who also submitted DNA samples. It's all pretty general and a complete shot in the dark. Don't expect Maury to use this service to identify paternity on his show.

Imagine our surprise at getting an email from one of the other DNA test participants, Richard Hartman, who it turns out is in fact a relative of Roberta on the Bain side.

Who knows where anything will lead, but one thing seems certain. 2013 could be a good year for my genealogy research.

The Truth is Out There

As some of you may already know, in early October 2012 while away on a ten day business trip and vacation we were the victims of a residential burglary.  To date we've determined our losses at approximately $11,000.  The burglary was extensive and occurred over multiple days beginning on the first full day of our trip, October 5th.  Items stolen range for jewelry, home electronics, a charcoal smoker, to Christmas decorations.  Every room, closet, drawer, cabinet, and the garage were explored by the burglars.  My car was even taken on at least one "Joy Ride."

It is sad to say that a relative was instrumental in burglarizing our home.

Since the relative's arrest and the accomplices, we have endured hearing multiple attempts by the relative and others to spin their side of the story.  None of these attempts reflected the truth, so in an attempt to ensure the truth is known we prepared the following information:
  

• The Case Report from the San Bernardino Superior Court (as of 01/14/2013) - Case Number FSB1205093

Feel free to share this information with others.

Note: On advice of legal counsel, this post was revised to only make available records readily available through San Bernardino Superior Court.

Thanks to the Blogger Mobile App

Thanks to the Blogger Mobile App I might just start blogging again (as if it matters to anyone else).

It's always a challenge to make timely blog posts when you are not near a computer since the apparent corollary is, "the further from a computer you are, the more brilliant and witty the posts would be."

Creme Brulee for Pauline's 90th

Creme Brulee for Pauline's 90th
Originally uploaded by SoCalSig

Roberta, Ethan, and I made a late night soiree to Flemings in San Diego with Pauline (Dellhime) Eckhart on the eve of her 90th birthday.

Rancho GoogleMonga

The push is on to bring Google gig fiber to Rancho Cucamonga.

Elements of a Social Media Strategy

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and YouTube are now considered essential business and government tools. These "disruptive" technologies were introduced into organizations by employees who initially became acquainted with them in their personal lives. How should an organization react to the introduction of new technology into the workplace? How does an organization handle the blurry line between personal and professional conduct when using a social media service? Is there a viable business model for using a social media service?

Below are my initial thoughts on this issue. Please feel free to add your comments to help me construct a more thorough analysis.

Elements of a Social Networking Strategy

Protect an Organization’s “brand image”
Regardless of considerations over the relative merits of the various social networking services, an organization must take certain basic steps to protect its reputation. The potential exists for individuals, other groups or organizations, through their use of social media, to:
• Misrepresent themselves causing others to believe they are agents of the organization or
• Unjustly impugn the reputations of employees, executives, Board Members, or the organization in general.

At the simplest level an organization should quickly move to reserve (“cyber-squat”) user names and identities synonymous with their organization on the most popular social media services like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter. By reserving these names and identities the organization will create an initial hedge against others misrepresenting themselves and afford the organization time to formulate a more comprehensive social media strategy.

Establish Action Plans
An organization should establish a cross-functional team to examine the following issues:

• Which social media services demonstrate beneficial business purposes

- What are their demographic compositions
- Do they represent a viable means of communication between the organization and the clients of the social media service

• How should an organization represent itself on various social media services
• Develop action plans for the deployment of an organization’s presence on social media services

Find Your Voice
Whether you have one person or several people post on behalf of your organization it is essential to present the tone, vocabulary, and style in a consistent single voice. To do otherwise is to risk confusing your audience as if your organization suffers from a multiple personality disorder.

Learn to Listen
The use of any social media is not to just push your message, it is also to listen to what your audience says about your posts and your organization. Resist the temptation to assume that your organization is always right and take your audience's comments to heart.

Create an Acceptable Use Policy
Employees, agents of an organization, as well as Board members must be informed and comply with a Social Media Policy that establishes expectations for decorum, professionalism, confidentiality, and the protection of privacy. The policy should be created even if an organization elects not to establish a formal social media presence.
Should an organization decide to have a social media presence, the policy should also clarify:

• Who may post on behalf of an organization
• What types of postings are appropriate (e.g., informational, promotional)
• What type of online relationships are appropriate (e.g., “following,” “friending,” being a “fan” of)

Wine Tasting Party

Last night we hosted a wine tasting party with everyone bringing a favorite wine to share. What a treat!

Wines ranged from a Sauvignon Blanc to a nicely aged Cabernet Sauvignon. In between were such delights as a moscato d asti from Italy, an Ice Wine from Vermont, and a Cabernet Sauvignon Porto from California. Each wine had a nice appetizer paired with it including some unique goat and sheep cheeses, lobster ravioli, chocolates, strawberries, and homemade cheesecake.

We can't wait for the next party in June.

Dallas Cup XXX

To view some photos from Spencer's participation in the Dallas Cup soccer tournament visit my Flickr page and select the Dallas Cup photo set.

Help Me Raise Money for the YMCA

The YMCA of the East Valley (Highland, Redlands, and San Bernardino) is in the midst of its annual Sustaining Membership campaign. The campaign raises funds to provide membership scholarships to families of modest income.

Please help the YMCA fulfill its mission to build strong kids, strong families, and strong communities by visiting my online donation site at www.firstgiving.com/sig.

Cool Web Site

Check out a true "world clock" at poodwaddle.com, it's very interesting.

Did You Know?

If you haven't already seen the Carl Fisch presentation Did You Know? I suggest you take a few moments to view the presentation on YouTube. There is the original version (use the link above) and an updated one. I personally prefer the original version for several reasons: it's unpolished and conveys honesty, and its focus is open ended. The updated version is slicker and tightly focused on education issues.

Vacation Photos

I recently added photos of our Mediterranean cruise vacation to my Flickr site. Take a few moments to view them and then let me know what you think.

Spencer's Senior Photo

Hard to believe it's Spencer's senior year in high school, but here is the proof - his senior photo...

Economy One-Liner

With economy in the dumps it's time for the humor quotient to increase. Post you best one liner to this expression:

The only difference between Las Vegas and Wall Street is ...

Here's one to get the ball rolling - "free drinks"