After a while, memories of college tend to be more nostalgic than educational. Especially for someone like myself who graduated over a score ago, most of what I specifically learned in the classroom in my coursework is a faded memory. But college is so much more than the courses you take and the grades you get. The life experiences, formal and informal, tend to stay with us for a long time, as college tends to be the place where we first invent or reinvent ourselves.

When I found out in a roundabout way that my college radio station, WNEK-FM in Springfield, Massachusetts, went off the air as a broadcast station and became a purely Internet streaming station, it made me sad. Thinking about my 4 years at Western New England College, the school that held and later dropped the broadcast license, I realized I learned more within the walls of the radio station than I did in any classroom.

Of course I Iearned much in my coursework at the school better known by its acronym, WNEC. But it was my involvement in its college radio station that not only served as a true training ground for me, but offered me challenges and opportunities I couldn’t have possibly got from any professor in any class.

It’s hard to summarize my total college radio station experience in one post of reasonable length, so here’s highlights of what my radio broadcast days taught me.

Leading vs. Managing … Your Friends No Less – In addition to being a broadcast station, my college radio station was the largest, most-active club on campus, with well-over 75 students, faculty and staff between on-air DJs and off-air support. This is where I cut my teeth for the first time in a leadership role, having to lead, encourage, manage and discipline station members, many who were my friends. Sometimes lines were crossed and I had to take unpopular stands my senior year when I was the station’s General Manager, not their friend Mike. What I learned here I took into managing my first post-graduation work projects and teams.

Surround Yourself with the Right People – Within such a large club, there was a smaller core number of people whom I considered confidants in helping me effectively run WNEK-FM. Some were board members holding other roles such as program director, music director, etc., and others were DJ’s and off-the-mic support. They helped me think through tough decisions, and their points of view were invaluable to me.

This group that surrounded me was not a finite group that never changed. Over the years, students would come and go, and new people would join and, over time, become trusted advisors. As much as I had a good group, I was always looking to see who else could contribute, a task all leaders should be doing.

True Cultural Diversity – Most people who were involved in the radio station were there with common interests, namely music and broadcasting, and as you could guess these interests crossed all races, creeds, colors, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, geographies, et. al. As a result we had the most diverse student organization on campus.

For someone like myself who grew up in a predominantly white, Christian, middle-class town, looking back I didn’t really think about it at the time; these people were simply my friends. I learned not to judge someone by what they looked like – the person with the mohawk and black leather was no different than the one in polo shirts and khakis. As I grew and entered the real world, I cherished I was exposed to and learned to appreciate this diversity.

Do Your Homework – It may not come as a surprise that someone as myself, who has worked in technology my entire career, spent most of my academic time in the computer lab. But here I am not talking about my computer class homework, rather the homework needed to be the best DJ and broadcaster.

I learned this the hard way when I interviewed Civil Rights leader Julian Bond who was speaking on campus. Back then there was no Web to lookup his Wikipedia profile (in case you’re curious, the concept of the Web wasn’t published until my senior year in college), but I didn’t even walk over to the library to look up something on him or get more information from our school’s PR department who arranged the interview for me. This was clear when I opened the interview with Bond saying he is a current Georgia state senator to which he quickly corrected me. Needless to say, I did a facepalm in my mind, then sucked it up and continued the interview.

Networking Early and Often – Networking for me started small, and as I saw others reaching out to me I did my own outreach and found many win-win situations.

An alumni of the radio station and college came back and asked me if he could be substitute DJ, which many alumni who lived near campus did. Over the course of the year I offered him a few shows when others couldn’t make their own. When I heard a certain New York City developer was going to be at a local game manufacturer for the launch of an eponymous board game, knowing this alumni worked there I asked if I could cover it for the radio station. As the one-time news director for the station I did cover local, high-profile stories in the past. When I reached out to him if I could get a press pass, he said not only could I do that, but as he was the product manager for the game, I would be invited with the other press on a tour of the plant and lunch in the executive dining room afterwards. As you might have guessed, the developer was Donald Trump, the game maker was Milton Bradley, and the rest, as they say, is history. Video proof can be found in this news clip I recorded on VHS tape then and posted to YouTube. Incidentally, the college radio station exposed me to another 2016 U.S. Presidential candidate. The son of Bernie Sanders handed me a radio station application; at the time his Dad was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont. As a native New Englander whose family was from Vermont, I knew of his father well, before many around the country would decades later.

Though I never knew for sure, another case of networking may have come in handy as well. Over the course of an overnight softball marathon on campus, some DJs were caught by campus police with alcohol in the studios. The campus police were unlocking the doors for the morning DJ, who just happened to be the Academic Vice President for the college, who did not know the station would be occupied at that hour. After the incident I was paraded before the associate dean of students who, as judge, jury and executioner, ordered the radio station off the air indefinitely (something he threatened to do a lot). However it never happened, and I was given a stern warning and said we would remain on the air. Again I don’t know what he said or did, or if he did say anything at all, but did the Academic V.P. say something, perhaps to the college president whose office was next to his, that may have reversed this? I don’t know, and I never asked. Over the course of the year I got to know the V.P. well, as he reached out to me when he first came to campus the summer before as he tried and failed to get a radio station at his last school. He was a great friend of the station, and when he expressed interest in doing an early Sunday morning radio show, a timeslot we could never get a student to fill for obvious reasons, it worked out to be a great win-win. Especially, perhaps, when this situation came up.

There’s no substitute for real, practical experience – A lot of my hands-on approach to, well, just about everything I do was nurtured greatly at the college radio station. Covering the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger my freshman year taught me how to work together as a team when things were moving fast and not all of the information was available. That was later reinforced when I spent the day shadowing the news director of a local radio station. And there’s no better way to learn you’re not prepared for everything than engineering the broadcast of a college hockey game in a sparsely attended, freezing cold hockey rink, and the equipment failed and the broadcast never happened. All of these things happened well before my official, academic internship the summer before my senior year, and taught me much, much more.

The role of music in my life – Prior to signing on the air my freshman year, I had a limited range of musical tastes, and probably even less appreciation for it. Spending 4 years on a radio station that literally exposed me to every genre of music, coupled with experiencing it through and with others, brought this appreciation to a great height. Maybe that’s why I work best with ambient sound surrounding me rather than silence. Today I still enjoy almost all music, but 80’s alternative rock still holds a special place in my heart, and ears.

Deconstructing My College Radio Experience

When I first signed up for my college radio station, I had no idea what impact it would have on my life. Immersing myself with a great cast of people allowed me to try, fail, succeed and learn to degrees I couldn’t get in the classroom. Passion of course played a great part of this. Where I was and am passionate about my chosen career path in computer technology, the foundation for the successes – and failures – I have had in my career were built on a well-rounded foundation of both my classroom and broadcast radio education. Whether or not the school took something like this into consideration when they decided to drop the broadcast license, I have no idea.

Thank God for college radio!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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When the authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs came out shortly after he died in 2011, it was a book I was interested in reading. As someone who remembers the ascent of Apple as a kid and used both an Apple //e and early Macintosh in college, not to mention a recent convert to the iPhone, I was curious of what else I would have learned from this tech and marketing pioneer. That being said, with all else going on in my life and an existing unread tower of book at home, I didn’t buy it. However I always said, if the opportunity presented itself, I would read it.

That opportunity came a little over a year ago when I was visiting my aunt and needed to make a call for work, so I ducked into a room off the commons of her apartment complex to make the call. This room, which I never knew existed, was a literal library – books of all genres, movies on DVD and VHS (yes, VHS) as well as CDs. As I made my call I perused the shelves and low and behold, I saw the biography by Walter Isaacson, and started reading it on my trip home.

Though I finished reading the book Steve Jobs last year, I made notes of my takeaways from the over 600 pages of first-hand recollections from Jobs himself as well as from many people in his life. Where it’s been a while, these takeaways still ring true in my mind as well.

Do you need to have a personality like Jobs to be successful? This was my greatest takeaway from the book. My original notes said, do you need to be this “ruthless” and thinking about it more, I’m not sure if that is even the right word. Many influences in his life led to his personality of being highly focused, brutally honest, harsh… I could go on. In reading stories of successful people over the years, these types of traits tend to be a common theme. So I wonder, do you need to be wired a certain way to achieve a certain way, at least in business?

Marketing’s role in the rise of Apple – I had always heard that Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, was the technical brains behind the operation, with Jobs being the marketing and front-end pitchman for the firm. However I didn’t realize the extent of all he did, from early days of positioning empty boxes to the design of the cases, to create the aura of what Apple was and is. This level of detail and decision-making made Apple unique, as well as its products.

How much different would the story be if it was written now? As the book was released mere days following Jobs’ death, the interviews and stories of others in the book were given while he was still alive. As I read this, tucked in the back of my mind was how different – if any – would those stories have been if they were told to Isaacson after he died. Where we may not know completely, over time more may come from those interviewed.

Whether you’re an Apple fan or not, I recommend reading Steve Jobs, especially for people who are interested in the personal (and personalities) that are behind businesses. As I give away all of the books I read, this one went to a person who was more interested in the personalities and their interactions within the empires Jobs created.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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On Tuesday, March 20, please vote for my good friend, attorney Rishi Agrawal, for Cook County, Illinois Judge in the 8th Judicial Subcircuit.

When I say “my good friend” I mean it, as in I knew Rishi long before he decided to run for judge. As I thought about how to best share why I think he is the best candidate for the judgeship, rather than just say he is an awesome person (which he is!), 3 things came to mind which, after you read them, should lead you to punch number 163 on your ballot.

His passion for practicing law – Rishi and I were neighbors when I lived in Chicago, so as you would expect I would see him just about every day. When we would talk about our days, when he was going to or coming from court or meeting with clients, you could see the excitement in him. He loves litigation, being in court and giving the best representation for his clients. Where of course he wouldn’t give me specifics, he would talk with excitement of how he would prepare and go up against other lawyers or work to negotiate a settlement. Such a positive attitude, energy and regard for the law is something he will carry to the bench.

His ability to understand the big picture and how the law applies – Whenever you get a bunch of friends together casually and politics or current affairs come up, the conversation is certainly spirited. Often, people will come up with something that leans towards a legal opinion, even though most of us are not attorneys. In times like this, Rishi would take in the conversation, then join and acknowledge how people may be approaching an issue, then sharing how juris prudence may apply in a certain case. Not only did this help a conversation from getting outrageous, but it helped us all learn about the law and a point of view we may not have considered. This respect for the law is what Rishi will take to the courtroom when presiding over cases.

Giving back to his community – Whether it’s getting up early to coach his award-winning elementary school debate team before the school day starts, taking on pro bono clients or ones who had difficult cases that other attorneys would not touch, to his involvement in the local school council to local cultural and legal organizations, Rishi finds the time to give back, help his community as well as help to ensure people have access to quality legal representation. I admire his dedication and ability to multitask all of this with his own private law practice and family, and he stands as a model for others.

Voting for Judges Just as Important as all other Elected Offices

When you vote for judges in Cook County, they are usually at the end of the ballot, well after all other elected offices. However voting for judges is just as important as all other office, as you are sending someone to represent your best interests and those of the community at large, in this case to ensure fairness in the court system. Maybe you usually skip judges, or maybe you go fill out a ballot not knowing who any of them are. As I no longer live on Cook County, the biggest thing I and my family miss is our friends. This extends to not being able to vote for Rishi. Allow me to present a good friend and great individual that will make an even greater judge – Rishi Agrawal.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Over the past decade plus that I have been writing here at The Hot Iron, I have mentioned this is a labor of love, writing and sharing my thoughts with you reading it. For most of that same time I have explored options to make a little money from my endeavor, and I present my latest one with Ko-fi.

Buy Me a Coffee, Please

I came across Ko-fi a couple of times in the same day, which prompted me to check into it. It is a free service which allows you to post a button to your Web site or share a link to your personal Ko-fi page, where someone can choose to buy you a coffee, which is in essence giving you money. You can choose to follow others on Ko-fi or have them follow you. You can try all of this yourself by clicking the "Buy Me a Coffee" button on the right column of my blog (or click the photo in this post), or follow this link to my Ko-fi page.

In order for me to receive the money (presumably earmarked for a hot caffeinated beverage) I tie my PayPal account to it, and funds are deposited there. As a result it is a straight cash transaction, and no actual coffee is exchanged in the process, unless I move the money from my PayPal account.

But wait, could there be more?

Where in some regard it is not much different than putting a PayPal donation button or link on my blog, Ko-fi is a unique approach as it is not an ask for cash rather an offer for someone to buy me a beverage. The community around the profile page shows the extent to how folks have supported by coffee consumption, which is usually not far from my keyboard or notebook when I am writing.

Of course when I see something like Ko-fi, the entrepreneurial part of my brain is triggered, and there is great potential for this service. The idea of micropayments are not new, but this is a new, unique way of asking for them. A coffee company - hello, Starbucks or Peet's - could be a sponsor or even an owner of it and tie their current gift cards and mobile apps to Ko-fi, thus making the coffee purchase that much easier to the recipient.

As I mentioned, Ko-fi is in a long line of methods for asking for contributions from my readers. I have had Google AdSense ads on my blog for years, which over time has contributed some but has waned as display ads become almost invisible and blocked by Web browser plug-ins. CentUp was a short-lived service which required you to create an account both to give and receive. Google Contributor offered the ability to block ads from being displayed if you contributed money to a site, but it has been all but eliminated by the search giant. Ko-fi is free, but asks me to buy it coffee, which I have done out of support for it, and to ensure its developers are well-caffeinated when doing their part.

Deconstructing Earning Revenue for Blogging

As the early days of the Web were driven by the free distribution of content, later attempts to earn revenue for content have had a mix of success. Large newspapers and magazines have struggled with earning digital subscribers as their print subscriptions plummet. Attempts at paywalls are met with people finding ways to avoid them and get the content for free. Smaller publishers have also had the same mixed results, most positives coming from extreme niche content. These gaps have driven services like Ko-fi to find a different way to help publishers earn money. Where others have failed, it remains to be seen if a unique payment service could gain traction. If anything, small publishers like myself are certainly cautiously optimistic.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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As the new year starts, for many it is also the start of the annual review process with their employer. Where this process varies from company to company, typically it entails creating goals for the coming year, taking into consideration the goals for the team, organization, group etc. and then at the end of the year measuring if you met those goals or not along with feedback that was accumulated throughout the year.

Ask any person who goes through this process and they will likely tell you they would rather spend time standing in line at the DMV! Many people feel it's a waste of time, not only in the fact that they have to spend time working on it but also at the end of the year a couple of things typically happen - one, they don't get a raise or a bonus, and two, for the first time they learn at the end of the year of something that happened months ago or even earlier in the year.

When you get written up on something in December that happened in March, how can you really do anything about it, nine months later, to affect any change? In other words, the performance appraisal process is broken, and I have an idea to fix it -penalize the manager that gives you a poor review or feedback at the end of the year as an afterthought when they had the opportunity to tell you earlier.

Say what?

If you think about it, at the end of the year when someone is giving you a review, their own personal review doesn't necessarily reflect yours. It should, for a manager should be measured on the overall performance of their team, as they should be ensuring their team is excelling at all times. Some manager do believe in this (including, fortunately, the manager I have now), however many managers don't want to be bothered by this throughout the year and as a result giving a poor performance review at the end of the year is really no skin off their teeth and comes naturally to them. Sometimes that poor performance review is based on asking others who have worked with you to provide their input, which is often referred to as a 360° review process. Even when organizations say they have a "immediate feedback mechanism" to let people know when they do well or when they do poorly, it rarely happens this way. Finding out about a problem at the end of the year when there's really nothing that can be done about it serves nobody well.

If the person giving the negative feedback is giving it too late, it is they themselves that should be marked down for it in the end of the year process. This gives the person giving the poor review skin in the game and makes them part of the solution. The whole idea is to inform people at the time something happens that something was unsatisfactory or could've been done better or could've been corrected. When it's given at that point, the person that has the opportunity to make the correction, discuss impacts on their workload that impacts their success, identify the need for education or training or greater organizational issues that need to be addressed that the manager may not even be aware of, et. al. The person and their manager or whomever is giving the negative feedback can then together put a plan in place to lead to success, along with a timeframe and measurement.

Been there, wish it was done

Many times throughout my career I have been on the receiving end of negative feedback too late to do anything about it. When I asked why nothing was brought up sooner, I was never given a definitive answer, namely as the review process did not require it. On the flipside, I have had many managers who gave me continuous feedback, comments, adjustments, etc. as I worked with them, and this was not only greatly appreciated but led to my success and the success of the project I was working on. I also hear this from friends and colleagues that hear of such late-in-the-game feedback they can do nothing about, which simply makes the workplace even less tolerable.

Deconstructing Giving Timely Feedback

Why not strike while the iron is hot, and give feedback while it is fresh, meaningful and can produce a positive outcome? This takes facing issues head-on, something many managers may not be comfortable with or other senior people don't want to be bothered with. By making these mid-game corrections, it allows everyone to succeed, and may also impact the bottom line of the team or organization. This investment in one's team is as important as any training or materials you spend money on them, and can reap even greater rewards.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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