Digital Dads

When I started Digital Dads I knew I wanted to do something a little different. I love the model of Dad-O-Matic where any father is welcomed to come and write for the site, but I wanted a little more control over what was published and who wrote it. Not much, but a little.

I get e-mails all the time from readers asking if they can write for the site. My answer has always been that we were not currently looking for writers at the time but if they wanted to write a guest column to show me what they were thinking about writing to please do so. Up till now no one has taken me up on that offer.

But, a site needs to grow to succeed and that is why I’m excited to announce two new writers to the mix here and guess what? One of them isn’t even a dad. Hell, she isn’t even a guy. *grin*

Emmi Sorokin is a men’s image consultant and will now be writing a column on practical fashion and style for guys. I’m an L.L. Bean guy at heart and always will love my chamois shirts, but Emmi and I recently met as part of the Men of Social Media Makeover here in Boston. She took me shopping for new clothes and taught me to appreciate the comfort of a good pair of dress shoes. Over a thank you dinner I asked her if she would be willing to share her knowledge as the owner of It’s A Man World and thankfully she said yes.

You can look for her first column later this week. She’s a smart, sassy and sexy woman who is also just one of the guys, so if you have a question for her let us know and perhaps she’ll answer it in a future column.

The second new writer is someone that I consider a close friend and that I know is going to bring some new thinking to the site. That man is Clarence Smith Jr. or as he is known online as DYKC.

Clarence is a writer, photographer, fixed gear bike enthusiast and all around great guy. He also has a comic strip that he writes called Planet Wifey that captures just a sneak peek of the unique moments in his family life. Go back and read all of them because they will give you a fun view into his world.

He and his wife are expecting their first child next year (a son!) and I’m excited to have his perspectives on becoming a Dad on this site. My kids are too grown up for that perspective and also I know that Clarence’s upbringing is very different from what mine was so I hope some of those stories come up as well.

I’ll warn you now that he is a straight shooter and speaks his mind very openly. Just another reason why I love the guy and love that he said yes when I asked him to become a Digital Dad.

I’m very excited to have these two joining the team here at Digital Dads. Each of them will bring a unique new flavor to the site and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

Related posts:

1. Who Needs a Dad Site?

Remember when our fathers or grandparents would pull out the little picture portfolio from their wallets and purses and show pictures of their families? They’d always be full of pride and eager to show them to anyone who they might come in contact with. They got outdated quickly and you’d always have to explain when the pictures were taken. As the tradition got passed down to my generation we might have a single picture of our families in our wallets to show people. As the kids grew up this wasn’t as important and many wouldn’t even bother.

At a recent conference something hit me as I talked to some friends and we all whipped out our iPhones to show pictures of our kids. No longer did we have to wait until school pictures happened to have a new picture of our kids. Thanks to this device we can now show the latest of hundreds of snapshots or videos.

I try not to judge, but when I see a fellow Dad pull out their iPhone and notice that the wallpaper is of their kids I instantly like them a bit more. I will always have pictures of my kids or family as a wallpaper so that every time I turn on the phone it is the first thing I see. You have no idea how much of a pickup this is when you are on the road and away from them. That single picture has cheered me up more times then I can accurately expressed.

Technology is empowering us to capture and share memories like never before. I am constantly taking pictures or videos and then never doing anything with the video. Last night I went to Karaoke with some friends and I found myself video taping some of it. What am I ever going to do with the video? Most likely nothing, but because I can capture it I’d rather do that then look back in the morning and think, “man I wish I had fired up the video camera.”

Certainly an iPhone is not the only option for this. Most phones can handle this sort of request and if yours don’t almost every point and shoot camera now takes great photos and video of some sort so you have no excuse. I recently purchased a Kodak Zi8 and have found myself shooting more video then ever. As the technology gets smaller and better it makes not capturing moments of life inexcusable.

I certainly don’t miss the fading pictures and plastic portfolios unraveling from friends wallets at the bar. Long live the digital picture albums in our pockets!

Photo Credit: Marlooz Veldhuizen

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Every day guys are getting diagnosed with Cancer.

Cancer is an ugly, terrible, horrible disease and I’m sure that everyone reading this agrees that the world would be a better place without it.

To do my little part to help with this, I’ve decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men. I’m doing this by growing a Mustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a mustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation. The funds raised go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG).

Now, I can’t grow facial hair that well. The last time I tried was NOT a fun little experiment so I have no idea how this is going to go. Especially with a couple of conferences this month that I have to attend and speak at. But, it’ll make for a great conversation piece!

When I read that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18-35, I couldn’t fear the ‘Mo and had to sign up.

What I’m asking of you is to help spread the word by telling people about Movember and encouraging them to come to my donation page at http://www.helpingthecause.com and make a donation. My personal goal is to have Team Mofries raise over $10,000 but I am going to need you, your friends and your places of employments help to make this a reality.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:

• The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
• Research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

Thanks in advance for helping with this and for helping a great cause.

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