Although rabid right-wing patriots shoulder their Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles and peer through the sights when they hear me say it, I’m a veteran. Today’s my day. Veterans Day — the only holiday I can celebrate because of a decision I made for myself rather than because someone else was born or died, or some battle was won or begun. I want to thank all of the companies and institutions in America that honor the veterans on this special day. Especially the restaurants and The Home Depot. In fact, I have set an intention to show as many of these …

So I’m in Boston now. Moved up in mid-August this year (Texas summers can suck it). Needless to say, it’s awesome. My wife is attending Harvard Business School, and I’ve opened up our New England/East Coast office. There’s been a lot to adjust to — learning to work away from the hive that is The Starr Conspiracy headquarters, expanding our network and reach into a new region, supporting Erin as she navigates an amazing opportunity and learning environment, and drinking all the beers I’ve never heard of and can’t get in Texas. Among those four things, I’m pretty much left …

When did fourth-and-goal become a fourth-and-goal situation?

There are 7 million annoying things you could be doing on Twitter. Chances are you’re doing three of them.

HR and Social Media: Beyond Recruiting on HREOnline discusses how recruiting opened the door for HR in social media. Recruiters are now in a unique position to use their social media knowledge to improve collaboration, communication and knowledge management for their organizations.

As many of you know, I am The Starr Conspiracy‘s social media strategist. It’s a lovely job. My clients are smart and successful vendors who sell software and services to HR professionals.

Trade shows are not to be taken lightly. Why? Well, trade shows are where all of your marketing and branding manifest themselves into physical form. And if done wrong, there’s no quicker way to damage your brand and look ineffectual. So it’s important to do them right.

Ocho arrived in Vegas with a warm welcome at HR Tech. Don’t let his ominous nature deter you. Ocho had only one purpose for HR Tech – wreak havoc and play the slots. OK, that’s two purposes.

The Unauthorized After Party was crankin’ at HR Tech this year. We partnered with Achievers (formerly I Love Rewards) and Jobvite to throw a party the glitterati (see: Laurie) were proud of. If you missed HR Tech this year, or missed the party, never fear: The recaps are here.

The Starr Conspiracy does not publicly comment on our favorite companies or products in the marketplace.

We just wanted to take a moment to thank Bill Kutik, our personal hero, for crafting a great conference. The 14th Annual HR Technology® Conference & Expo was epic.

If you haven’t visited Booth #1131 at the 14th annual HR Tech Conference, this is what you’re missing out on.