Welcome to Radius!

I’ve worked in the field of employee benefits since 1999: first in human resources offices in both government and private industry; and then on the broker side focusing on small businesses. During that time, I’ve seen a clear need for better consumer education. That’s what this blog is all about: providing a resource for benefits information, using clear language that anyone — regardless of their level of expertise or experience — can read and understand.

Topics on the blog will include all aspects of employee benefits; while the focus will be primarily on health & welfare benefits, other topics such as total compensation and retirement benefits will occasionally be covered. ( Keep Reading... )

Skull with Autumn Flowers
Credit: Joey Velaszquez via Pixabay

Well, here we are, folks; as of this coming weekend I will have had the blog re-started for a month without any “misses” in the entry schedule. Having a theme for this month’s entries — they were a series of posts introducing readers to the blog — has helped tremendously. I am indebted to Harsh Agrawal for his post that sparked the idea for leading off with this particular set of posts.

In fact, having a theme has worked so well that I’ve already picked out themes for both November and December. During those two months, I’m going to simultaneously explore the various strands of spirituality within the Church, while also blogging my way through some of the trends seen in this year’s open enrollment season. With these posts, I’m also going to start doing some self-promotion, since my ultimate goal is to build a blog that readers find valuable as opposed to an echo chamber. The best way to do that is to see which posts get the most comments and views.

For the two or three of you who have already started reading regularly: thank you! For everyone else, who will likely find this post well after it’s been put up, I hope this series of posts has clarified a few things here and there. If not, or even if so but you still have something to say, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know.

Have a great Samhain, Halloween, Día de Los Muertos or Triduum of the Dead — or whatever else you may be celebrating this weekend. And here’s to next month!

Originally posted at https://collingwest.blog/2021/and-away-we-go/.

Reaching Hands
Credit: Jackson David via Pixabay

I talked about my reasons for re-starting and writing the blog in an earlier post, but that topic begs the question: who would want to read this blog? What, exactly, am I trying to accomplish by using a blog to add to conversations and re-establish a community? Why not just become known as a commenter on other blogs, or various social media or writing sites? Isn’t starting your own site just a method of re-inventing a wheel — and one that smacks of control issues, at that?

I’ll admit that it might be. But I’ll also note that the one thing that I don’t see on many other sites is a way to post longer, thoughtful essays about topics of interest while simultaneously being able to continue those conversations in threads. Sites such as Substack and Medium are a good place for posting longer essays, but lack the community-in-response aspect. Social media sites are great for discussion of topics, but aren’t so great for posting the longer essays. I’m looking to do both: expand my writing from quick “sound bites” into actual readable posts, and to discuss them with others.

This leads back to the original model of the blogosophere: where the blog’s owner posts long essays that sometimes derive from comments on earlier posts; sometimes refer back to posts on other sites; and which sometimes also just are sparked by topics of interest. When I think about my personal and career goals, I realize that is the model I’ve always been pursuing; thus, it’s the best model to use for my pursuit of this goal.

Who would be interested in reading what I have to say, though?

The question and my definition of the goals lead to the answer: those who are seeking my commentary on topics of interest, which in my case range from human resources and employee benefits, to Catholic doctrine and matters that affect American Catholics, to less-serious cat posts and personal updates. Thus, the original core audience for the blog is my friends and family: the same people with whom I would start my community anyway.

Friends and family would just be the beginning, though. I’m interested in discussions with anyone whose interests coincide with mine, regardless of their opinion on the topic or their location. That’s what the Internet is best at, and that’s why I’m using the medium of the blogosophere instead of simply participating on other sites. This doesn’t mean I won’t do the latter; anything but, in fact! It does, however, mean that those who notice my comments elsewhere have a place to come see what I’m thinking and writing about in fuller depth. Thus, they would want to visit my particular blog.

In the past, I’ve used a model where I pull links from various sites, combine them into a post where I quote excerpts, and then add my own commentary or spin. I expect that at least half of my posts will be in this format. The other half will be essays sparked by events in offline life and experience. Some of that information may be intensely personal and of interest to few besides my friends and family. Some, though, may very well get the attention of someone whom I don’t already know.

Chances are that person would be someone I would like to know.

Ultimately, too, I’ll admit that since I would eventually like to become a professional writer, having a blog will both give me “clips” that I can show prospective employers and clients; and also represent a reason for regular practice of my craft. Readers may or may not be interested in helping me fulfill those particular goals, but there’s no point in writing only for myself, either. (That’s why I also have a personal journal that isn’t available to the public.) I look forward to getting feedback on what I write, and that can’t be done when the writing is never published or shared anywhere.

My hope is that, eventually, as my “voice” begins to settle into itself, this site will become not just a place where I showcase what I have to say, but also a place where others come to read interesting opinions, essays and comments. There’s an old saying that a plan is just a dream with a deadline. With time, patience and a lot of work, I intend to turn my hope into a dream and then into a plan. Come and join me!

Originally posted at https://collingwest.blog/2021/why-read-this-blog/.

Covered Bridge in Stone Mountain, GA
Credit: Paul Brennan via Pixabay

Today is October 1, the start of Fourth Quarter 2021; it’s fall in the Northern Hemisphere here in the Atlanta Metro area, this means that the days are warm but not hot; and the nights are cool but not cold. It’s a time of year when many of us roll our eyes as we discover that we need to use both the heating and air conditioning in our houses.

The weather is similar where I grew up, in Eastern North Carolina; as a result I have the tendency of most Southerners to consider anything below 50°F to be cold. But my favorite season is still fall, because it’s a time when activities start again. Over the summer, it often becomes far too hot and humid for all-day outdoor activities, and the nights give little relief. In the fall, though, it’s a good time to get outside.

In addition, fall is often the time when we are able to harvest the fruits of our labor, which brings joy regardless of the type of harvest it might be. This year, my harvest is not physical as I wasn’t able to keep up the garden over the summer. But I can still see harvest season in the length of the days, in the increased activity of my parish and the whole Church, and in my work. I can also see it in the many celebrations around me that started as traditions meant to give thanks for another good growing season.

Fall is also a time for thinking and planning about the seasons just ahead; this is most obvious for children who have just started back to school, but it exists elsewhere too. For employee benefits professionals like me, fall is open enrollment season: when we plan out and then implement the next year’s strategy for our clients and/or our employees. I’ve been working on my own open enrollment duties since mid-August when I developed the project plan.

Since it’s a season of planning, fall is also a season that’s all about priorities. This past July, I realized that mine had gotten rather out of order, and that both my personal and professional lives were suffering as a result. Since the professional life was the more pressing issue, I took care of that first. At the same time, though, I knew that the personal couldn’t be neglected in favor of the professional, especially since I don’t draw thick lines between the two.

The next step after planning, of course, is carrying out those plans: implementation and action. That’s why today is such a good day for re-starting my blog. I re-started my personal journal in mid-July, so I’ve already begun building up the habit of writing every day. Now, it’s time to re-start the public blog.

Right now, I’m starting with posts on Tuesdays and Fridays, but eventually I expect to be putting up posts every day. These first few entries will be about the blog itself: introducing it (and me!) to the world at large. From there, I have plans for several different topics. Keep watching this space to learn more!

Originally posted at https://collingwest.blog/2021/a-season-for-planning/.