Daniel Klotz

First, a note of appreciation to wedding photographer Mike Miville for the photo in this blog’s header.

I’m Daniel Klotz, and this is my blog about Lancaster County, PA, and the things that make it an interesting place

What makes Lancaster especially interesting to me is its blend of a fast-changing culture and a strong historical heritage. So, I write a lot about:

• The Arts – including the literary scene, visual art exhibits, and film screenings.
• Civic Life – politics, government, and public policy, including reports on the outcomes of community summits, write-in election results, what it’s like to be a Lancaster poll watcher, and my opinions on referendums. In November 2008 I even published a sample Lancaster city ballot, which was public but available nowhere else online.
• Data & Trends – analysis of demographic data as soon as it becomes available. This blog has featured information on the aging population of Pennyslvania, the relationship between mountains and population density in our region, and the Lancaster birth rate. This blog was the first of any media outlet to break the story that the U.S. Census bureau officially measured the population of Lancaster County at over half a million, and also that the income of Lancaster city residents fell 15% before the economic crash of 2008.
• Innovations & Ideas – I consider this blog to be one player in a very loose think tank focusing on how to move Lancaster County forward. In late 2008, I wrote a series on problems to solve in 2009 for fun and profit.
• Local Social – Since I am social networking professional, the question of how Lancastrians use social media is a key interest of mine. This blog has asked whether Lancaster should use social media, and I reported early on about the emerging movement of Tweetups in Lancaster.
• News Analysis This blog suggested that perhaps young professionals should cheer on the economic crash, applauded the advent of mental health parity, and stood as the only public voice wondering why the same Lancaster institutions get all the philanthropic money.
• News Tips Since I’m not a reporter, I share news tips as soon as I hear them, knowing others are much more qualified to follow the story. This blog was among the first participants in Chuck Westbrook’s blog project, announced that an F&M professor made the New York Times Magazine annual “Year in Ideas” story, and let everyone know that a new coffeeshop was opening in Elizabethtown. This blog is on the blogrolls of reporters for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, the Lancaster Sunday News, the Harrisburg Patriot News, News Lanc, and the Central Penn Business Journal.

This blog is for people interested in the undercurrents of what’s going on in Lancaster, PA

I write with a variety of audiences in mind, including

• Fellow avid users of social media in the region
• Active citizens of Lancaster County and the surrounding areas
• Community advocates in York, Harrisburg, Reading, Hershey, Williamsport, and other Central PA locations who want to better understand why Lancaster has been so successful in attracting and retaining members of the “creative class”
• Fellow Lancaster residents who have a hand in setting public policy and are interested in hearing intelligent responses to decisions, issues, and problems

Why ‘the cultural creatives’?

The term “cultural creatives” comes from the 2001 book by Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson. I prefer the term over Richard Florida’s term “creative class,” since “class” is a term tied to notions of socioeconomic warfare, whereas “cultural creatives” has to do with cultural construction.

I use the term “cultural creatives” because it speaks of people who prefer third ways in American life, paths not strictly set along partisan and ideological lines. You will find cultural creatives outside the spectrum of right wing/left wing, resisting religion-by-tradition as strongly as atheism-by-default, viewing art as neither an activity of the elite nor as strictly an emotional expression of the self.

Bio

I live with my wife in downtown Lancaster, PA, and I work in Manheim, PA as a social media strategist for YDOP, LLC. I have written about why I love Lancaster on We Are Lancaster.

My professional interests lie in helping institutions, particularly colleges and small businesses pursuing significant growth, use social media strategically to tell their story, mobilize their audiences, learn about new opportunities, and provide better service.

With my beautiful wife Amanda

I cohost the The Lancast, a Lancaster-focused podcast, with David Moulton. I do my best to give of my time and talent to the community through various means, including

• Board member of Live Green
• Treasurer of Creative Works of Lancaster
• Advisory Board member of The Museum of American Ingenuity
• Member of The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
• Member of Lancaster Young Professionals
• Member of the Central PA New Tech Meetup Group

More personal interests and activities include writing and reading poetry, camping, gardening, and, yes, guinea pigs. I care about art, civic life and building sustainable local economies.

It should go without saying that the views I express in this blog are always mine alone, and my views should never be construed as the views of any company or organization with which I am affiliated. I write here as a private citizen and as an individual resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Permission to use anything I’ve written on this site

Because this blog is licensed under a Creative Commons License, you are absolutely and irrevocably free to:

• Share — to copy, distribute, display, and perform the content of this blog, even for commercial purposes
• Remix — to make derivative works, to use excepts, and to build off what I have written

Either of the above conditions can be waived if you obtain permission directly from me.

You may review the full legal code of the license on the CreativeCommons.org website.