About
This is how I often introduce myself. ShoreToBeFun (no spaces) is my branding.
I’m a communicator. One that likes to help people. But that has not always been the case.
For 25 years I worked in the Telecommunications Industry. My job was to help people to communicate. Public Safety to be precise. Keeping Fire and Police Communications Systems working. Their Two-Way radios, 911 system, pagers and in later years beginning with cellphones and finally to include their land based telephone systems.
That all changed in 2005. I was working for a small college and we saw ourselves going in different directions and I found myself out of a job.
While I was looking for a new job I began doing research on life and the heritage of the Delmarva Peninsula. Even though I was born, raised, and spent a good part of my life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I found that many not living on the peninsula knew more about it than I did. I began working on a book about the area. That book is still being written although I have to admit I haven’t worked on it in a few years.
In 2006 I began ShoreToBeFun. At the time it was simply an online calendar of Events covering at first the Shores of the Chesapeake Bay and eventually the entire Delmarva Peninsula from the Foothills, on the border of Pennsylvania, to Cape Charles, VA. That site still exists as ShoreToBeFun.co and as far as I know it is still the only online Calendar that has events posted for the entire peninsula. Although presently it’s mostly inactive, since events have pretty much been shut-down for awhile.
I also became a journalist, and then a photojournalist, covering Kent County, Maryland.
In 2011 I took a little break to be the primary caregiver for an elderly relative, putting my working life mostly on hold. I kept the calendar going as well as photographing events as much as I could.
2015 was the next big year of change. I was no longer needed as a caregiver. That’s when I worked more to become a better photographer and began volunteering with Community Theaters.
With these interests I began ChesaDel Crier as my way to communicate to others what was going on with Art and Entertainment Between the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. It’s my way of supporting the Arts.
Since early 2018, I have been attending weekly Business Networking functions. Beginning as a way to promote the ChesaDel Crier and Art and Entertainment on the Delmarva, and eventually my Fine Art Photography. Sure I have missed some weeks. Some weeks I went to more than one. While networking I’ve meet many amazing people and learn a lot about networking and marketing.
In 2020, I began the year with an idea to broaden my photography from mostly photographing events and the scenes of the Delmarva Peninsula to include Personal Brand Photography. As I learned more about Personal Branding, it came to me that I could help people with their Personal Brand. I’ve come to the conclusion that while everyone needs a Head Shot, it’s better if your Personal Brand is a part of it.
Then once you have your Brand you need you need to market it and one of the best ways is by networking. With this entire package I am thinking of myself as a Personal Branding Coach.
Since for sometime now I have been introducing myself as “ShoreToBeFun”, often with the added phrase, “the eyes, ears and the voice of the Delmarva Peninsula”, I though it was best to use ShoreToBeFun as my branding and not simply as the online calendar.
My life and my Brand has three branches. The Communicator with the ChesaDel Crier, The Artist with my Delmarva Scenes Photographs and as a Personal Branding Coach.
As the saying goes, This is my story and I’m sticking with it, especially since I’m stuck with in.
FYI:
Each Thursday at Noon I host a Virtual Networking event for business folks on the MD Eastern Shore and those who do business on the Shore. Information for these meets can be found on my Facebook Group – Eastern Shore Connect
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Since 2011 I began talking photographs of events that I went to as a photo-journalist. On facebook it is at ShoreToBeFun Photographs a few years later I put up a Web site for my photography services which is at SGAtkinson.com or ShoreToBeFunPhotography.com