Remember when people used to speak more eloquently? Books and plays and your average grandmother used descriptive phrases to paint a picture with words.

Our basic language skills have been eroding over the last several years. Texting and email and social media have accelerated the deterioration of the written word. People are so busy, busy, busy multi-tasking that they prefer to use acronyms, ...

Years back, I was lamenting the number of empty storefronts in our hamlets to my friend and former Bedford Supervisor Lee Roberts. She responded — “missing teeth.” Those empty storefronts always reminded her of missing teeth. That term is always ringing around in my head when I notice vacant storefronts in town.

The catchphrase “hamlet vitality” is the new ...

When I first graduated from college, I took a job teaching kindergarten in Providence, Rhode Island, my hometown. I taught for five years, then got married and soon became a stay-at-home mom. My husband, Al, was now getting out of the Navy and looking for his first job. That took us to New Jersey, followed by a stint in Massachusetts, and then on to New York. We luckily found paradise – ...

That headline-grabbing, delinquent supply chain has now wormed its wayward way into graduation ceremonies, of all things. In some cases, cases of caps and gowns and hoods (those sash-ish affairs that denote academic degree) are backlogged in production or in transit, leaving schools to scramble to ensure their alumni-in-waiting are decorously adorned, as tradition dictates.

Shortages of sashes ...

Congratulations on your retirement!

Like many, you probably have a bucket list of things you would like to accomplish such as travel the world, spend more time with your grandkids and take up a new hobby. While these are all excellent ambitions, the milestone of retirement is also a good time to ensure your finances, beneficiary designations, estate planning, and long-term care strategy are in ...

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — This month's "Two Minutes with TAPinto" features TAPinto South Plainfield publisher Darlene Tedesco-Cullen.

When she started TAPinto South Plainfield, she worked full time as Regional Manager/Business Development for a bank. It became so successful that she was able to leave her banking career to focus on TAPinto full-time.

"I say this to all ...

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ — Publishers invest significant time and financial resources in building their audience. No one has the right to have their content placed in front of the audience you’ve built. Public relations firms and others say their content is newsworthy and they get paid a lot of money to try to make that case to publishers every day.

Drawing the line between news and ...

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ — TAPinto Founder and CEO Michael Shapiro was a recent guest on Sergeant Marketing's Milestone Mindset Live speaking about Local Marketing in a Digital World. The series helps viewers attract and retain clients and donors.

Shapiro and host Nancy Sergeant talked about a number of topics, including the value of local marketing in the post-pandemic economy, how ...

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ — Bobbie Peer is a business owner, a networker, a marketer and a survivor.

"I am a single mother and I made it," Peer said. "I work hard, I'm passionate about what I do and I form relationships. I am a success."

Peer, the publisher of five TAPinto sites, recently received a Boy Scouts of America Patriots' Path Council Tribute to ...