On Facebook, perhaps the most recent local, viral post of them all came from Maryland Yacht Club. A Yacht Club with a viral post? Yes, indeed! And a subject near and dear to my heart (birds of prey) – it was about a bald eagle. One that apparently ingested some lead, which unfortunately is an-all-too-common happening and one that felled this eagle into the water, unable to get out. This would have likely killed the gorgeous bird had it not been for a Yacht Club employee that intervened. The eagle is now in rehab at Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research – a non-profit deserving of a lot of praise. The subject of lead poisoning in these birds and other wildlife is one I may write more about, but for the time being my praise to the state of California for taking the initiative to put a stop to the problem.
Then came a Facebook post that generated a lot of responses and that was result of an experience between a mother and her 8-year-old daughter. The subject being what’s appropriate or perhaps, inappropriate, in advertising – the question arose should a place, in this case, the family-friendly Westfield Annapolis Mall be advertising to its market, which includes young children, tweens and teens, a TV show not just called “Jane the Virgin,” but one that’s most likely suitable for older audiences. The 8-year-old saw the ad and asked her mother, “What’s a virgin?” Is our questioning of this ad, in this particular venue, an example of what not to do? Or is it a teaching opportunity for holding age-appropriate discussions on sex and/or the word, virgin? Or another and perhaps more significant question – have we, as adults, become so used to images of sex or violence or you name it, we might not see it as an issue at all? All worthy of discussion. You be the judge.
Photographer Jay Fleming shared his work ‘Working the Water: Summer 2014’– it deserves a lot of attention and praise. Jay documents life in and around the Chesapeake Bay – his images will likely be seen years from now and they’re not only beautiful, they’re important.
Over on Twitter, Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman, who had already announced she’s marrying her – husband – gave the date and the place. Score one for love and congrats, Laura!
Twitter mobile has a new look and I love it. I know others don’t. Thoughts?
Disc jockey Alex Cortright announced his departure from WRNR with, “It has been a great pleasure and a great honor sharing a part of your morning all of these years. Thank you and I’ll see you soon.” Several took to social media to offer their support of Alex and in some cases, their anger with WRNR. Alex popped up days later with his own Facebook page. Given Alex’s amicable personality, perfect radio-voice, overall cool self and his interest and passion for the community, I personally believe he’ll be perfect wherever he lands.
And speaking of local radio, WNAV news director, Barbara Cox, announced her intention to create a local chapter of the Sisters Network. The non-profit brings awareness of breast cancer prevention to the black community. Breast cancer mortality rates among black women are significantly higher than any other group. Barbara also happens to be black and a breast cancer survivor, so she’ll lend the power of been there, done that with the disease and within a community she knows. Bravo, my friend. Proud of you.
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts is getting ready to showcase a new and improved theatre. The by-invite opening is this Sunday, with performances by its four resident companies – Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Live Arts Maryland, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and Annapolis Opera. Wishes for an awesome season to all! And please, please, please support them with seeing some of their performances this season.
On all social media platforms, my pet peeve of sharing images without credit and in many cases, without permission, remains alive and well. Just because you saw it on the internet, doesn’t mean it’s yours. I’m especially peeved when those in the media make a habit of it, as they should know better. Check first, post next. I applaud the Tweets of @PicPendant, who is self-described as a “Punctilious internet killjoy at the forefront of the New Debunkonomy. Obsessed with attribution & Photoshop.”
Also on all social media platforms, the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner can be seen in all of its glory by searching #StarSpangled200. Maryland and particularly, Baltimore, truly did shine for the events. And those on social media that were posting lots of photos from the various venues, well done!
Props to our local crime fighters (among them – Annapolis Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Queen Anne’s County Sheriff, DNR Police) who are doing an incredible job on social media. Some of them doing so on many platforms, including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Speaking of first responders, I write this as an emergency alert system test was just broadcasted on TV. In this day and age of social media proliferation, should the FCC now have emergency alerts broadcasted over Twitter and Facebook? Thoughts? Yes, we all see news instantaneously anyway – or we do if we follow the right people and organizations on social media, but that’s a big if.
Social Media Helpful Hint – those blue highlighted words and phrases you see throughout this post – if you click on them. they’ll take you to the people, places and organizations I was discussing. When you see a place tagged on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, you can easily click on that tag and find out more information. It always surprises me when I tag a place on social media only to be asked additional questions about it. I tagged it so anyone that might have questions about the place, person, organization, etc., can go find out more about it, directly from the source. Hope that helps!
Social Media Training – in response to a lot of questions I often get asked about social media, I’ve decided to start holding informal, social media seminars. The first is free and is geared strictly towards Twitter for those who want to use it for personal or professional reasons. Such questions as how do I get on Twitter, how do I find out who to follow and how do I block people that I don’t want to follow me will be answered and demonstrated in an easy-to-follow tutorial. The first session, to be held on Wednesday, October 15 at 9 a.m. is limited to the first eight people who respond. This and all future sessions will be limited to small groups and held in a beautiful, waterfront office overlooking Spa Creek and downtown Annapolis.
Private sessions are also available for individuals or organizations. Ask me about my rates and dates available by emailing donna@annapoliscreative.com. For my social media feeds, visit here, and here and here.