Mr. Megginson: Where are You?

This is the picture of Tom Megginson who is Creative Director for an ad agency called Acart Communications in Ottawa. I ‘captured’ this detail from one of that company’s webpages. I wonder if this is a naughty thing to do?

Acart Communications specializes in getting the word out about social issues, apparently. It’s the type of firm I’d like to do work for.

There are no email addresses (of course) on this Acart website. So, how to enquire about possible freelance work?

I considered sending my C.V. to Mr. Megginson, snail mail. I even thought I might write it on the old, yellowing Canadian Transcontinental Railway letterhead Norman Nicholson left behind, using Courrier typeface, ah, font. As a gimmick to get attention. Saying something like, “Sorry about this old paper, but ‘waste not, want not’ as they used to say.” (They REALLY said that in the old days, you know. They said that and then they put their actions where their adages are.)

But then I found a job ad Mr. Megginson had posted on Twitter and realized he is very into this modern social media thing. Everyone is, of course, although, I fear, Twitter may soon be passe.

My cousin, Veronica, is in media relations with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and a few years ago, when only kids had heard of Twitter, she created a stir by using Twitter to get attention for the Mars Landing – on a sleepy holiday weekend. (She had kids, you see.)

I think she bypassed all the bureaucracy there at NASA by virtue of it being a holiday (sneaked in under the radar so to speak) and started sending Tweets from the Mars Landers’ point of view, to get people’s attention. She got great results and, even better, great nation-wide press. Perfect timing on her part. Win-win for everyone.

Anyway, if you read this, Mr. Megginson. (if blogs aren’t too old hat or old victrola for you) please go to www.tighsolas.ca/page742.html. You will see that I have long been penning articles and essays about social issues, especially around education.

But because of recent heart-breaking experiences, I now take an interest in eldercare issues.

My present hobby is history, because I have found ‘what comes around goes around’ especially with respect to social issues.

This book I am writing, Flo in the City shows how easy it is to ignore the suffering of others, even if it is right at your doorstep.

In the book, Flora Nicholson, 19 year old teacher-in-training and a well brought up Presbyterian (who was a real person) is given an opportunity to learn about the human cost of her shirtwaists and princess skirts. But does she pay attention?

Telegrams and Tweets

A few winters ago, when my youngest was in jr. college, I heard him run out of the house, on a snowy morning, late for class. I recall looking out the second story window to see him backing out of the driveway, with only a small oval in the rear window he’d hastily cleared to guide him. I could see, he was text-messaging his girlfriend with one hand, the other hand held a cigarette and steered, and he actually tossed the cell phone into the air to change gears.

From that day on I got up early on snow days to clear off his car. Such a nice mother, I am, I am.

Truth be told, my husband does the same for me. I hate the cold. I hate snow and I especially hate clearing the car of snow, or worse ice, in the winter. It’s the price we pay for being Canadian. But this year, like last, no snow. It’s landing on the North East US>

So when I read this week about Newark’s Mayor, Cory Booker, who got off his ass and went out in the storm to help out his constituents, in their hour of need, I say Bravo!

I normally snicker when politicians go out to disaster zones to scope the damage. I’m cynical. It’s all for show, I feel.

And no doubt some of Booker’s motivation was political. A bit of grandstanding. Is that the word? The media is buzzing with analysis of his Twitter move, saying he took social networking somewhere it hasn’t been before. He revealed how it can be used in a disaster (a minor disaster in this case).

I think Booker did something more important. He acted as a role-model, reminding us of the former ‘active’ role of strong, young men. And he used a notoriously ‘passive’ medium to do this.

We’ve all become so privatised and so, well, paralyzed, so lazy, it’s scary. One might say ‘feminized’.

I’m sure Marion Nicholson would have been out there shovelling in 1910 after a snowstorm. Actually, in 1910, when there were huge snowstorms at Tighsolas, the neighbour, Nathan Montgomery, came over to shovel out the women, as Marion was in Montreal working.

Margaret wrote it in a letter to her husband, Norman, who was out on the railroad, working as an inspector.

If she could have tweeted it: “Blessed by great neighbours. Nathan dug us out AGAIN this morn.”

Or how about a tweet from the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, in 1897 (the pink ticket in the middle of top picture.) O Queen by millions loved and feared; Oh Empress throughout the world revered. (Does that fit 55 whatsits?)

Of course, they did have tweets of a kind, back then. Telegrams. The mail took a day or two, so in times of especial urgency, usually upon a death, or impending death in the case below, telegrams were sent.

Last night, in bed, I was thinking of this tweeting business, and I wondered where it is taking us, communication wise. I thought it might be fun (and trendy) to do Tweets from Tighsolas, for 1911. But I’m not into 55 whatsit messages, obviously. (I’m out of the loop and I can’t blame my age.)

A few years ago, my cousin Veronica, who works in PR for NASA, was on the real cutting edge, when she used Twitter to promote a Mars Landing that was in serious danger of being ignored by the mainstream media. She got a lot of press for this.

When she visited a year or two later, we watched Lost in Austen and she tweeted while doing it.

But, just look at this blog. It’s so long. Hard to believe I once wrote 30 second ads for radio, dozens a week.

It reminds me of a line my mother in law liked to use (she stole it from some author. Twain?) Sorry for the length of this missive. If I had had more time, I would have made it shorter.