Subtitle 1: Transportation and the Morning Glory Vigilante. Subtitle 2: DC’s Metro Transit System Kills Their Brand by Ripping out Plants I've always said that it’s those small things, those “little slices of life” that make all the difference and make our world a bit more special. Sadly, obstacles get in the way and good and evil are confused. Case in point: Call him a plant slinger. Or renegade gardener. Or even a "secret" horticulturist. Call him whatever you like. Has he gone too far? Oh the shock! The horror! Imagine someone planting morning glories in a public place! Here is but one of the many articles on the subject. In short, a man has been spending his own money and secretly planting flowers in the DC area for the last thirty years. And that’s been okay. Until now.
Does this make any sense to you? Law abiding citizen, Henry Docter, wants to make the world a prettier place. He plants flowers that he has paid for in a public place owned by the local transit company. He has been secretly doing these acts of kindness for over thirty years. End result? The plants were ripped out, making the area ugly and barren once again. Several hard to believe reasons were given for this action. One was that the plants were dying. 1,000 plants! Every single one of them dying at once despite plenty of rain within 48 hours of digging them out? Hello Metro transit! Civil communication with Mr. Docter would have been a plus. At the very least, speak with him without the threat of arrest and cries of “cease and desist”. It’s not too late to do so and turn this mess around! Look what this debacle is doing to your brand reputation as public outcry grows. Not a word about it on your website, either. How come it was “okay” for the past thirty years and now it’s suddenly NOT okay? Did you even know that Henry Docter planted tulip bulbs in the same location several months ago? Would you like to regain your solid reputation and make it shine? Why not strike a partnership with Mr. Docter? Bring him on staff if need be and let him organize volunteers to beautify other areas of the Metro transit system that need this. The public will look up to you in awe. You'll get more riders. It’s called giving back!
I have to say that I am most thankful for a trail near my home where train tracks used to be. Private Citizens do some of the upkeep there; once in awhile I see a very fit woman in her 70’s with an aging pickup truck that’s filled with large containers of water and sometimes plants. She helps keep that trail a beautiful place! No one has stopped her. I've said hello a few times. Next time I see her I'd love to talk to her about the joy she brings to those of us walking the trail there. The morning glory photos here are from that beautiful trail Now, back to our “vigilante”. Let Henry Docter continue to plant flowers. Perhaps his gallant efforts will spur on others to beautify other areas. For more on his story in his own words, click here. Henry Docter is spot on. His words of wisdom alone make our world a better place: “The world is not as bad as it is often portrayed in the news. This is an opportunity for all of us to make something beautiful.” – Henry Docter
So let's do it! And kudos to you sir! Oasis asked the musical question "What's the Story, Morning Glory?" in the mid-nineties (see below) Perhaps Metro transit is asking themselves that same question right now. If you need your marketing garden properly pruned, contact us via our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.
This is one of the hardest blogs I've ever had to write. It’s a beautiful world. And most of us want the world to be a better place. Social Media gives us the opportunity to make a positive impact on so many people. We, as individuals, can influence and make change. Social Media is powerful! The question is: How far should we go to influence and make change? And what is the role of the social network as far as how extreme a post should be? When does it reach a point where we, good citizens that we are, have to report something that we feel is upsetting and distasteful? This morning a friend messaged me about an extremely offensive video on Facebook and asked me to report it. He was informed about it from a Facebook friend. Unfortunately, he viewed the video. It shook him up terribly. He later stated in a message to me “I will do a mental cleaning later today from after seeing it.” Facebook’s response after my friend reported this video was this: “Thanks for your report. We reviewed the video you reported, but found it doesn't violate Facebook's Community Standard on graphic violence, which includes depicting harm to someone or something, threats to the public's safety, or theft and vandalism.” Facebook does not consider a video of a dog being set on fire to be graphic violence! The video is over 2 minutes long and the dog was very much in pain and still alive at the end of the clip (according to my friend). And who knows what happened after that? A small, innocent animal that did not deserve this treatment! You are probably shaking your head right now in bewilderment. After I found out about the video I reported it. My friend stated NOT to view it and I haven’t. I urge you to report it as well: Please do NOT look at it. The URL is: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=448055848620298 When clicking on the URL hit pause immediately at the bottom left of the video. Just below the video on the right you'll see where you can report it:
How did this video wind up being posted on Facebook in the first place? On April 15th a female publicly posted it on her personal profile. The accompanying comment was in Spanish. Translated she is saying this: “Like and share if you hate these people.” Is she is sympathizing with the dog? No information given about who “these people” are. Regardless of whether or not she is feeling compassion, a video such as this one simply shouldn’t be on Facebook! 1,589 likes, over 950 comments, and over 3,000 shares. SHAME on you Facebook! We all want to find who did this and bring them to justice, however, is posting something so disturbing and heart wrenching the best way to get the point across? As a user of Facebook I do not want to be subjected to posts like this. Nor do I want my friends subjected to them. Today I learned something new about Facebook, namely their policies that allow posts like this. I am disgusted and appalled by Facebook’s acceptance of videos such as this one. I certainly hope that other social networks are more socially responsible. This is an example of social media at its worst. Would like to hear your comments on this subject and perhaps we can eliminate posts like this in the future. Imagine if your child saw this video? There are plenty of young people on Facebook and this is a public post. Together and as individuals, we can make a change. I hope that my words will be read and inspire others to take action. If you would like to contact me directly, visit the MODern Marketing 4 U/ ModlandUSA Facebook page and message through there.
Subtitle 1: Transportation and the Morning Glory Vigilante.
How come it was “okay” for the past thirty years and now it’s suddenly NOT okay? Did you even know that Henry Docter planted tulip bulbs in the same location several months ago?
Now, back to our “vigilante”. Let Henry Docter continue to plant flowers.
