Poppy the Proud

“To all the lovely children who chase merrily after geese, imitate ducks’ quack-quacking, and throw bread crumbs to swans. The birds love you, too. And they want to tell you their stories.” – page 1

I think we need more merrily chasing after things in my home town. That’s why I’m recommending everyone, not just kids go out and buy this book and read it multiple times. You can find it here on Amazon. As always, this book was a pleasure to read. The illustrations were beautiful, and the writing was most awesome.

Once in a while (and ever since Emlyn Chand started writing children’s books) I like to read kid literature. It gives my brain a break, and then reminds me that there are simple lessons in life that everyone should learn when they are a child.

I’m reasonably certain that any number of adults from my community would benefit greatly from reading some Kid Lit, even if it’s not to children.

I’m also reasonably certain that the term ‘child’ does not necessarily apply to those under 18 years old alone.

I’m not trying to sound preachy (like a peacock ) but sometimes the adult community should be re-infused with the lessons they teach their children.

When I read this book the first time through, I was eating French toast and drinking coffee, early in the morning, all by myself in my quaint (yeah, it’s really just small and a writer’s ‘den’) apartment. It was a great way to spend the morning, and a great way to put off cleaning.

Even the first page got me thinking:

Poppy was also accustomed to getting his way. If he wanted berries, he didn’t need to go foraging. He simply cocked his head and proclaimed, “My oh my, berries would taste nice,” prompting several other flock members to scurry over and drop plump fruits at his feet.

You can infer all you want who the ‘peacock’ is in our community, but I’m telling you right-now, this small-town/city is full of them. They, with and emphasis on the they are also full of themselves. I’ll even go so far as to say I’d include myself in that group at times. Though I don’t ever parade myself in public. I’m anti-social, but we know this.

I’m pretty sure this:

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Is how Poppy would look if she read the twitter feed for #bdnmb some days. It’s full of birds, in flocks and droves.

He’d look at it like this after he’s learned his lesson of course. He’d also laugh, a lot.

I suppose, that what I’m implying is that this community needs a lesson in how to use hash tags/twitter properly. Conversely known as ‘how to not make a peacock of yourself online.’

Some of us are more savvy than others.

Here’s how I use the #bdnmb hash tag. There are probably other good ways too. This is all I can think of at the moment.

1) I use it to promote things I’ve written that others might want to read. Usually these have local content in them. If my book review doesn’t talk about CSA, or Brandon, or something community driven I don’t usually add the #bdnmb to my tweets.

2) I use it to re-tweet local content by people I know and news articles I find interesting.

3) I use it to share links to articles I think people here should read & may find interesting and/or entertaining.

4) Sometimes (rarely) and only if it’s time sensitive, I’ll use it to announce an event, or ask what’s happening. * During the day, not next week, and not a general or vague reference about “Where can I buy meat in Brandon?” There’s google for that, and the phone book and – and – and my own feather-filled brain.

5) The only other instance I can think of to use it would be to proclaim how excellent some event was in Brandon, or how great something was that happened. There’s the flip side to this, but I’d think carefully before proclaiming that some restaurant ‘sucks-feather butt‘ online. I like saying good things, and I’m cynical as all feather-fracking.

AKA – spreading good karma.

Poppy was like this, but he learned. So can you.

Please note, that I am a person tweeting as opposed to a business. I would suggest that a business tweeting use twitter for promotional and marketing purposes, to send out tweets about news, and thank people in the community & target their market for involvement.

For example, I have conversations on twitter with other people users, but I re-tweet links shared by organizations. The organizations do NOT talk in first person, and do not suggest that they are a PERSON doing things in the market/community.

Most of the time, the local hash feed is used properly, but there are groups and individuals who feel the urge to take up space, and parade themselves around the community, all while purporting they have the ‘right’ answer for ‘what our community needs.’

I call feather-fluff.

Here’s how the old Poppy would have used twitter this week. (He in all instances refers to the pretend Poppy, as I don’t know the identity of the person tweeting for either the real, or the imaginary/anti theatre group.)

1) He would have set up an alternate (and not at all related) but very similar looking (using the same picture in fact) twitter page for a local group trying to restore a downtown theatre. Then used this to bash people involved, and herald people against the restoration project. I have screen caps of all this. I choose not to put them on here. I am disengaging from the flock.

That dilithium, it’s not the only thing deteriorating. Poppy the not so Proud is my new hero.

2) He would have lambasted those in favour publicly, then drag other users into conversations and puts them on the defensive. This has happened with both users. One being ridiculously vile, the other just being ridiculous and over the top and, umm, lets say feather-fanning.

3) He would suggest that doing this is okay because there’s already an ‘official’ twitter user for the project. If one person/group hides behind the name of a business and be called a ‘pansy’ than they can too.

Poppy however, learned his lesson, and made a beautiful friend Snow. Snow, while not like any of the other peacocks, sure has inner beauty as a quality. Rather than laugh with the rest of the crowd, Snow is kind to Poppy. I’d like to be more like Snow, I think the rest of us (the human collective) should be too.

I hope, that next time someone is inclined to engage in online feather-flapping they either think twice, or at least leave off the #bdnmb hashtag so I don’t have to have it glaring at me from the side of our local newspaper’s website.

If that doesn’t work, please watch the following. It will immediately appeal to your inner (or outer) child. If you sing-along, be warned, good karma will spread its wings and you will no longer feel the urge to ‘Caah-aah! Caah-aah!’ at all the other birdies on twitter.