Social media: Weird and wonderful?

Two startling events happened in the past week. Both had to do with social media.

Last week, I was on my way to a meeting in the courthouse when I ran into two Pokemon Go players.

I had seen people chase Pokemon monsters before. A week earlier, a middle-aged woman was walking down the middle of Walnut Street near First Baptist Church, studying her phone in what I have to assume was a Pokemon Go encounter.

The two Pokemon Go players I saw at the courthouse were both dressed in black. One was walking, the other was riding in a motorized wheelchair. Both were studying their phones and the guy walking told me he was not only finding Pokemons but was killing them.

It reminded me of one of my friends on Facebook who advertised his yard sale by promising there would be lots of Pokemon monsters in his yard and encouraged all players to come and see. Obviously, it was the old "get them in the tent to make your sales pitch" approach. Quite clever.

Perhaps ministers should do that.

"Come to church this Sunday! See how many monsters you can slay in the sanctuary!"

Ministers won't say that because Pokemon Go players have tunnel vision -- they can only see what's on their phone and even if they see the pulpit on their screen, it's doubtful they will hear anything the pastor is saying.

Last week, I received a social media request from a person in Dallas, Texas, asking me to connect on Linked In.

I accepted. I have hundreds of similar contacts on social media but nearly all of them are in Indiana and those outside the state I am related to or have worked with (I think.) This contact was different. This person in Dallas and I have no mutual contacts. They had to find me through my profile on that social media platform.

That is curious, encouraging, and weird all at the same time.

It is encouraging because when I am not at "my day job"as a reporter for The Brazil Times, I am a free lance writer. Writing brought in some much needed dollars when our children were small and while, at the moment, my extra-curricular writing doesn't bring in any money, it might, some day.

This person in Texas might be a contact that will lead to extra employment. Who knows? In this day and age, it doesn't matter where you are located, your virtual presence can be anywhere in the world thanks to the Information Superhighway!

I may not have to explain to my older readers why this Linked In contact is "curious" or even "weird." But for younger folks, here goes.

We are not used to having any kind of relationship with someone we have never seen.

We have talked business on the phone, we have written business letters, but social media is more than that. It suggests a real, three-dimensional person is getting to know you through your presence on the Internet. In my case, they read my blogs and social media posts. This is something new to many of us.

By the way, this person in Texas is not in the business of selling me anything so a sales pitch can be ruled out. It feels different from any long distance interaction I've had in the past.

As these long distance relationships over social media continue to develop, the World Wide Web becomes just that -- a web connecting people of all races and religions anywhere in the world.

I can very well imagine in the next few years a world leader announcing plans to bomb an enemy nation or enemy stronghold and then facing an uprising of his or her own residents.

"You can't bomb that part of the world! I have social media friends who live there!"

So, people are getting outdoors playing Pokemon Go (and running up their data charges and, in some cases leaving small children to fend for themselves) and people are making connections in other parts of the world through the Internet and all the social media apps like Facebook and Twitter.

Curious ... weird ... and, maybe, wonderful?

Places we gather for real visits

Hospitals, like funeral homes, have become social centers for human contact. 

I don't want this to be a downer but in this age of virtual contacts through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media, we often see family and friends only at hospitals and funeral homes.  

Church attendance is declining but, by golly, we need our hospitals and funeral homes for obvious reasons.  

Now that hospitals are becoming more specialized, often places that patch you up and ship you out, we tend to visit our family and friends in the big city and that means people who live many miles from us come to see our loved ones, too, and we get real hugs and real handshakes instead of the virtual ones through your computer or phone.  

We don't like to think of our loved ones being in those places but if there is an up side, it is the human contact we get.  

Usually, visiting people in those places is mentally exhausting. Sometimes, it is physically tiring, especially if there aren't enough places to sit and people play musical chairs as they rotate between the seats.  

I was at home on a Saturday night many years ago. A friend of our family called and said, "They've taken Sally to the hospital and she's not expected to make it through the night. It would be nice if you went there."  

So, I went to see Sally (not her real name) and the family at a hospital about 20 miles from where we lived in the country.  

When I arrived, not only were Sally's husband and children there but so were about 20 other friends of the family.  

Poor Sally was semiconscious and everyone was crowded around her bed.  

I didn't know what to do! I could have walked out and explained the situation to her husband later but I thought he wanted me to be there.  

Soon, people started visiting and talking and even laughing. Not long after that, her husband came around and started shooing us out of the room so Sally could get her rest.  

Were people being inconsiderate? I don't think so. Like myself, they wanted to be of help but often a person just doesn't know how to best handle the situation.  

I think people who plan a wake after the death of a loved one have the right idea. Or, the more common funeral dinner. (I'm not sure which is more unhealthy, the booze or the gravy and pie.)  

A hospital room or a funeral home visitation should be somewhat dignified and we should certainly respect the wishes of the person who is hospitalized and their immediate family, whatever the situation. If we want to relax and enjoy ourselves, some place outside the hospital or funeral home is more appropriate.  

The last time I was in the hospital overnight was for a heart catheterization, also many years ago.  

Our friends came to see me but I especially appreciated a lady who did not come in my room, but who sat with my wife during the procedure. That kind of support is always appreciated, but it should be respectful and not boisterous.  

I don't think the situation will change any time soon. We are just too busy to just sit down and visit with those we care about except at Thanksgiving, Christmas and, perhaps Easter.  

I know our family enjoys the Christmas together.  

That goes back to when I was growing up.  

Dad worked on the railroad and when trains were being scheduled to run, the dispatcher would call the next men on the list to make up the next crew out. Those phone calls paid the bills so dad had a phone installed on both floors of our house. We never knew when he would be called out and since my bed was just a few feet from the upstairs phone, I was jolted awake many nights by its ringing which also jangled my nerves.  

If Dad left the house, it was always right after he came in from a road trip to Chicago. The only exception was Christmas.  

"I will work Thanksgiving or Easter or New Year's, but not Christmas," he said.  

I don't remember him missing any Christmases when I was growing up.  

I certainly don't look forward to visiting in the hospital or funeral home but I know it will happen. I also know that if there is a positive side, it will be seeing family and friends we just don't see very often otherwise.  

The nature of the beast

The headline called it a "fiery crash" and a few people expressed their outrage that a newspaper would put photos of a burning car and firefighters working to rescue a person from his wrecked truck (the person in the truck could not be seen in the photo.)

Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 people looked at the the photos, following the link from the newspaper's Facebook page to the newspaper's website. 

That raises the question (to paraphrase a line from a "Star Trek" move), "Do the desires of the few outweigh the desires of the many?"

I was the photographer who shot the pictures in question and I assure you I would have much rather been taking photos of some cute bunnies at the fair or darling little girls in a dance recital than to take photos at "a fiery crash," for that is indeed what it was. 

The people stopped in traffic for more than a half an hour wanted to know why traffic was backed up as much as a mile. At least two of those people asked me about it as I walked back to my car. 

I believe we did the right thing by posting those photos online, even before we had the names of the victims (there was one injury -- a boy was burned by the airbag in the car.) The thing is, we weren't the first to take photos of the wreck. My boss texted me from Parke County with a short video of the plume of smoke rising from the crash. 

The criticism and the interest shown (there were nearly two dozen times our Facebook entry was shared) raises ethical questions about media, including newspapers, TV, radio and the World Wide Web. 

The critics said they wondered if their family and friends who drive a car similar to the burned out shell of the vehicle we photographed were the victims. They said we shouldn't have posted the photos before we could identify the people involved in the crash. 

That's an interesting idea. In response I would ask, "Would you not contact those people and ask if they were the ones involved?" and "Would not everyone with family and friends who might be traveling that stretch of road be concerned?" Remember, the crash was already on Facebook before we snapped our first photo. 

The fact is a newspaper, a news story regardless of the medium, isn't able to tell the whole story. It is a snapshot in time. 

The reality is, that is the best it can be. 

One of the biggest news stories of the 20th century was Watergate. It was reported over a period of months with many stories about developments published in The Washington Post and other newspapers, on radio and on TV. 

Even after President Nixon left office and books were written, critics said the whole story hadn't been told. 

One of the best pieces of advice I received on journalism came from an editor of a Missouri newspaper who said, "A newspaper ought to be a snapshot of what happened on a particular day." 

That is not only a worthy goal but it is the best any of us in the business can hope to accomplish. That's just the nature of the beast. 

Being Frank, exclusively for Montgomery County, Indiana

Dear Montgomery County, 

It's Saturday morning and a little past 5 o'clock. It's also Valentine's Day and that means Linda and I will visit Red Lobster later today. 

This is going to be about a few things. I am too satisfied to get on my usual high horse and develop one topic for several hundred words. This will probably sound more like one of Hawkeye Pierce's letters to his dad than a newspaper column. 

+ + +

I woke up thinking about Gov. Mike Pence this morning. That may sound weird to you but to an old newspaper guy it's not out of the ordinary. I often awake thinking about newsmakers. 

Governor Pence has been in Montgomery County news a lot lately thanks to ISTEP+ and his visit to Nucor. 

He can't seem to catch a break. The principal of Mollie B. Hoover Elementary school in Crawfordsville was interviewed on TV and she wasn't a bit shy about expressing teachers' frustration with ISTEP+. 

Other folks in these parts are upset with his plan to cut funding to the Indiana State Library for genealogical research. 

A few years ago Pence visited a Crawfordsville factory and his keys were locked in his car by the state trooper who was driving him around that day. I know because the governor sent a thank you to the local towing operation that broke into his car for him. Thankfully for the governor it wasn't one of winter days.

The tow truck operator put the thank you note from the governor on his front counter so all his customers could see the note bearing the seal of the State of Indiana. 

Governor, when -- not if -- you decide to test the waters for a run for President, you might think twice about stopping in this part of Indiana. Over the next several months you might become known as Indiana's version of "W."

+ + +

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook I have been able to keep up with the family doings of many of my friends. 

My editor asked me for an idea for a Valentine's Day story a few days ago. We asked our combined Facebook friends to tell us about the best Valentine's Day gift they have ever given or received. 

Surprisingly, many of the comments had to do with family and not romance per se. Two people said their children, born on Feb. 14, were their greatest gifts. One man said hand made cards and a bag of Laffy Taffy from his kids were his greatest gifts. 

I have never considered Valentine's Day to be a family event but I guess it is. 

+ + +

I am getting to write more now than I have ever written in life. In the past, those pesky minor issues likes getting out the next edition of the paper or getting ready for the next newscast took a lot of time away from just thinking and writing. 

Not that I would be opposed to being an editor again. That would mean more money and I'm not enough of a hypocrite to say more money wouldn't be nice. Always. 

But my morning routine includes taking Linda to work, driving a few blocks to my office, greeting The Boss (she reminds me of Gail Hamilton in many respects) and settling down to my desktop computer. 

I then go through e-mail and look through the past 24 hours on my Twitter and Facebook accounts and then the paper's Facebook account. Many times I will look through the statistics of our paper's website, always looking for something to write about. 

Our company's goal is for every reporter to average two stories a day. I'm between two and three stories a day and I love it. 

Let me tell you where some of those stories have led. 

+ + +

An old friend, a genealogist, came into the office the other day looking for the editor. Pete was out so I met the man. He wanted to promote a meeting of the Sons of the American Revolution of West Central Indiana. 

He left the information in my trusted hands and then our conversation turned to genealogy and I learned about his frustration with the governor's plan to defund the Genealogy Department of the state library. 

Later, he sent me a few e-mails he had received that were being distributed by his friends and fellow genealogists opposing the governor's plan. Social media is wonderful!

So, I went online to see what our wire service had written, copied their story and proceeded to call our local library and a nearby library devoted to genealogical research. The wire story had covered the governor's view pretty well so I wanted informed local comments on the other side of the issue. 

One thing led to another and I was invited to speak at a meeting of the local genealogical society this week. 

I tried to suggest other people but the lady to whom I spoke insisted they wanted me. 

I think I will talk on how media has changed since I first became involved -- some 40 years ago. Can it be that long? 

+ + +

I used to sit next to a reporter who came into the building cussing every morning. 

"You know what I hate about this job?" he said one morning. "Every day it's something different. I just want a job where I go in and do the same thing in the same way day after day." 

Something new and writing news stories pretty much go hand in hand!

In a few years, he was working for a big box store and happy as can be. 

One morning last week I was surprised to find on my desk a plastic mailing bag that contained a book and a letter. 

The letter was from a publicist and the book was "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hope & Miracles." 

The letter said a local woman had contributed one of the chapters in the book.

The letter contained her e-mail address.

Not surprisingly in this day of the declining use of home phones, I couldn't find a phone number for her but I dropped her a note on e-mail. We ended up doing an interview by e-mail and I think I have a new friend. 

Diane Stark and her husband live nearby. They have five kids and she is a freelance writer. As it turns out, she has written for several editions of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" as well as a number of other religious publications. 

Her busy life just made it easier for us to do the interview by e-mail than in person which was fine for my purposes. Did I mention I love social media?

After the interview, we wrote again, talking about freelance writing. 

She was impressed I had been freelancing for more than 40 years, much longer than she has been alive, I am sure.

I don't think writing for publication for 40 years is impressive, any more than living to be more than 60 years old, which reminds me of the last person I tried to interview and I will wrap this up by telling you about Nettie. 

+ + +

Nettie is 100 years old this week. 

You know how Willard Scott is always showing those old folks whose faces are superimposed on a jar of jelly? They are always smiling and happy to bless us with their presence after 100 years on this earth. 

The nursing home had a birthday party for Nettie and Nettie was having nothing to do with it. 

That's what she told me, when we met and the expression on her face when I took her picture says it all. 

Hey, I get grumpy sometimes now. If I live to be 100 I expect every day won't be great then, either. 

Poor lady. But her face says it all: "I didn't want to have this **** party. Get the **** out of my face with your banners and cakes and flash cameras!" 

"That's a terrible picture," Editor Pete said, laughing, when he pulled it up on his editor's computer screen. 

I told him Nettie's story and in some ways it is down right funny. 

"I don't want a party and I want all you people to get out of here and leave me alone!"

+ + +

Last night I learned how to do something. 

Pete asked me to come back in and help check pages before the pages were sent to the printer for today's edition. 

Between pages I tried one more time to learn how to do something that had eluded me for over a decade. I have struggled to understand how to combine individual photos with feathered edges into a new picture in Photoshop. 

Yesterday I mastered the technique. I learned how to use layers to join the pictures into a Valentine's Day montage I was trying to create. 

It seems simple now, but I guess brain surgery is simple, too, after you get the hang of it. 

+ + +

So, unlike the character of Hawkeye Pierce, no one is shooting at me. People treat me very well (guess it's that senior citizen thing.) I will not be performing meatball surgery after I email this letter. And, I am very happy with life in general 

I love this job!