A Better REGION 8

A Facebook Alert

 

These days most kids are on Facebook. Is yours? If so, there is something new on Facebook parents need to be aware of. There is a disturbing Facebook game called "Smash or Pass." Here is how it works: Teens upload pictures of themselves so other users can respond to say if they would either Smash or Pass. "Smash" means to …well…be intimate with someone.  "Pass" means “no, thanks”. While this game is more popular with older teens. There is evidence that children in middle schools are playing.  Now it's unrealistic to think that with more than 750 million active members,  Facebook can even begin to police this activity. So that leaves the job to parents and to some extent, teachers. We must teach our kids to understand that there are long term consequences of games like these. Reputations can be ruined and promising futures can be extinguished.  It's one more element of social media we need to be aware of and watch out for.  Knowing what our kids are up to – where ever they’re up to it at  - will make this A Better Region 8.

Online vs. On Caraway Rd.

I received an email this weekend from booksamillion.com offering me up to 73% off my next “online” purchase. That’s right, this “online only” offer came from the same chain that recently closed its doors here in Jonesboro. This email galled me. Why in the world, would I buy anything from them? Then it hit me, I never felt that way about Amazon.com. I’ve bought things there from time to time. What’s the difference? In my mind, the difference was that Books a Million had put local people out of work. The sad reality is… We did it. We stopped shopping there. Too many of us either bought books on line or chose to quit buying books altogether and read them electronically. We left them without enough customers to make their business work. You can say that bookstores are a dying business model if you want but the simple fact is if more people had made purchases in the local store, that store might still be open today. How many other local stores face that same challenge?  Shopping online has probably eliminated more local retail jobs in this country than anything. We all need to understand that in addition to hurting local businesses by shopping online, we hurt our local communities. We hurt ourselves.  The sales tax we pay when we buy locally goes to pay for streets and stoplights, for police and fire protection and for community centers and parks. Last month I met with a local retailer that put it best- he said “Try calling Amazon.com the next time your house is on fire.” Folks, I can’t say it any better than that. Shop locally and make this a Better Region 8.