Using Social Media to Honour a WW2 Veteran

Last month Harold Jellicoe Percival died peacefully at the incredible age of 99. Harold served in the RAF Bomber Command during World War II and upon his death, he had outlived all his friends and relatives, meaning he would not have anyone to honour him at his funeral. His obituary was posted in the newspaper of course and when local readers got a hold of the story out came the social media posts. Pictures were taken of the article and tweets were made wishing that people could attend his funeral, especially any service personnel. What happened after that, in my opinion, was amazing. Hundreds of citizens showed up to pay their respects to a war hero they had never even met, among them was plenty of service personnel to give Harold the proper send off her deserved. Numerous pictures were taken and uploaded to Twitter during the service showcasing how many people had come out to support the Veteran. Without social media, Harold Percival would have not been able to have anyone attend his funeral and honour him in the way he deserved. Times like these makes me very thankful for living in the 21st century.

Check out the story here and the tweets along the way: http://www.buzzfeed.com/tomphillips/a-veteran-died-with-nobody-to-attend-his-funeral-what-happen?bffb

Others discuss this incredible story too:

• Crowds turn out to mourn ‘unknown soldier’ Percival after public appeal (theguardian.com)
• Veteran’s funeral after media plea (bbc.co.uk)
• Harold Jellicoe Percival: Funeral of RAF veteran gets underway with ‘hundreds of strangers attending’ (metro.co.uk)

#ShowYouRemember

Today being Remembrance Day, I thought I would talk about the social media campaign known as #ShowYouRemember where people are encouraged to use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram to show how they remember those who fought for our freedom years ago. Whether people want to remember personal connections, a family member or friend, or just simply show their gratitude for all soldiers alike, this campaign allows for both. People have been uploading pictures and videos to various social media sites showing different ways they pay their respects, along with “tweets” or Facebook statuses all using the hashtag #ShowYouRemember. I personally love this campaign and its a great way for people to interact, share their stories and learn of others’ stories as well. In today’s society, social media is key as we all know, and sometimes it can get to be too much. Sometimes we just need to hit the “off” button and put down the technology. However, it is on days like today that social media can actually shine and be used for only good, not bad. Without these sites the ability to share Veterans’ stories and images would not exist, and what a shame that would be. It is important for everyone to take a step back at times and remember how we got to where we are today. Seeing a photo, reading a heart wrenching story, or viewing an emotional video can really make the difference sometimes.  The overwhelming about of times this hashtag has been used today to share ways in which we remember our Canadian soldiers makes me extremely proud to be Canadian. Lest We Forget.

How did you remember today? Share your stories or images with everyone here…

 

See what others are saying about Remembrance Day:

• A Time of Remembrance (teaandtreble.wordpress.com)
• This year in Canada, Remembrance Day is 95 years old (nikkeivoice.ca)
• Remembrance Day (jerri42.wordpress.com)

YouTube Videos That Lift Your Spirits!

Often times we find ourselves falling down the rabbit hole of the internet and land on random websites. Recently this happened to me, yet again, and I stumbled onto a YouTube video that completely made my day. Each year talk show host Jimmy Kimmel invites parents to tell their children they ate ALL their Halloween candy and film their reactions. This years video was so hilarious I watched it three times and laughed histarically each time. Videos like this make me very happy that social media exists today because as they say laughter is good for the soul.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK-oQfFToVg

(Word of advice, do not watch this video in a library because you will laugh out loud!)

 

Pinterest = the new Halloween shop

 

With Halloween right around the corner, its time for some costume shopping! Traditionally parents would take their children to a department store or a costume shop to decide what they wanted to be for the crazy night. But now with the likes of Pinterest on the rise we only have to go as far as our computers to get our ideas and if we choose, a step-by-step outline of how to create the costumes ourselves. Let’s be real here too, there is a silent satisfaction you get when someone asks you where you got your awesome costume from and you can say “Oh this old thing? I just made it myself.” Pinterest has set new standards for the creativity behind Halloween and decreased the budget. Now anyone can have an awesome DIY costume and look great for a night of trick-or-treating, or in a University student’s case, a night of party hopping to show off your get-up!

Want some Halloween inspiration? Check out these blogs:

• Halloween Inspiration (hellojennamorgan.wordpress.com)
• Halloween Costume DIY (littleofthisalittleofthat.wordpress.com)
• Halloween Makeup Ideas {Pinterest} (momathonblog.typepad.com)