Autistic-ally Beautiful #Giveaway

Usually when logging onto Facebook, I see your typical updates from family and friends -- quotes, updates about them being back-to-school broke, toddler just learned to potty train, "Is it Friday yet?", what they are whipping up for dinner or how many km they ran that day and usually they come with pictures too including the sunset over Bora-Bora water or Eiffel Tower vacation pics that I so very much begrudge revel in.

Yesterday Monday morning, coffee in hand and ready to do some quick perusing and reading before the kids woke up, what I saw sprawled across my computer screen literally got my hands shaking.

This was what I read:

Brenda Millson (Grandmother) said this letter arrived at her home Friday from someone claiming to be a mother in the neighbourhood. (@lennonandmaisy/Twitter)

The person that wrote this and sent this to the family of a 13-year-old autistic boy was not only a woman claiming to be a fellow neighbour but also a mother.  

It broke my heart thinking how the family must have felt reading this.

I'm a mom myself and although none of my children are special needs children, does it even matter?

As a mom, I can't fathom the feeling of someone thinking and saying such hurtful things about my child -- I would be so bereaved and absolutely outraged.

I shared the letter plus my thoughts on my Facebook Page and received a lot of feedback from readers that were clearly as dismayed and shaken up as I was.

CAC Facebook Fans that took time to express their emotions on the hateful letter.

Max's Grandmother, Brenda Millson, was the one to receive the letter.

She said Max lives with his parents and older brother in Oshawa, Ont., but he had been visiting her home in Newcastle.

She said the author of the letter may have assumed she is Max's mother.

"At first I couldn't believe what I was reading," she said, adding that she was shaking in disbelief.

"It's just so sick."

Durham regional police said they have been investigating since Friday and that they are taking the letter seriously.

Max's mother, Karla Begley, 44, who is in a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis, said police told her they had never seen a letter "that despicable."

The Crown Attorney's Office in Ontario says the letter falls below the threshold for a hate crime, despite the hateful language, Durham Regional Police Service said in a release Tuesday.

However, police will consider whether the letter violates other Criminal Code issues.

Really? I would say it's pretty hateful, threatening even.

But this, this at least made me smile.

On Sunday night, at least 120 people waited outside the home for more than an hour in order show their support, Begley said. Families with autistic children drove in from Oshawa to show their support.

"Max was high-fiving everyone. He didn't understand but knew it was for him," Millson said.

Begley said support for the family following the letter has been "bittersweet," adding it's too bad it took such a letter to bring attention to a special-needs child.

"It's just a reminder, you know, you've got to treat these kids like they need to be treated," Begley said. "They just want to belong."

Anyone with any new information regarding the investigation is asked to contact Const. Thompson of the East Division Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1604.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca.

We don't need Autism Awareness, we need Autism Acceptance.

I'd love to share a beautiful book from Chicken Soup for the Soul to one of my readers that are "Raising Kids on a Spectrum". It offers 101 Inspirational Stories for Parents of Children with Autism and Asperger's.

1) Simply 'Like' Carol Au Courant on Facebook and Leave a Comment underneath the Giveaway Photo above.

(Open to Canadian Residents only)

Contest ends September 1st.

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Credits: www.cbc.ca, 

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Brown Nosers in Social Media

Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

I’ll be blunt with you. I can’t stand Brown-Nosers. I refuse to be one. I hate it when newer folks in my niches do it to me. And I’m embarrassed for colleagues who think their transparent brown-nosing sneaks by their savvy readers and followers as good old fashioned networking.

Here’s the thing though. The social media crowd often encourages this behavior. Recently I stumbled across a nearly vomit-inducing blog post on how to identify and get the attention of “A-list” bloggers so they’ll become pals and help promote your wares to their awe-inspiring audiences. I also came across a blog post about how to "brown-nose" your way to working with Brands.

People covet that “A-list” label just as some are self-proclaimed gurus. Personally, I’ve had enough of it. Have you? Or are you willing to pucker up in the hopes of riding someone else’s coattails to achieve social media success rather than earning it on your own?

What Constitutes Being a Kiss-Ass in Social Media?

Not sure what would earn you that kiss-ass status? Here are a few examples:

• You actively pursue relationships with Big Brands on Twitter/Facebook and “A-listers” just because they’ve achieved that mythical status, and because you want to get something out of them (namely partnerships, being able to review one of their hot products, joint promotions or exposure with their audience as opposed to a more meaningful professional relationship).
• You constantly rave about, link to, or promote someone in the hopes that they’ll eventually notice poor little you and honor you with their virtual presence (or again, give you some bit of that influence they supposedly have).
• You’re so busy supporting your social media idols in the hopes that some of their success will trickle down to you that you don’t go out there and do your own thing or provide your own value.
• You stop maintaining relationships with colleagues, readers, or others in your network simply because they’re not “big enough” to help you increase your status anymore.
• You do some or all of this because you can’t wait for people to kiss your ass someday.

While these folks tend to stand out in a less than positive light, I don’t think most involved in social media fit the profile (thank you, thank you, thank you!).

Why You Don’t Have to Be One

If the near-permanent attachment of lips to ass doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry. You can do just fine in the social media world on your own. How do I know that? Well, think for a minute. How did those so-called “A-listers” achieve that status when they were there so early in the game that there were no other “A-listers” to leech onto? Here are a few things they did, and things that you can do too:

• They provided valuable information to members of the audience they wanted to build.
• They networked with people who could teach them things, people who could learn from them, and yes even the little guys who tried to strike up conversations.
• They, in most cases, don’t seem to get too big for their britches. They value people in their networks equally (aside from obvious distinctions like casual acquaintances online versus best buds in the business who meet for lunch once a week). They understand that today’s Joe Schmo could be tomorrow’s Zuckerberg, and even if he’s not there is still value in that relationship.

People do notice (and talk) when you act like a snot-faced little suck-up who’s only around when there’s something in it for you. They notice when you only get attention from the big names if you lavish gifts of praise. But people also notice when you genuinely care about them. So act like it (or better yet, actually do it). Figure out what you have to offer and what might set you apart. Then your success with social media is to no one’s credit but your own, and you can build deserved attention rather than practically begging for it.

How do you feel about kiss-asses in social media, trying to rise in the popularity food chain on the backs of others rather than focusing on their own more legitimate presence with their wider audience? Do you get sucked into some of these behaviors? Which ones, and why? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

Credits: bigstockphoto.com

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