Too many hurt feelings and erroneous facts
There were some hurt feelings at this morning's Merchants Meeting. Apparently the media is not treating the Merchants and Coconut Grove correctly according to some. But as I told one person, if you don't like it, you'll have to buy the Miami Herald. I think any mention of our events is a good thing, but the facts do come out wrong many times.
The person who complained felt that people are sending out press releases without anyone double checking them. I know I was very hurt a week or so ago when the whole committee for 4th of July was mentioned in Neighbors and I was left out. I didn't care about having my name in the paper, I just felt that I am at every meeting day and night, doing my part, and then the person who wrote the press release just left me out. Am I invisible at these meetings?
The Merchants Association is the group putting on many of the popular events during 4th of July -- the Coconut Scavenger Hunt, the hot dog eating contest and other things, but they are not given credit.
I, myself, have learned to live with it. I am interviewed almost daily by various media outlets, the stories come out and I am nowhere to be seen. It's just a fact of life at this point.
But I do have to agree that if there is a big committee, one person should not be responsible for writing press releases and then just sending them out without being double checked. There is a committee for a reason. Everyone should have a look at the releases before they go out, I don't buy the excuses about being in a hurry or having deadlines. If the facts come out wrong in the stories, who cares if the paper's deadline is met?
The person who complained felt that people are sending out press releases without anyone double checking them. I know I was very hurt a week or so ago when the whole committee for 4th of July was mentioned in Neighbors and I was left out. I didn't care about having my name in the paper, I just felt that I am at every meeting day and night, doing my part, and then the person who wrote the press release just left me out. Am I invisible at these meetings?
The Merchants Association is the group putting on many of the popular events during 4th of July -- the Coconut Scavenger Hunt, the hot dog eating contest and other things, but they are not given credit.
I, myself, have learned to live with it. I am interviewed almost daily by various media outlets, the stories come out and I am nowhere to be seen. It's just a fact of life at this point.
But I do have to agree that if there is a big committee, one person should not be responsible for writing press releases and then just sending them out without being double checked. There is a committee for a reason. Everyone should have a look at the releases before they go out, I don't buy the excuses about being in a hurry or having deadlines. If the facts come out wrong in the stories, who cares if the paper's deadline is met?
posted by Tom Falco at 1:30 PM
YOU MAY NOT LIFT THE PHOTOS & TEXT. IT'S COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN HOWEVER SHARE A STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY USING THE LINKS HERE.
For linking to this one story, just click on the time it was posted & just this story will open for sharing - only through social media. Not copying and pasting.
10 Comments:
Grapes, not only does no good deed goes unpunished, it also goes unnoticed and unacknowledged. Like the rest of us "Grove Volunteers", you'll burn out one day. It will be the Grove's lost, not yours.
Here here, Anon 2:56! If your goal in doing these things is to get credit, hire a PR firm. Grape, perhaps you can take pleasure in seeing a great 4th of July in the Grove with lots of people running around scavenging for coconuts and spending Grove bucks and stuffing their faces with hot dogs and enjoying live music and fireworks, and knowing your work helped make it happen. I hope you can. That's the goal, isn't it, and you've done a lot to contribute to the effort, so be proud of it and have a blast on Saturday!
Hello I am weighing in here. There are lots of volunteers that are behind the scenes. For instance guess who is cooking the hot dogs at the Barnacle. Well that is not the point now is it. The fact is that everyone in the Grove has a vested interest + is paying for representation.
How ir is implemented is the problem. Interestingly enough there were several adds in todays Neighbor paid for by various entitys However had they joined forces they would have had a stronger impact. We have BID, we have Merchants Assoc. and we have the Chamber of Commerce. Grape why not run the photo you took yesterday of the group who have made the 4th of July happen your in the middle now thats worth a thousand words.
That photo is only about 25% of the committee and it is running on our Facebook fan page for anyone that would like to see it.
This is taken from the Coconut Grove Chamber Website. This information has been out there for several weeks now- let's turn the page and celebrate all of our hard work and make it the best 4th of July for the Grove..
THIS CELEBRATION IS TRULY A COMMUNITY EFFORT
Special thanks to our generous sponsors and individual volunteers
without which we would not be able to provide this celebration.
In no particular order but with an equal amount of gratitude:
The City of Miami Parks & Recreation Department, Bobby Starke and Gia Smith
~Coconut Grove Business Improvment District, David Collins and Richard Issa
Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, City of Miami District 2, and Ron Nelson
Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County District 7, and Homer Whittaker
The NET Office and Haydee Wheeler
Miami Monthly Magazine and Elena Carpenter
Creative Tools, Inc. Communications and Liliana Dones
Coconut Grove Grapevine and Tom Falco
Windisch - Hunt Gallery, Anna Maria Windisch
Streets of Mayfair, Ed Prelaz and Marianne Diaz
CocoWalk, Mia Stierheim and Naomi Evans
Prince Media and Heather Bettner
Magic 102.7
TVM Productions & Burn Notice
Turning Point Digital Printing and Brian Bishop
The Merchants Association
Doubletree Hotel and Angelique Swann
Panne et Pomme, Olav Schmidt
Coconut Grove Bank and Tony Noboa
The July 4th Committee, including the individual listed above in red and
Musical Director Manny Alonso Poch (Arts & Minds Academy)
Idea-meister Stephen Licata (Palm Produce)
Master Coordinator David Guzikowski (Grove Chamber)
Willy Vega, Volunteer Coordinator
Felice Dubin (Bookstore),
Cynthia Bettner (Events Connection),
Maria Korge (Korge & Co),
Officer Tom Braga
The Barnacle,
Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
and the Coconut gatherers and painters
Did we miss anybody? If so, we do apologize.
Well, to all involved, I thank you. I have a 7 year old son, and he is so excited about Saturday's event's that it is life affirming! He sees the flags. He feels the energy, and he is so excited about the fireworks at Peacock Park that he has been counting down the days.
Your work, anonymous or not (although we know who you are), is very much appreciated.
Bob Coultas
I thought that credits belong at the end, a little preposterous to have a fit about recognition. The Grove knows who made this happen. And is it not the best gratification to know that many peolpe will have a great 4th because of all of us/you
I think the main issue here is all the wrong info that is being published, more than who is getting credit. Lots of mistakes in the media. All the time. Even today.
It is hard to keep track of when the Hunt is taking place, where to sign up, when the Taurus event is taking place, why you have to sign up early for the hot dog contest, when the diferent bands are playing at Peacock Pk so you can see your favorite, what is going on at Commodore when street is closed off; it really could have been coodinated better so that people outside the Grove would know the schedule also. The Grove should have one PR person who could have coordinated all the activites and sent out the ads and PR?
We coordinated it so that nothing is overlapping. All Center Grove events happen AFTER the Barnacle picnic.
The Coconut Hunt happens BEFORE the hot dog eating contest.
The Bands start playing at 5 pm or later, which is AFTER the Center Grove activites are done.
Commodore is a party AFTER fireworks. We have planned it out, stop your belly achin' and see the whole schedule by clicking on the US flag image above.
You want to complain that we have TOO MUCH going on? We think that is a good thing.
Try reading the schedule before complaining OK?
Post a Comment
<< Home