Social media is a wonderful creation. It enables connections with friends, relatives, and even people we don’t know. It’s a source of news, information, entertainment, and pictures of grandchildren and pets. Unfortunately, social media content is not always credible, factual, or appropriate. Unfortunately, in an era of alternative facts, some of what is posted is designed to mislead, create controversy, or serve an agenda known only to the poster.
Something the Confederation tries to do is put our neighbors in contact with people in the know. We regularly meet with decision makers. Our board members are longtime residents and active volunteers in the community with substantial “institutional knowledge.” We serve on a variety of public Boards and Commissions and are members of other organizations. We use our connections to respectfully ask questions about things we believe are important and share the information we gather at our meetings, through our newsletter, and even on Social Media (yes, we do have a Facebook Page but I don’t tweet).
One of my pet peeves is people going off on tangents based on wrong information. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, opinions should never get in the way of facts. Our recent meetings have included State Senators and Representatives, County Board Members, an Assessor, and a community college president. Looking ahead we’ll have first responders in the community’s struggle against drugs and City Council members. While undoubtedly some of our speakers have an agenda, we provide an opportunity for dialogue and independent fact finding. Our promise is respectful dialogue designed to inform, not inflame.
The Confederation deals in real facts. We get these from the people making decisions, spending tax dollars, and representing our community. Check out our March 6 COD forum and our March 18th meeting. More details are at www.napervillehomeowners.com.
