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PAGE 4 - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21,2013
Opinions expressed by writers on this page are their
own and not necessarily those of The Georgia Post
CODE OF ETHICS: Seek Truth & Report It - Minimize Harm
Act Independently - Be Accountable.
Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is
safe. -Thomas Jefferson
Guest Edjtonal
Newspapers Bring
Business To Your City
The Importance Of Communication
By Lamar
Norton,
Executive
Director
Georgia
Municipal
Association
Newspaper publishers
across Georgia are dedicating
a significant bit of time and
ink explaining why communi
ty newspapers matter. I would
like to add my thoughts on the
subject. As executive direc
tor of the Georgia Municipal
Association, the state’s largest
representative of city govern
ments, I have seen firsthand
how newspapers impact cities.
To put it simply: Newspapers
are economic development.
First, and most basically,
most newspaper offices are
located in downtowns. They
employ people who, hope
fully, eat and shop at other
downtown businesses. People
come to newspaper offices
to place ads, share their news
and buy their newspapers. So
newspapers drive traffic into
the downtown area.
They also cover events like
ribbon cuttings and business
expansions that help local
businesses. Think about where
you live. If you live in one
of Georgia’s many smaller
towns, it’s likely your newspa
per is a once or twice-weekly
publication. If that newspa
per didn’t exist, who would
cover these events? Would the
closest large daily newspaper
drive to your town to cover
the grand opening of a Mom
and Pop store? Probably not.
Your community newspaper,
however, does cover those
events and that coverage helps
Mom and Pop and the rest of
the family stay in business.
Newspapers also impact
the local economy on a much
larger scale. The stories they
write - how they portray the
community and its govern
ment leadership - can make
or break economic develop
ment. Before deciding to
open a store or factory in a
community, business leaders
look at how that community
is portrayed in the media. Is it
a government that can’t agree
on issues, that deadlocks on
important votes? Or is it a
government that seems open
to doing business and wel
coming to newcomers? If it’s
a company that will bring a
large number of employees to
the area, they want to know
what the quality of life is
going to be for their work
ers. Are there sports for kids,
quality schools, community
events for the family? All
those factors are taken into
consideration and decisions
are made based upon how the
community is portrayed in the
local paper.
Another area where news
papers offer great impact is in
recording the history of our
cities and the people who live,
work and die there. The birth
announcement that ran in your
paper last week may be the
significant event historians
examine 80 years from now.
The gap-toothed eight-year-
old grinning from ear to ear
in the Little League photo on
See NEWSPAPERS, Page 10
This past Monday night
was the Roberta-Crawford
County Chamber of Com
merce Annual Meeting (yes
I have waited until the last
minute to write my column
this week) and the speaker
they had, has me thinking
about a lot of things in my
life. The speaker for the
night was Dr. Browning, a
very motivational speaker on
leadership skills. He talked
about things that get your
brain going in overdrive and
pondering what you are and
where you are going in life.
He started the presenta
tion out by asking, “What is
your brand?” and it made me
question myself and what I
feel like my brand is. I had
never thought of this before.
I had always just rolled
through life being what I like
to call a “Wembley.”
For those of you who have
never watched Fraggle Rock,
I must explain. Fraggle Rock
was a show created by the
Even though we work in a
field of communications, we
can sometimes miscommuni-
cate. Or fail to communicate,
thinking someone knows
what you mean. It happens
even within the confines of
marriage.
At Monday night’s an
nual RCCCOC meeting, Dr.
Browning mentioned com
munication. It has always
been one of my priorities,
especially with my hubby.
I tease him at times when
he thinks he has told me
something but hasn’t or vice
versa, that we have a com
munication problem. I do not
think you can communicate
with your spouse too much.
But, there are times when
you both are running helter
skelter doing a lot of differ
ent things when you forget to
communicate.
When I used to do pre
sentations on a more regular
basis, communication was
always on top of the list for
topics. In fact, I believe it to
late and great Jim Henson,
master of puppetry! It con
sisted of little fuzzy crea
tures who lived in the wall
of a tinker’s shop. “Wemb
ley” was the one fraggle that
could agree with everybody.
He went along with just
about anything that anybody
wanted him to do.
I realized last night that
this must be my brand. I
am through and through a
“Wembley”. I can go along
with just about anything with
anyone. I claim neutral in all
arguments between people,
I never pick sides (unless it
was my family on the other
side), and when it comes to
my opinion on things, “well
what do you think?”
When it comes to being
agreeable you might not find
a more agreeable person
than me, but unlike “Wemb
ley” on the show I don’t just
agree about anything and
everything. If it goes against
my morals I will just agree
to disagree and leave it at
that. We must all have our
breaking points and those
things that we just won’t
budge on that make us who
we are.
be very important, especially
in the work place. I hear
people complain all the time
about the boss not commu
nicating or management not
keeping everyone informed
of what’s going on in differ
ent areas. Keeping the line of
communication open makes
for better workers, I think.
Dr. Browning also talked
about replenishing yourself
and not running on fumes. I
can definitely relate. There
have been times when I have
found myself running on
fumes. You are not produc
tive when that happens and
you need to take time out.
Because I came from a long
line of work-a-holics, it took
me a long time to grasp the
concept of needing down
time. In fact, about seven
years ago,it was something I
had to force myself to do be
cause if I not, my health was
going to force me to anyway.
Sadly, my dad never really
grasped that concept and
therefore did not instill it in
When it comes to doing
things I go with the flow.
I am a worrier and I stress
out, but as events, planned
trips, and everything else
go, whatever the person
planning it wants is just fine
with me. I probably could
say I am not a leader but a
very agreeable follower and
although it has been a good
way of life for me I feel like
it is time to change.
Being an agreeable follow
er is okay for a stay at home
mom (which I was before I
started here at the paper) or
even for a person working in
a kennel (which I did for ten
years after graduating high
school), but now I have found
myself thrust into a com
munity full of hard working
and wonderful people. All of
them are leaders in their own
way. They each have some
thing that they are good at
and they each provide a little
piece to this puzzle called
Crawford County.
Dr. Browning’s speech got
me thinking about where my
piece is going to fit. Where
will I fit in this community
and what is my brand? Am I
going to forever be a “Wem-
me. But God has a way of
getting your attention when
he thinks you need the rest.
Taking a rest refuels and
replenishes you and in my
case, fuels my creativity. I
always come up with a few
new ideas after taking a
break away from everything.
And nowadays I always
know when it is time because
my creativity starts to wane.
Unfortunately, all of us
must deal with what Dr.
Browning called ’’drainers”
from time to time. We get
visits from these type folks
occasionally, perhaps just to
make sure we appreciate the
rest of the folks. As Brown
ing said, sometimes these
people are family members
and we have no choice but to
deal with them.
The key is not to let them
bring you down to their
level. This has taken practice
on my part as I want to fix
situations. Realizing I was
not in control and you cannot
fix people helped me to weed
out a lot of the ’’drainers”
and God has placed many
more people who lift me up
in my life. Even in the case
of family, sometimes you just
have to let them go or at least
not let their constant draining
affect you. Takes lots of ef
fort I know, but with a lot of
prayer it can be done.
We cannot control people
but we can control how we
react to them. It is how we
react that can change a situa
tion. Since I began the jour
ney of being more intentional
about things, dealing with the
’’drainers” has gotten easier
and I have more peace in my
life. I thank the ones who lift
bley” or am I going to step
up and lead the younger
generation into a better
tomorrow?
As if by some twist of
fate when we arrived home
wore out from the fabulous
meeting last night I opened
my jewelry box to put away
my rings and there lying
on top was a fortune I had
gotten from a fortune cookie
months ago (apparently my
mother had found it while
tidying up and put it there
for safe keeping because she
knows how I cherish little
scraps of paper with quotes
on them). This fortune read,
“You will be recognized
as a community leader,”
and though it had elicited
a giggle from me when I
had first gotten it, last night
it struck me through to my
agreeable heart.
No one in this world is
going to make you a leader
or force you to make your
puzzle piece fit in your life
or in your community. If you
go through life agreeing to
everything and never having
your own ideas or thoughts
of how things should work,
no one will ever know where
v ,
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing
yourself. When you become a leader, success is all
about growing others. —Jack Welch
uotable Quote ~
Are You Or Are You Not, A "Wembley”?
Pay at a Time
Victoria ’’Vicky” Simmons
vsimmonsS4@gmail.com
me up regularly and let them
know I appreciate them and
try to lift them as well.
If people would only real
ize life is not about us, there
would not be so much un
necessary drama going on all
the time. Drama is something
I do not deal with and people
who know me, have come
to respect that fact and keep
the drama at a minimum. I
have even been so bold as to
ask one person to check their
drama at the door. Naturally,
it did not go over that well,
but there was not any drama
that day!!
Life is just too short and
we need to live each day to
the fullest. We need to wake
up each day with an attitude
of gratitude and appreciate
what we have and where we
are now. And do not sweat
the small stuff. Blessings
are sometimes found in that
small stuff, we just have to
look for them.
Have you checked your
attitude lately? We should do
so on a regular basis. Wishing
you a very blessed week and
remember to always commu
nicate, communicate, com
municate! Take time to refuel
once in a while, too. Your
body and your mind will
thank you for it and you will
be much more productive.
From Moo To You
Abigail ”Abby” Adams
abbyadams@pstel.net
your heart truly lies.
Though I know I will
never fully give up my
“Wembley” nature, I am go
ing to work very hard to find
my place as a leader in the
community. It will take time,
but I have already been put
on that first step when God
placed the best boss I have
ever had in my life, Ms.
Vicky and put me here at the
newspaper.
As our paper states it
is “the voice of Crawford
County,” and as a news
reporter I feel I should start
to consider that as part of my
brand. So Crawford County I
am your voice (a very agree
able voice), speak and I will
listen and do my very best to
tell your story to the public.
Thank you all for reading! It
is such an honor to be able
to write for this wonderful
community!
published every week by Crawford Publishing, LLC.
Our Staff
Floyd Buford - President
Victoria ’Vicky” Simmons - GM/Publisher
vsimmons54@gmaiLcom or byronbuzz@pstel.net
Abigail Adams - News Reporter/Editor’s Assistant
Office Assistant - Michael Fleming
Kelli Johnson- Marketing Executive
Robbie Robertson - Distribution
Carey Lee - Sports Photography
Trenesia Y. Stubbs, Charles Cook,
Nancy Gibbs, Billy Powell, Angie Carr, Jeff Cook, Wade
Yoder, Dan Gatlyn, James Earnhardt Robert Tharpe, Rev.
James Snyder, Spencer Price - Contributing Columnists
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