Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Feb 01, 2012

Posted to Moncton Free Press, February 1, 2012

Somebody in City Hall should come forward and begin explaining the odd little campaign being run on YouTube, Moncton Moments.

The videos, four of which have been posted thus far, reveal two trends: first, that the city is selecting its 'famous people' to make statements on behalf of the city, and second, these statements are painfully bad.

The chef who likes to go to the market? The downtown advocate who likes to be downtown? Vague non-specific advocacy of a city that "puts it all out there"?

It's the sort of thing that could be a good idea, were it not for the sycophantic copywriting.

On the other hand, it does suggest the possibility of a campaign that could be useful. It seems to me that this is the perfect platform for, say, Occupy to post a few genuine 'Monctoin Moments'.

Let's hear what the people struggling through the unplowed sidewalks on a wheelchair say. Let's see what the people huddled around Harvest House on High Street say. Let's see what students at Moncton High say.

If somebody creates them, we'll post them here. After all, the people - and not just some city-appointed elite - have the right to have their Moncton Moments in the sun.


Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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