Social Media Saturday: Earthquake Talk

Social Media is important here at Patch. Every day, we use Twitter and Facebook to share stories and important facts about life in Arlington. 

But the most important part is interacting with the Arlington community, from news tips to comments to just about anything else.

Every week, Social Media Saturday brings some highlights of Patch’s social media life, a couple tips and suggested pages for you to follow. So be sure to come back every Saturday at 10 a.m. for more.

Overheard on Facebook

Readers Suzanne Pekow and Jessica Lynn sparked the conversation that led the story Earthquake Felt in Arlington Area:

Suzanne Pekow: “Did anyone just feel the earthquake??? I did and I’m on the 7th floor of a building in Arlington center. But the people standing in the parking lot across the street said they didn’t feel a thing.”

Jessica Lynn: ”Yes felt it here too!”

In response, several users replied with their experiences on this week’s earthquake that was felt through much of the east coast:

Doreen Breland: ”Sure did was on the third floor my chair, table and nearby lamp was shaking.”

Angela Moutsatsos: ”I did not feel it but I live on the first floor.”

Frances Meale: ”Yes, in Cambridge, on 4th floor.”

Carrie Epsimos McKinnon: ”Yes in east arlington.”

Jean Smith: ”I sure did at the cemetery – It was pretty bad!”

Likes and Followers

We’re up to 431 likes on Facebook. Liking us on Facebook can be a great way to stay up to date on Arlington news, as you’ll see our local news intermittently dispersed throughout your news feed.

On Twitter, we have 911 followers. Thank you all for re-tweeting and promoting @ArlingtonPatch.

Where to find Arlington Patch on social media

Interact with Arlington Patch at Facebook.com/ArlingtonPatch. For Twitter, you can find us at Twitter.com/ArlingtonPatch.

Be sure to drop by, send a hello or post a link—it’s always great to hear from you.

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Teacher Tries To Explain "Future Criminals" Facebook Post

Jennifer O’Brien, the first grade teacher in New Jersey who posted on her Facebook wall “i’m not a teacher – i’m a warden for future criminals,” says that her comments were simply made in the heat of the moment.

O’Brien is on paid leave from her Paterson school right now, and on Wednesday, at an administrative hearing, she told a judge the post was written “out of frustration to their [the students'] behavior.” She added that six or seven of the little tikes had disrupted her lesson, one had hit her and someone in her class of 23 even stole a box of stickers. Not the stickers!!!

When O’Brien posted the update, it immediately made the rounds on Facebook and brought a swirl of attacks against O’Brien, with many of her critics claiming that her comment was racist. Nancy Oxfeld, O’Brien’s lawyer, naturally thinks that is absurd. “If you make a comment that is not a racist comment but you’re a white person and it’s made about students who happen to be black and Hispanic, there’s a presumption that it’s racist,” she said.

A decision on O’Brien’s future as a teacher is going to be made in November. Until then, we suggest O’Brien keeps her impulsive Facebook comments to herself.

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