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Social media is fun and an opportunity to engage in many creative activities that numerous friends near and far can see.
ASD Today's editor, Cory Morrison, shares his social media routines over the years.
Motivational Monday
One day in early 2015, around the same time one of my cousins opened a store, she or her brother posted a Motivational Monday message on their store's Facebook page. I forgot what the quote was, but I was instantly inspired by what it said.
Sometimes I go through creative block periods, but this post influenced me to help myself and others who may struggle with mental health issues, disabilities, friend and relationship breakups, employment, education, finance and comparing themselves to other people.
People often want to read something positive, and I and many others want to make a difference.
Initially, these posts were only plain quotes I would use, but in mid-2018, I wanted to make them a little more exciting.
Since then, I have posted Motivational Monday messages, usually in a 10 to 15-second video format, with me speaking in them on Facebook and Instagram.
In my posts, if I didn't create the quote myself, I make sure I give credit to the person who came up with the quote.
I'll also occasionally merge Motivational Monday with my piano series if I play a song that has an inspirational message.
Especially during COVID-19 times, I've been speaking out on what kind of positive mindsets people could use to go through these rough patches.
For example, this past April, on Monday after the Ontario government announced temporary enhanced police powers and closed outdoor recreation because of record-high COVID-19 cases, I said in my post that things change in life so much, this may strictly be in the past years from now.
Here is my most recent Motivational Monday video. This message is about how I deal with insomnia.
Piano Series
I played piano a lot in my pre-teen and early teen years but slowly lost interest later on once I realized I struggled with some elements of understanding music.
However, one day in 2020, not long after the COVID-19 pandemic started, I got into piano again.
In Spring 2020, I was going through never-ending periods of depression, mostly over awkward things I've done in the past, bullying, and rejection from my school years, and of course, the pandemic itself. I would have numerous talks and text conversations with my parents.
During one of the chats me and my father had, he looked at my keyboard in my room, which I had only occasionally touched in the past decade, and he told me that I need to start playing piano again.
I started small by playing a simple version of Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" and used it as a Motivational Monday message near the end of May 2020.
Since then, I've played and posted 74 songs on Facebook and Instagram. I usually post these videos once or twice a week and never on specific days.
Admittedly, many of my earlier pieces were super easy versions which had some mistakes in the videos. Still, depending on the song I've played, I've slowly gotten better at the piano.
Also, because of Instagram's video time limit and that one can't realistically expect many to listen to them play a song for several minutes on a platform where many people, including me, scroll; I use only one minute of a song.
I make sure I include the main body of a piece I post, which usually involves the verse, pre-chorus, and especially the chorus. In relatively short songs, I often include the intros, as well.
Here is the most recent video from my series. I played Weezer's "Beverly Hills" and posted it yesterday. I have played and posted four Weezer songs in this series because my father is a huge Weezer fan.
Weather Updates
I have been interested in weather for the past 16 years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I came up with the idea of posting weekly weather reports.
Because of Instagram's character limits, I do not publish these updates on Instagram. However, every week since November 2014, I have posted weekly Wednesday weather updates on Facebook.
Sometimes, if I'm too busy on a Wednesday, I will move the weekly post to Tuesday or Thursday.
It all started in early 2014 when I was annoyed at how frigid the winter was in Ontario. Plus, I wanted to make some new connections online because of past failed friendships.
I would regularly comment on my temperature preference views on Accuweather and found some like-minded people in the comments, many of who I still have as Facebook friends today.
These connections inspired me to write reports because I learned a lot about how weather works, especially with the jet stream.
Over the years, I've changed how I format the posts, especially after skills I learned in Sheridan's Journalism program from 2017 to 2019.
However, one thing that has always been consistent is I review weather, specifically in the area between Hamilton and Toronto.
I talk about the weather in the past week, present weather, weather for the next week and long-range hints as to how the next several weeks to a month could play out.
In addition, I cover tropical storms, severe weather outbreaks and big winter storms when there are any.
I also post monthly weather summaries for the area based on Environment Canada data, usually on the first day of each month.
For example, on Sept. 1, I will likely post an August 2021 weather summary on Facebook.
Lastly, I post monthly weather outlooks every last Saturday of each month. I base these outlooks on numerous meteorological factors such as analog years, often based on the El Nino Southern Oscillation phase and model guidance.
For example, I may publish my September 2021 weather outlook across North America on Saturday, Aug. 28.
My Social Media Channels
Facebook: Cory Morrison
Instagram: Cory Morrison
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