My Work Is Years Ahead of The Positioning Study

I do not need a costly to inform me that Dundalk is severely, sadly, saddled with a negative image problem. A saddle created from and stuffed with brutal ignorance. A saddle gleefully sat upon by radio disc jockeys - as they ride Dundalk into the ground. A saddle also ridden upon by newspaper writers, sports announcers, professional sports stars, by Maryland politicians plus a Baltimore attorney or two, by young people on college sports teams harrying a team member who is from Dundalk, by people of all ages in casual conversation and by a lot of people on the World Wide Web.

Ever since I first began using the Internet, I have known that any web search for "Dundalk" quickly finds web pages containing horribly negative - incorrect - written, photographic and/or video postings putting Dundalk down.

The Positioning Study has reported that we (those of us who want Dundalk to revitalize and thrive) should use the Internet to promote the best of Dundalk. For more than ten years, I have been working on the Internet promoting the best of Dundalk. For the most part, I do it alone, virtually standing and delivering positive, written, photographic and/or video publishings that accurately reveal the real Dundalk, Maryland USA.

The report says, “Dundalk needs to define itself – through people, pride, and heritage – rather than have perception shaped by others. We believe this concept of ownership starts with letting the voices and faces of Dundalk tell the real story of Dundalk, showing real people, rather than reinforcing negative stereotypes.”

Yep. That’s what I’ve been doing. Ever since back around the turn-of-the-century.

It all began while taking photography classes at Dundalk Community College. Back three decades before that, I had been a Public Information Office Photographer in the Army. After my military discharge, it wasn’t until 1998 at DCC when I finally resumed creating an unstoppable and ever expanding photography portfolio. With Dundalk as its central focus. Dundalk possesses a superb variety of pleasantly photogenic attributes.

No one else has ever photographed those worthy subjects fairly and properly. So I began doing it. A few other photography students tried to put me down for doing it, but my dedication to the task easily jumped those hurdles and took off running. It’s still going strong.

In November 2006, I created the blog  "Blue Skies Over Dundalk Maryland", which is all about the best of Dundalk, and there is plenty of good in Dundalk. That ongoing body of work is known of and appreciated by thousands of current and former residents of Dundalk.

Another ongoing body of work, which I created and maintain, that clearly shows the real Dundalk, is located within my photo sets on Flickr dot com. There you will see comprehensive sets of photographs of everyday life in Dundalk, how we celebrate holidays, what some of our homes look like, how nice our parks are, plus beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and moonrises, local wildlife, and more. Some of the same is also in amongst my videos on YouTube.

I quite effectively employ Facebook - in my positive imaging of Dundalk - as the Positioning Study suggests should be done - for Dundalk. I post positive messages, photos and videos on my personal Facebook profile . I created and administrate We Enjoy The Dundalk Heritage Fair and We Enjoy The Dundalk Art Show.

Former Dundalk residents now living in far away places go to my published photographs, videos and writings to show their family and friends - who've never been to Dundalk - what the community is like.

I aggressively seek out and go after negative Facebook and Myspace pages that are created just to disrespect Dundalk and put it down. But I only post positive things about Dundalk on those, and never anything argumentative. And - where ever possible - I post good stuff about Dundalk on any Facebook, Myspace, or any other web page that somehow has a Dundalk connection; like on Baltimore TV station, radio station, and newspaper web pages.

Then there are the various Internet forums where people post negative, anti-Dundalk stuff. There are, though, some positive, pro-Dundalk things posted on forums. It pains me to say this, but, most of the pro-Dundalk postings on forums are my work.

There's the Baltimore Sun: Eddie Money and The Guess Who Are Coming To Dundalk Heritage Fair

Baltimore, Fells Point, Dundalk, Sparrows Point Photographs and Stories

Topix: Slide Show of the Real Dundalk, Maryland

City-Data: Is Dundalk deserving of its reputation?

Trip Adviser: Dundalk Maryland 4th of July Independence Day 2010
 
The Monkees: July 5, 2009 Micky Dolenz Autograph Signing Photos

Those aren’t the only forum postings I’ve done, and none have gotten tons of attention, but the most popular probably get more hits than the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation website and Facebook page do. The most popular forum posts are about world-class Rock and Roll acts playing the Dundalk Heritage Fair.

That, in the least, plants seeds of knowledge - about the best of Dundalk - into some minds where only bad thoughts of Dundalk had previously dwelled. And it introduces some people to Dundalk. It also allows me to steer people towards some of my Internet published positive images of Dundalk, and to the volunteer created and maintained Official Dundalk Heritage Fair Website. All of that published Heritage Fair info facilitates some amount of positive thinking about Dundalk all year long.

That’s good, but, like the Positioning Study reports, Dundalk needs as much positive imagery gracing the World Wide Web as can possibly be published. Some of which can be done on currently existing web pages. Maybe you can do it. I hope you will. Go web search for pages where you may post positive stuff about Dundalk, or do it on your own web pages. I believe that most of you can do it, and will feel good about doing so.

As much as I enjoy my self motivated work, for all the personal and professional satisfaction, pleasure and pride I receive from the work, it hurts to know what the work lacks. My work does not contain the superior images I see other photographers producing from professional grade camera gear. There is always more going on, in and around Dundalk, in my personal life, in other places I deeply desire to go; there is always more that I want to, need to photograph, videotape, write about and publish about on the Internet.

The Positioning Study report contains a great idea to videotape famous Dundalk natives and residents of note. The names mentioned in the Positioning Study report come from a list originally published on the Dundalk, Maryland Wikipedia page. Many city and town Wikipedia pages have such a list. In the past few years, I more than doubled the number of names on the Dundalk list, plus spruced up the wording to some original names’ descriptions. And the list is published on three of my personal blogs/web sites. I also published it on this Patch web site, and on an Internet forum.   

Basically, what it all boils down to is that – for years - I have been doing a whole bunch of what the Positioning Study Report determined needs to be done.

The Positioning Study Report should have included the fact that we need a healthy increase in good videos and photos – with well written titles, captions and descriptions - of everything good that Dundalk has going for itself being published anywhere on the World Wide Web where possible; from the mytowndundalk.org they suggested, to Dundalk Renaissance Corporation web publishings, on Dundalk Heritage Fair web sites, on throughout personal and commercial websites and web pages of anyone or any entity with any connection to Dundalk; then outwards onto any place on the World Wide Web where Dundalk is mentioned or where pro-Dundalk, positive messages, info and more fits in.

Unfortunately, the equipment I use is not holding up to the level of work I use it for. The work that needs be done requires a serious influx of funding and proper equipment. I am a disabled veteran – a former US Army photographer – needing help to keep doing good work, but I’ll never quit.