My take on being a Shorty Award Finalist

I normally don't blog, tweet, post or like anything as Traffic Services that doesn't deal with, well...traffic. This will be a little different than the norm, but please keep reading.

The first time I ever saw a mention of a Shorty Award was last year around this time when the winners were being announced and a person I followed won.  I looked to see what they were and thought, "That's a great idea!"  And to be considered the "Oscars of Twitter" made them even more special.

A few months ago, I had fun nominating and supporting other people's nominations.  I was even fortunate enough to have a few nominations thrown my way, which was a surprise to me but I felt truly honoured to be thought of in that light.

Then the notification came that I was a finalist in the Connecting People Category presented by Nokia.  As my son would say, "I did not see that coming!"

What an incredible way to be thought of...as someone who connects people.

My goal is to reduce collisions, injuries and death and using a tool like Twitter and Facebook to help do that has been a great experience for me.  Building bridges between the police and the community, the drivers and the cyclists, the pedestrians and the drivers has been an absolute blast.

Helping each road user group understand the specific needs or the other has been just as educational for me as I hope it has been for you.  Knowing that I have influenced people to think about traffic safety is awesome.

Nurturing relationships in a cyber world to the point they are as honest and true as a person to person environment has been so very rewarding.

Connecting one group to another through key people who can help and offer assistance about an issue has been unbelievably satisfying.

And I can't forget the real reason I am even being considered as a finalist in this awesome category...YOU.  You have allowed me to share my information.  You have listened to what I have had to say.  You have shared information with me.  You have shared information with others.  You have made the difference.  You have said that you had never given traffic safety a second thought until I shared it with you.

You have made our roads safer; you have made each other safer.

What do you know...I was able to make this about traffic ;)

So, winning or losing on Monday night really won't be that important because I have won so much already, because of you.

Thank you for that.

Finally to my fellow finalists.  @jaybumaom @amandapalmer @shannonmmiller @kyraocity @OneDegreeFromMe (Jay, Amanda, Shannon, Kyra and Paul)

Congratulations; for being nominated, becoming a finalist and winning already...because you have all been recognized for connecting people and that makes someones life, some where, some way a little better.

No matter what, on Tuesday I will still be asking, "How can I help you?"