This blog is the hub of my online presence. It has been for 18 years, even the years where it took an obvious backseat to other publishing sites like Facebook and Google+. And because of the prominence of this blog as my outward facing avatar, I thought it might not be too bad of an idea to update my readers here on where to find me elsewhere, and I will list them in the order of my preference. So without further ado…
I have really taken a liking to Gab. I joined in response to the censorship by other websites for religious or political reasons, but I repeat myself. Gab has already been crushed by the internet gatekeepers once and returned, stronger and better, purchasing their own servers and acquiring their own tools that were denied to them. Before long, I plan on financially supporting Gab, which isn’t as easy as other sites are since the banks have disallowed them access to credit card transactions. So writing a check like it’s 1985 or using Bitcoin are the best methods. Gab has received some unfair press that may dissuade others from seeing for themselves if it’s a good website. Those who believe everything they hear from the totalitarian leftist media wouldn’t know what to do with the freedom on Gab anyway. The CEO is an outspoken Christian and many of my Christian online friends have also taken to Gab. The way its growing, and the way online freedoms to speak from a biblical mindset are shrinking, you might as well give it a try. And if you do, look me up! Username: CoffeeSwirls.
MeWe is another platform I have tried out and like. It resembles Facebook. For some reason, I can’t find the same traction on this one. I do have a few friends there and am in a few groups. Honestly, I post things there when I remember to. I’ll maintain a presence but there are a few things that annoy me about it. The notifications from group chats and posts are combined, making you think that you have all sorts of interaction when you really don’t. Some conversation in a group chat between a few people that I am not even following can create dozens of notifications for me and I don’t know how to turn that off. Also, the website hasn’t been tested. They say that they are all for free speech, including the assertion that there are only two genders. But what will they do if they get big enough to be noticed and threatened? I can be found here!
Parler got Parlered. That’s a new word that means that they got cancelled on a large scale. I saw potential where I was on there, but almost all of the people on there talked about nothing but politics. I know this was an election year, but enough already! Can it rise from the ashes? I think so. Frankly, I hope they modernize the format and add some functionality to it. Parler wasn’t created to be a conservative leaning website. It was created to be a platform while Twitter is a publisher. It was to be a place of free speech with only the exceptions of illegality and pornography, two things that are rampant on Twitter. If Parler can improve and then return, it may have a future. But during this downtime, many of their users have been going to other websites and will need a good reason to return with the zeal of before. And in a non-election year as well. My username was CoffeeSwirls there as well. Perhaps it will be again.
Twitter is another place I can be found, but I only care about it during the football season. I enjoy getting instant reaction to games and to the NFL draft. And I don’t see Twitter being replaced because most sports writers are totalitarians who see nothing wrong with Twitter’s abuse of anyone to the right of Stalin.
Facebook. Oh, Facebook. You were once the king of the hill, and in terms of users you still are. I removed all Facebook related apps from my phone, including Messenger and Instagram. I never had What’s Ap so my phone is as de-Facebooked as I know how to make it. I’ll tell you what, life is better without Facebook! I used to look at Facebook as my comedy stage to share things that I think are funny. Now, I dread logging in every few days to see if I have any messages. Do I miss some great posts from people on there? Sure I do. But my life is simpler now, my focus is better and the battery on my phone lasts longer. I also am always reading a book now, something that had trailed off for a few years.
That’s it for now. Gab doesn’t have the algorithms that are on Facebook or Twitter, and it’s the algorithms that put a thumb on the scales. It’s algorithms that are used to control your emotions and even your actions. If you haven’t cancelled Netflix yet, I suggest you watch The Social Dilemma to see why anyone would be opposed to content manipulations for financial or agenda gain. Online platforms are the public squares in our present day. And I can think of no public square I would rather communicate in than Gab.
