I mentioned, before I went to bed a few hours ago, that there's no more way for me to post to facebook via twitter. I've hoped for interaction, leaving myself open to correction and conversation, and most of that conversation has happened on facebook.
My point in sharing online (whether on this blog or via social media) has been to leave a trail of public clues that would be available, theoretically, to anyone who is curious about me or what it is that drives me to be who I am and do what I do. I have wanted to do that because of Jesus, who, I hope, will be the One that people will find if they follow these pebbles back to their Home. I've also hoped that anyone in the world could look at the clues themselves and wonder, perhaps, how someone who claims to follow Jesus could believe the things I do.
I've always hoped for conversation too, and have invited people to criticize me or correct me, especially when they write from a Jesus-focused perspective. I've learned a lot. I have come to understand that many people don't see things the same way I do, even when they also claim Jesus as their Lord. Most of that conversation and correction has happened on facebook, and I'm grateful for that.
Facebook posts, however, aren't open to the world--you have to sign up to see what's there. So, for my purposes, facebook isn't public enough. Plenty of people aren't on facebook.* Twitter, however, has this neat feature that allows people to see what's on there without signing up or participating in twitter. There's a twitter feed on this blog. I hope you've seen it there. I hope you can if you look.
But I don't get much interaction with others on twitter. There are far more people I know personally on facebook than on twitter, and on facebook I at least know people are seeing what's there as they "like" or comment. And many of my friends and acquaintances write and post comment-worthy posts on facebook, or just post pictures or other things that allow me to connect with them, if only by clicking "like." For me, facebook has been a virtual neighborhood where people are most likely to walk by and say "hi," or, even, to gather for meaningful conversation. Sometimes I wish more of my friends and acquaintances participated there.
So, because facebook isn't public, I've been glad that I could post to facebook via twitter. It was several years ago that I discovered I could build that one way link. My twitter posts, would also go on facebook, where they would get reactions and comments. It was both public and conversational. For me, that was good.
Now that functionality is gone. I feel like Hansel who has just been locked in the house. Before I was able to leave a trail of pebbles when I went out into the world, not, in my case, to find my way home, but so others could find me. Twitter and facebook together provided that. There was openness and honesty. What I tweeted went on facebook. Now, though, I'll need to decide what to do, because I don't want to take the time to log into facebook every time I share something. And I don't want to be tempted to just post on facebook, because there it's all about reactions. I want this to be about a trail of clues to the ultimate Source of my life and yours, Jesus Christ.
Thanks for listening. I'll try to clarify this if you care to comment or ask me. Thanks.
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*I know that many people in the world aren't online in any way (my mom, for example, has never used even email) but there are more people who are online sometimes than those who choose to participate in facebook.
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