I am Returning to Blogging

For the past nine years I have been a blogger. Since my movement has been restricted by my need for oxygen and my bum leg, most of my time is spent sitting or sleeping. For quite a while, most of that sitting was done in front of my computer writing blog posts; I suppose one could have said that blogging had become my media of ministry. However, with FaceBook and Twitter I have found that I have been doing much less blogging. And, I believe, that I have spread my thoughts and ministry much too thin. 

A couple of days ago I was attacked on FaceBook by a right-wing troll ("a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people," ~ Wikipedia), flaming ("Flaming usually occurs in the social context,,, frequently the result of the discussion of heated real-world issues such as politics, religion, and philosophy... Deliberate flaming, as opposed to flaming as a result of emotional discussions, is carried out by individuals known as flamers, who are specifically motivated to incite flaming. These users specialize in flaming and target specific aspects of a controversial conversation. Some websites even cater to flamers and trolls, by allowing them a free environment, such as Flame-Wars forum." ~ Wikipedia) me over and over to the point that I finally had to block him.

I admit that the experience seriously troubled me—I have not encountered such a sadistic troll since my first years on the internet. His attacks revolved around personal incidents I was relating, stories about my life, pain, suffering, love, compassion, peace, justice, etc.—as I have been doing in my sermons for thirty years and blogs for nine years— so I have begun to mull over whether or not FaceBook is the place to publically share my personal stories, even my ministry.

I have decided that FaceBook is not the place to share my personal stories, my ministry, primarily because my FaceBook posts are viewed by people who do not know me, my stories, or ministries. Folks who read my blogs (at the moment about 500 a day) come to them intentionally because they want to read what I’m sharing. Those who stumble onto Nick’s Bytes don’t have to stay or return. This is the difference between FaceBooking and Blogging. 

Therefore, I am returning to full-time blogging and shall be spending much less time on FaceBook and Twitter. I will not promise a new blog post every day; my goal is a minimum of four a week. I hope you'll be back to see what I'm doing and spread the word that Nick's Bytes is again an active blog not limited to jokes and humor (although Too Bad It's Monday Humor with KATZ and Friday Funnies will both continue).

Shalom, my friends!