I haven’t done one of these in a while, and since there have been some changes in the last few months I wanted to mention them!
First, I will only mention my 3 favorite community or micro-blogging sites, and anything new, or that I consider newsworthy.
First, Gab, because they are making the most changes, and growing by leaps and bounds, and creating an ever-better user experience! The list of improvements is long and impressive! Some of my favorites are the Feeds, which I believe I can – or will be able to – share, here hopefully! Also is the marketplace which is growing daily and getting VERY fun! I will be posting my electric uke and amp there soon, as well as anything else I think of, and am excited to use it! There are many MANY more things going on, all of them exciting and making me want to use the site more and more! (And, if you are STILL of the fence or believing all the garbage misrepresentations and out-and-out lies that are out there about Gab I would suggest – recommend, even, watching THIS recent video. And remember verses such as Ps. 37:12, 2Tim.3:12, John 15:20 – and John 12:26.
The problem with “horndogs” – a term that I don’t like to use as it’s vulgar, but that is so very descriptive of what is happening more and more all over social media. For the uninitiated I refer to the men (and women, I’m told, though my experience is with the men) who ask to be a friend or follower or whatever, then instantly send a PM requesting something more, often using endearing terms and flattery. It is easy to tell these men, they’re like Hallmark movies: same storylines, different characters. When I get a friend request from a middle-aged man whose profile only shows a glamor shot and full-body shot (often with a baby or a puppy or dramatic backdrop), claiming to be widowed (typically, although single is also a popular claim), who have no postings to the community – or whose few postings are simply reposts, or who only/mainly show they friend women, that’s all I need right there to know I don’t want anything to do with them. I have tested this over and over, on many different sites, and these general rules – I have more specific ones too – ALWAYS hold true. ALWAYS. They can be spotted from a mile away. Really…if you ARE a widowed neurosurgeon and that IS your yacht, did you achieve that position in life by trolling social media and coming on to lonely women? Yet women do apparently believe it, until they’re dropped with a lame excuse when the next one comes along…
I’ve left or quit visiting a few sites because of the constancy of horndogs. However there are some sites that, surprisingly, I haven’t experienced this with, such as Mastodon and Gab. Unfortunately, one of my VERY favorite places – Savior Connect – has a HUGE problem with this. (At any given time I have a dozen or more horndogs in my friend requests that I simply don’t respond to.) A place where Christians go to gather apparently is considered a great fishing spot for these predators. Also true though, is the unwavering commitment of the site administration to deal with this problem. I don’t know what some sites do to deal with it so effectively but if determination is the key then Savior Connect will be victorious!
On to Mastodon, and, specifically, theres.life. This is a Christian instance that I joined when I first starting using Mastodon. And it is still #1 in my heart. The other members – the ones who contribute, anyway – are like family; they ARE, after all, my brothers and sisters in Christ! I believe in the ministry of the site owner and help him out with various things there as I can; usually I spend a couple of hours most days at this, and because I know it makes a difference and helps keep the place focused on Christian principles, I really enjoy it. (Being retired and disabled gives me the opportunity to be useful for the Kingdom in ways I couldn’t do before!) Another great instance that I love is Freeatlantis.com. It tends to be more political BUT is full of good-hearted people whose thoughts, experiences, and opinions have come to matter to me. I don’t participate as much there, mostly because I don’t have much I want to say about world events/politics online, but I really enjoy the instance because of the great people!
Mostly, which has always been my intention, this site is my social space online. Mostly the conversations are one-sided ? but I spend more time here, and put more of myself into this, and share all of the things I have always shared in so many other places, here. It is definitely a labor of love and something that gives me purpose and something to wake up for. Everything I want to post about, I post here. I may copy it to other sites (blogs/vlogs/updates are also shared to Savior Connect; vlogs are posted on Rumble, GabTV, and Odysee) too, but chia.owly.net is the Hot Spot for all things ChiaChatter/ChiaOwl. And if my stats are any indication, it is a popular spot for hundreds of others to visit each week – many who spend time here every day! (BTW I don’t collect information, don’t know who or where you are, etc….just vague geographical references and numbers of visitors to which posts and pages area all I see. You – and what you do here – are anonymous unless YOU choose to use your name or other specific information.)
I still am on a few others that I may check into every so often; other than Mewe (which I look at daily but rarely post), I usually visit once or twice a week, sometimes less. And I’m waiting to get into Truth Social but more out of curiosity and to be able to understand what others are talking about than anything else. It doesn’t really seem like something I will use often as politics and world events aren’t my thing, socially speaking. I keep my mind and thoughts centered on eternal things which is all that will matter in the end. The rest of it will be gone in the blink of an eye at some point…
So that’s pretty much what I wanted to share today. If you have any social media experiences to share or add, I’d love to hear about them! But meanwhile I will continue to use my “down time” (of which I unfortunately have a lot these days) to share the things that matter to me, with those who care, or want to be entertained, or seek the information I provide on certain things, or whatever…and all for, in one way or another, the glory of God.
“So…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1Corinthians 10:31
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Thank you Chia. I appreciate your time and information.
Question, is there a difference between gab and gabtv?
Hi, Katie! GabTV is part – one of many parts – of Gab.com :).