The Internet is Fun Again (Some of it anyway)

For some reason, as much as I loved Twitter, it began to feel like a chore. Probably in part because:

– I follow way too many people there
– All the ads and sifting you have to do mentally
– How much the algorithm controls what you see and who you interact with
– It all moves so fast and I always felt like I could never keep up

I’m enjoying the simple delight of returning to this blog and using #Mastadon. Meeting new people there. Finding that a mircoblog site like Mastadon can be well done without all the algorithims, ads, and “big names.” Learning new networks and communities is a joy to me. I don’t feel like I have to be on constantly to have a place there but I do feel like I want to check things out with no real pressure to perform and get boosts. I also like watching other people get excited to discover these new systems.

Case in point, a couple weeks ago I was waiting for an invite to a new app (Ivory which is now out in the App Store), hoping to get a link to be an alpha tester. Sitting there refreshing the developer’s Mastadon page repeatedly for 10 mins struck me as something I have never done before – at least not for an app. Even though I didn’t get in, the excitement was fun and kind of silly. Then I realized, I’m enjoying the internet again.

Since that point, and with the implosion of Twitter, I decided to rebuild this blog. Move it over to its own host again, and start sharing and investing again in the site. I’ve had it for such a long time and it has been such an important part of my life, career, and ministry that it seemed the obvious place to put my renewed energy and creativity.

I’m looking forward to sharing more. If you want to subscribe to my weekly digest, I will be posting to my substack for that. But everything of importance will be shared here first.