Over the past couple of decades, I\u2019ve been using a well-known social media platform both to communicate with friends and to have a platform to publish my thoughts, such as they may be, on a range of topics. “Personal publishing” is the somewhat old-fashioned term. I\u2019ll call the platform \u201cBS,\u201d and you\u2019re free to imagine any real-world referent, either plausible or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the overall business model, algorithms, and activities of BS \u2014 and, in fact, of most of the internet \u2014 are not in line with my own values, so I am attempting to entirely remove the publishing function from my use of that platform, and to diminish my use of the platform as a communication medium as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I post something to BS, BS gets to decide if what I\u2019ve written is acceptable with regard to its overall policies and goals. For instance, discussions of human sexuality or of problematic attitudes toward race and ethnicity are liable to be removed, but postings originating from Russian troll farms which are invested in destabilizing other societies are welcome, because they generate traffic, clicks, shares, and therefore revenue to BS. BS reserves the right to republish and reuse what I\u2019ve published, without my further consent. BS also implements an undocumented retention policy for the things I\u2019ve published. A retention policy isn\u2019t part of any contractual relationship between BS and me, so if something I\u2019ve posted has disappeared from the site, that\u2019s just too bad for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, I have complete control of the copyrighted content which I\u2019ll publish here, and my writing can be put up or taken down only at my own whim. I own not only the content, but also the hardware platform that this WordPress instance runs on. I have no need to monetize anything. There are no ads here; there are no affiliates; there is no merch. I don\u2019t collect any data for resale, or even to share with any other entity. I didn\u2019t forget to include buttons that link to social media sites; the omission is entirely intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone can read the essays I write here, and if you\u2019ll ask me to be vetted for the right to comment, I will initially allow that as well. However, if you don\u2019t play nice, I\u2019ll remove that capability in a heartbeat. I value civility, wit, and intelligence. I do hope to receive from each of you who write and comment here the gift of your unique wit and intelligence. Be not moderate in expressing those strengths! In contrast, however, I don\u2019t hope to find civility; I demand it. It\u2019s a precondition of the community I seek, and that I hope to create here. Welcome!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over the past couple of decades, I\u2019ve been using a well-known social media platform both to communicate with friends and to have a platform to publish my thoughts, such as they may be, on a range of topics. “Personal publishing” is the somewhat old-fashioned term. I\u2019ll call the platform \u201cBS,\u201d and you\u2019re free to imagine … <\/p>\n