Block/Delete/Repeat

I can't remember for sure when I created my first social media account on Facebook.  Most likely it was around 2007 when I became a part of a new online local magazine.  Each month a digital issue was published I tried to find all the people featured in articles, or who were a part of creating the images and post a link on their page.  This tactic helped the magazine explode in just 6 months and reach an international audience.

 

That's about 90% of what I used social media for, although I did connect with some friends.  In 2010, I was encouraged to start a blog as a place to write things on a wider range of subjects that the narrow range I did for magazines.  I dragged my feet for a long time, but finally launched Olio by Marilyn.  When I put up my first post, nothing life changing or special, I was surprised to experience a flutter of excitement when I saw it received a whopping 10 views.  No idea why, but that made my day. 

After the magazine folded I struggled.  All my branding was lost in an instant. It was struggle to figure out what to do next, or even if I wanted to start over.  I decided to challenge myself to write something on my blog every day for 6 weeks and see how I felt after. In the end, I knew deep down I wanted to keep writing, but it took 5-6 months before I found a new direction - working on my first book.  While I headed in this new direction, I continued to fill my blog with a wide variety of unrelated articles. I simply wrote whatever came to mind that day. 

Fast forward to the current times.  I added Instagram and Twitter, then deleted Twitter when it became X.  I added a pro page on Facebook that is public. I kept my personal account public for along time as I loved hearing a wide variety of viewpoints.  It helped me understand the why others think differently than I why they feel the way they do. It also helped me see the world through another's eyes. But the trolls were tough.  I would start any controversial post by saying respectful disagreements only. When someone violated that rule I would give one warning, and then block and delete comment if they continued. It wasn't enough.  

It was time for a new direction. I upped the security on my personal page to friends only. I also became more careful of the connections I made on it.  I still have many that disagree with me on many subjects, but we have respectful conversations, and when we hit a wall, we agree to disagree. It's not always easy, but we know we agree the important things like the importance of family, love, making the world a better place and mutual respect. 

Instagram was okay for awhile, but when I finally began to successfully build my numbers, and began to widen my posts to include more controversial topics - world issues, racism, misogyny and support for the LGBTQ - the vile trolls came out in force.  And let's face it, we are know many are bots or people with agendas, but I didn't like the hate being spewed.  One day I decided I was done. This IG page was mine, it was there for me to share my voice. I did not have any responsibility to let it also be a platform for hate. 

That was it.  Every other day now I check the comment. If there are respectful comments in opposition, I leave them. Sadly there are not many of those. The vile ones I handle the same way - block the person, then delete the comment.  I repeat this until my page is full conversations that are welcome.  Then I repeat this every day or two to catch new offenders. So simple. I only take the next step - report - in extreme situations. 

What I have found is I now am making more connections with like minded people who have similar goals.  I am finding pages to follow that offer me information and support as well.  And I have found a few communities that I want to be a part of.  Guilt?  Doesn't exist. It is my page and I am allowed to chose the posts that create welcome dialogue, along with respectful voices willing to have conversations that show me other ways to look at things. 

Sometimes I learn something new, sometimes I just gain a better understanding of how others look at an issue and sometimes I a just connecting with others who feel the same. Want to build those kind of interactions on your page?  Take the time to go through the comments every few days and decide. Which posts/people should stay and which don't belong.  You have the option of just deleting posts that aren't relevant or respectful.  But if the post is vile and/or designed to create drama and ill feelings, I would suggest you block the account and then delete the post.  

Your page - your decision. And never feel any guilt for doing what is best for you.