It has to be said, or does it?

Social media is great, until it isn’t.  For an indie writer as myself, it is a necessary evil.  It is.  You must be on several forms of media several times a day in some cases in order to get the word out that you have a story to tell (or sell).  So not only do you have to use it, you have to read it.  You have to know how to connect with your future clientele in order to have them want to read your books.  The problem is that everyone else is on social media.  EVERYONE.  And with that comes the unfortunate reality that everyone feels their opinions are so fantastic, they must share every bit of it, whether you want to see it or not.  Now I know everyone has their opinion and not everyone shares the same opinion, but OMG the posts and comments I have been reading both here and on places like Facebook lately makes me just want to scream.

First let’s tackle my site here.  I allow for people to post comments to most anything on this site.  You can post your reaction or comments to my blogs, events, posts, etc. and I welcome that as a part of trying to connect with my potential readers.  That being said, why would you think as a commentator that I would allow such derogatory comments and links to unsavory activities on my site?  Ok, so my books are not for kids, but that doesn’t mean anything goes.  I do have control over what appears on my site and will delete you if you continue to post links for escorts, gambling, and what-have-you on my site.  Seriously, I’m an author of murder-mystery books, enough with trying to build a fan base for your escort service!  I welcome comments.  I like to try and have a conversation if you will with my readers both here and on my author FB page (facebook.com/imkathleenlopez – shameless plug).  Don’t keep posting smut and crap here, seriously.  I know for some of your that will seem like a challenge, but I urge you to try to and resist.

Second, and I was trying so hard not to get political, but damn.  I want to never open Facebook again.  Oh my good lord what is wrong with you?  And if you didn’t like that comment, then I am probably talking to you.  The amount of polarizing posts out there is almost worse than watching the actual candidates themselves.  WTF people.  Ok, so you like this one over that one, great.  Why do I have to see so much of it all over my timeline?  Congratulations, you like that goober more than the other idiot, fantastic, now is that any reason you are picking a fight with someone via the comment thread?  You can probably tell I am not a very political person.  I get that some of you are, but since when is it socially acceptable to be rude, ignorant, and down right disrespectful to others because of their views?  I actually read a thread, and it was my own fault for going down that rabbit hole, where they were trading insults back and forth over someone else’s post.  Seriously?  This whole ‘my opinion is better than yours’ and ‘I know more than you do thing about this’ is a sad commentary on society.  Every election it is getting worse and worse.  I have started limiting my views of some posts on my personal FB because of it.  I am beginning to love that feature.  If you don’t know about it, there is that little down arrow on a post that lets you limit the type of post either by person or by subject.  I have been hitting that up hard lately.  I cannot be bombarded by all that negativity and bashing, and I’m not even talking about the candidates.  I’m referring to the people making the posts!  It is so disheartening to read how people are so quick to revert to name calling and despicable behavior that it got me off into a rant here.

The whole freedom of speech has taken such an ugly turn.  It seems to have given way to the opinion that we can say whatever we want whenever we want and who the hell are you to say otherwise?  ‘I can say what I want, but how dare you say anything about my opinion!’  What happened?  When did this become our norm?  The total intolerance for diversity, opinion, and common decency is so strange.  I am beginning to think there is no room for common sense some times.   And this, as I tell a lot of my close friends, is why I choose a hobby where I get to kill people, fictionally speaking that is.

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