Hey FB lurkers - I care about how you're doing!
(I posted this on FB on Tuesday, March 24, and am reposting on my blog at the request of several people. I was overwhelmed with the response from lurkers and regular posters alike. My point was to encourage my lurker friends to dip a toe into posting because others care and want to know how you're faring. The links take you to the individual FB pages of the people I mention so the specific posts I mention may be somewhat far down their feeds by the time you read this. Some may be private so they may not be accessible publicly.)
This post is long and for my many FB friends who are lurkers.
Friends, family and colleagues who know me well know I thrive best when I can be connected to people – whether it’s with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors or students. I’m also a fan of social media when it can be a positive for social interaction. I’ve enjoyed using these platforms to share my writing over the years and maintain connections with friends near and far.
In my idleness scrolling through Facebook this week, I took a look at my list of FB friends. I had no idea there were more than 1,900! I doubt I’ve met that many people in my entire life. But once I started scrolling through the list, I realized how few of these folks post or interact. I’m guessing many of them are in the category of “lurkers” – those who scroll quietly but, for whatever reason, don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable posting. I completely get that!
But, lurkers. We're in a whole new world. Please bear with me on this. I’m interested in how you’re surviving this mess. I care about what you’re doing to maintain connection in this time of social disconnection. I’m interested in what restaurants you’re supporting. I want to know how you’re teaching your children. I’m sure others who know and care about you are interested in how you’re doing, what you're reading or what small businesses you are supporting.
To make my case for lurkers coming out of the social media shadows, I'll share a few great connections I never would have known about this week except for social media.
Books – Kathy Gardner-Jones has long posted Sunday book reviews and her Women’s History Month picks over the past week have been great. Kitty Sutton has lots of suggestions for books from many sources.
Music streams – Local musicians are changing up their formats so the show can go on. Saturday evening’s gig for Prettier Than Matt got cancelled so they did a three-hour stream – took requests, set up online tip jar and played some really good music. We had our own personal house concert on our patio. Then, in turn, Jessica Skinner and Jeff Pitts showed up on Sunday for a fundraiser stream hosted to support the staff at Lula Drake Wine Parlour in downtown Columbia. And ColaJazz has a weekly live stream virtual club crawl starting tomorrow to support jazz artists and venues. Tip well and pay it forward, y’all, for our local musicians and service staff.
Recipes – Never thought I’d want to learn how to make bread starter, but thanks to Natalie Garrison Miles' question and Christi Parham Arnette’s direction, I know how to find the instructions. Love Lisa Anne Hockenberry’s great healthy recipes. Then there’s the connection I got to make between Ann Looper Pryor making Chicken Divan from the Congressional Cookbook and Amy Johns Grace who submitted that recipe (her mom’s) to the cookbook 30+ years ago.
Pay it forward – It makes my heart sing to see the behind the scenes good deeds going on every day. That lifts my spirits. Efforts like the online tab for musicians and service workers growing at Curiosity Coffee Shop – these are donations given by people in the community so service workers can eat for free. Stephanie Griggs Bridgers is at the top of my list of people who are creatively helping neighbors, customers of her currently closed coffee shop and the young people she employs. Anne Snipes Smith in Greenville reminds me daily with her posts and podcast about people who do the hard things behind the scenes and about the importance of the anonymous porch drop or handwritten note.
Local restaurants – We all have our favorites. I’ve loved seeing the growing list of local restaurants that are creating a whole new business model in the midst of this mess. Social media shares the word about what’s available where and tells important stories about the people are who are keeping us fed. A few of my favorites keeping us up on what they are doing are CRAVE Artisan Specialty Market, LaBrasca's Pizza and Il Giorgione. Tell us where you're eating.
Mental health – Mandy Halloran Medlock has posted some of the most heartfelt and supportive info about staying mentally healthy during all this mess. Her posts seem to show up at just the right time.
Pretty Food – Eleanor Eggleston Ellison and Julie Higgins Hollaway both showed up yesterday with absolutely beautiful photos of freshly laid chicken eggs.
Music lessons – I saw that Linda Weeks Rogers is keeping up with her violin lessons by Skype. My uke group continues our Tuesday night Sip N' Strum through FB live. Also, Freeway Music - Downtown Columbia/Sims Music is offering a free uke lesson with purchase of a uke at Sims. The uke can be life changing. Give it a try.
Virtual workouts – Most gyms/yoga studios are small businesses that need our support now more than ever. Instead of stopping your monthly payment, take advantage of the online offerings that you can do from the comfort of your home. Jamie Scott Fitness Cross Hill, Sunnyside Pilates and Jiva Yoga Center are all keeping us going and helping people stay sane and safe with online workouts.
News sources – Figure out what local and national news sources you consider trustworthy and follow them. Don’t bother to read comments, just stay informed. I’ve found the work of Jennifer Berry Hawes at the Post and Courier to be especially helpful and insightful. And of course, my beloved NPR/ SC Public Radio have brought focus to many topics that are important to me.
Neighborhood activities – I’ve seen more activity on my street over the past two weeks than I’ve seen in the 25+ years I’ve lived on Medway Road. Chalk drawing, scavenger hunts and Christmas lights are just a few of things I know about because of FB posts. Then there’s the great idea that Katherine Mahon Robinson came up with over by Heathwood Park to post scripture in your yard for a Sunday stroll. Never would have know about that except for FB.
Worship services – Lots of churches are online. I love what Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is doing (my church), but I know many others are tending to their people in the same way.
So lurkers, give this social media thing a try. We all need connection in this crazy new world order, and you might just have what someone else needs to be uplifted.
Thanks for reading!
This post is long and for my many FB friends who are lurkers.
Friends, family and colleagues who know me well know I thrive best when I can be connected to people – whether it’s with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors or students. I’m also a fan of social media when it can be a positive for social interaction. I’ve enjoyed using these platforms to share my writing over the years and maintain connections with friends near and far.
In my idleness scrolling through Facebook this week, I took a look at my list of FB friends. I had no idea there were more than 1,900! I doubt I’ve met that many people in my entire life. But once I started scrolling through the list, I realized how few of these folks post or interact. I’m guessing many of them are in the category of “lurkers” – those who scroll quietly but, for whatever reason, don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable posting. I completely get that!
But, lurkers. We're in a whole new world. Please bear with me on this. I’m interested in how you’re surviving this mess. I care about what you’re doing to maintain connection in this time of social disconnection. I’m interested in what restaurants you’re supporting. I want to know how you’re teaching your children. I’m sure others who know and care about you are interested in how you’re doing, what you're reading or what small businesses you are supporting.
To make my case for lurkers coming out of the social media shadows, I'll share a few great connections I never would have known about this week except for social media.
Books – Kathy Gardner-Jones has long posted Sunday book reviews and her Women’s History Month picks over the past week have been great. Kitty Sutton has lots of suggestions for books from many sources.
Music streams – Local musicians are changing up their formats so the show can go on. Saturday evening’s gig for Prettier Than Matt got cancelled so they did a three-hour stream – took requests, set up online tip jar and played some really good music. We had our own personal house concert on our patio. Then, in turn, Jessica Skinner and Jeff Pitts showed up on Sunday for a fundraiser stream hosted to support the staff at Lula Drake Wine Parlour in downtown Columbia. And ColaJazz has a weekly live stream virtual club crawl starting tomorrow to support jazz artists and venues. Tip well and pay it forward, y’all, for our local musicians and service staff.
Recipes – Never thought I’d want to learn how to make bread starter, but thanks to Natalie Garrison Miles' question and Christi Parham Arnette’s direction, I know how to find the instructions. Love Lisa Anne Hockenberry’s great healthy recipes. Then there’s the connection I got to make between Ann Looper Pryor making Chicken Divan from the Congressional Cookbook and Amy Johns Grace who submitted that recipe (her mom’s) to the cookbook 30+ years ago.
Pay it forward – It makes my heart sing to see the behind the scenes good deeds going on every day. That lifts my spirits. Efforts like the online tab for musicians and service workers growing at Curiosity Coffee Shop – these are donations given by people in the community so service workers can eat for free. Stephanie Griggs Bridgers is at the top of my list of people who are creatively helping neighbors, customers of her currently closed coffee shop and the young people she employs. Anne Snipes Smith in Greenville reminds me daily with her posts and podcast about people who do the hard things behind the scenes and about the importance of the anonymous porch drop or handwritten note.
Local restaurants – We all have our favorites. I’ve loved seeing the growing list of local restaurants that are creating a whole new business model in the midst of this mess. Social media shares the word about what’s available where and tells important stories about the people are who are keeping us fed. A few of my favorites keeping us up on what they are doing are CRAVE Artisan Specialty Market, LaBrasca's Pizza and Il Giorgione. Tell us where you're eating.
Mental health – Mandy Halloran Medlock has posted some of the most heartfelt and supportive info about staying mentally healthy during all this mess. Her posts seem to show up at just the right time.
Pretty Food – Eleanor Eggleston Ellison and Julie Higgins Hollaway both showed up yesterday with absolutely beautiful photos of freshly laid chicken eggs.
Music lessons – I saw that Linda Weeks Rogers is keeping up with her violin lessons by Skype. My uke group continues our Tuesday night Sip N' Strum through FB live. Also, Freeway Music - Downtown Columbia/Sims Music is offering a free uke lesson with purchase of a uke at Sims. The uke can be life changing. Give it a try.
Virtual workouts – Most gyms/yoga studios are small businesses that need our support now more than ever. Instead of stopping your monthly payment, take advantage of the online offerings that you can do from the comfort of your home. Jamie Scott Fitness Cross Hill, Sunnyside Pilates and Jiva Yoga Center are all keeping us going and helping people stay sane and safe with online workouts.
News sources – Figure out what local and national news sources you consider trustworthy and follow them. Don’t bother to read comments, just stay informed. I’ve found the work of Jennifer Berry Hawes at the Post and Courier to be especially helpful and insightful. And of course, my beloved NPR/ SC Public Radio have brought focus to many topics that are important to me.
Neighborhood activities – I’ve seen more activity on my street over the past two weeks than I’ve seen in the 25+ years I’ve lived on Medway Road. Chalk drawing, scavenger hunts and Christmas lights are just a few of things I know about because of FB posts. Then there’s the great idea that Katherine Mahon Robinson came up with over by Heathwood Park to post scripture in your yard for a Sunday stroll. Never would have know about that except for FB.
Worship services – Lots of churches are online. I love what Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is doing (my church), but I know many others are tending to their people in the same way.
So lurkers, give this social media thing a try. We all need connection in this crazy new world order, and you might just have what someone else needs to be uplifted.
Thanks for reading!
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