Eleven Tips for Navigating the Digital Conversation

10) Remember that the "like" button is not a measure of virtue. You may have hit a nerve. You may have affirmed thousands of people in an opinion that they already held. Or you may have challenged millions to change their lives. The last of those three alternatives is a long shot. The internet is an undifferentiated marketplace, filled with quality merchandise and junk. Its consumers include connoisseurs and junk dealers. Tell the truth, post with care, and trust the results to God. (That, after all, is one thing that hasn't changed in the digital age.)

11) Live at the top of your form. As hard as it is to think of it this way, think of the internet as the opportunity to cultivate wisdom and charity. We have the rare opportunity to talk to more people at one time across time and space than anyone imagined (except our grandchildren). Use the gift wisely.

7/14/2014 4:00:00 AM
  • Progressive Christian
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  • Frederick Schmidt
    About Frederick Schmidt
    Frederick W. Schmidt is the author of The Dave Test: A Raw Look at Real Life in Hard Times (Abingdon Press: 2013) and several other books, including A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination and the Church (Syracuse University Press, 1998), The Changing Face of God (Morehouse, 2000), When Suffering Persists (Morehouse, 2001), in Italian translation: Sofferenza, All ricerca di una riposta (Torino: Claudiana, 2004), What God Wants for Your Life (Harper, 2005), Conversations with Scripture: Revelation (Morehouse, 2005) and Conversations with Scripture: Luke (Morehouse, 2009). He holds the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, and directs the Job Institute for Spiritual formation. He is an Episcopal Priest, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, conference leader, writer, and Consulting Editor at Church Publishing in New York. He and his wife, Natalie live in Chicago, Illinois. He can also be reached at: http://frederickwschmidt.com/