Ultimate Social Media Guide for Caring Moms

This post will address the need for a new social media guide for caring moms. I’m so glad to have this platform where I can share freely without fear of being censored!

If there’s anything the year 2020 has brought to us, it has been change. We have a new perspective on just about everything in our every day lives, including toilet paper!

So, while we’re at it, why not overhaul our social media habits? Why not defy the edicts of those who want to own us, who want to tell us what to think, and who want to destroy our lives and our families?

I don’t know about you, but I am weary of their “warnings” and their bullying tactics. I want to send them a message that is undeniable. I want to move on to other platforms and venues that offer the promise of protection from draconian oversight and exploitation.

So I deleted my Facebook account. Soon after this I will be deleting my Instagram account, then eventually will go my YouTube account. This is no small thing; I have invested years of hard work to build up a presence that I hoped would encourage others to stand for the freedoms found in homeschooling and family building on the foundation of the Truth of the Biblical Gospel.

But I just can’t be part of it anymore. I can’t agree with their means, I can’t agree to their ends.

I know I am not alone. Every day I am finding there are millions of others who are jumping from the sinking ship of big tech media, and I am finding just where they are jumping to. If you are willing, if you are able, I hope you will join in. We need you in order to make this message loud and clear, we need you so that these other platforms can take away the strength of the others who want a monopoly on the media.

Why is this important to homeschooling moms?

Glad you asked. If you have been homeschooling for any amount of time, I hope you have noticed that the “facts” we received in our public education system do not always gibe with the truth. In some ways this is disturbing, and in others this is liberating.

Disturbing because we are seeing in real time just how damaging lies can be. Liberating because knowing the truth removes the shackles from our minds and allows us to trust God whole-heartedly as we see all of history and science lining up with the Bible. (For more on this, make sure and read my post about homeschooling yourself here.)

Below are my findings from recent research.

Please be mindful that when you take the fetters off of speech, you get a bit of everything. Some of it will open your eyes and set you free, a lot of it will lead you down rabbit trails and make you dizzy. This is where personal responsibility comes in. Now, there will be some that label everything but Big Tech “Ultra-Right, White Supremacist, Conspiratorial” et al. Don’t let this frighten you. They think we are so pre-conditioned that this will keep us from venturing out.

Here is a website that will help you get past this critical hurdle:

Free Speech America

To be sure, there are some kooks on these platforms, but no more than on anywhere else. Remember, there aren’t the analyses and logarithms being applied that make sure we see only what is deemed suitable. Be wise, check everything with your Bible, and pray about what you choose to be part of. While God does not wish you to be ruled by tyrants, He does expect you to search out what is true and just. Willingly yield to His leading.

Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.

William Penn

New Browsers

No one disputes the overreach and data mining practices of big Google, which includes the Chrome browser, search engine, email service, and YouTube. Just as in the days of the “robber barons,” a monopoly has been created which is detrimental to free speech and free commerce. But we have the power, and we can break this “trust” by taking our patronage elsewhere. We all knew it was coming, let us hasten its eventuality by using another browser.

I used to think Mozilla was the best choice, which is the browser I had selected as my default, and it is definitely better than Chrome. However, it is not as secure as I was led to believe. My new, best choice?–Brave.

I had heard this browser mentioned over and over, but in my laziness thought, “Oh, well, it doesn’t really matter, everyone uses Google products, and they all have our stuff anyways.” But I’m tired of being constantly redirected. Whenever I do specific searches on subjects considered counter-cultural (read “normal”) I am overwhelmed with the garbage I am trying to steer clear of.

I’m also tired of wondering just how much of my information they are collecting to use against me. We can no longer consider this conspiratorial (read this to find out just how much is being collected and how you can do something about it).

Click here for the article from Naked Security by Sophos that suggests Brave is best at protecting our privacy. Here is a quick quote from the article:

Even though Mozilla makes a talking point of privacy in Firefox, it was Brave, developed by Mozilla’s founder (and creator of JavaScript) Brendan Eich, that won out. Brave, which has accused Google of privacy violations, is “by far the most private of the browsers studied” when used with its out of the box settings…

Danny Bradbury

I have been using this browser for a few weeks, and it is performing quite well. There are still a few bugs, mainly on Google stuff I still need to access. For this I just pop up the old Chrome and use it, but only for a milisecond, then I’m back on Brave. Yes, there is still a real world where I have to function, but only where absolutely necessary. My idea is to give big tech as little use as possible.

Search Engines

OK, so no one needs to reiterate the reasons Google is not the best choice for privacy. It’s like a malevolent cookie-monster, tracking us wherever we go and choosing the results we receive for our own “best interests.” Well-meaning? Hardly.

I used Duck Duck Go for a number of years, thinking it was a safe alternative. Turns out I may have been misled. Duck Duck Go may be better than Google, but use it with with caution. According to this article on Restore Privacy, this search engine is hosted on Amazon servers!

Thanks to the above article, I have discovered Swisscows. This is the search engine I have been using lately (it was actually in the list of possibles in my Brave settings), and I am impressed. It is impressively quick, responsive, and brings up the right information without any bias (I even searched for Momdelights.com and was pleasantly rewarded with links to this very site almost immediately). I am never subjected to “suggestions” that are so politically correct they insult my intelligence.

Here is a quick quote from the article:

In terms of privacy, Swisscows is one of the top choices, arguably better than many other private search engines.

Sven Taylor

Also, Swisscows says its family-friendly, which means it promotes moral values, eschews violence and pornography and promotes digital education (what this actually means is up for interpretation, but so far, so good).

Of course, there are others out there, and the list changes constantly. At least we are alerted to the dangers and we can be on the lookout for the best alternatives.

Social Media

Facebook/Instagram

Actually, there are a number of alternatives to these behemoths. Over the last month I have tried out the two main ones: Gab and MeWe.

I found Gab to be very active on the political side. There are some big names on there, and you will not be able to hear crickets because of the din of thousands of voices clamoring to be heard. “The” homeschool group (it is a bit different from Fb) is mildly active, but I have not been able to establish a good following with my few forays.

Since Gab does not make money through ads (this is a good thing because they do not need to track you and analyze you for their advertisers), they keep alive via payed upgrades and donations. The tools you need to be functional are all free, however.

Gab seeks to export the uniquely American value of free speech to the entire world. Regardless of whether Gab’s administrators, outside activist pressure groups, “cancel culture” Internet mobs, the mainstream media, foreign governments, or any other persons agree with any Gabber’s viewpoints: political speech that is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution will be allowed on the platform. Illegal activity, threats of violence, doxxing, pornography, child exploitation, and spam are not allowed on Gab.

news.gab.com

If you are interested in finding me, I go by Sherry Hayes

MeWe seems to be more attractive to homeschool moms. I think this is because the design and operation of the platform is most like Facebook. There are a number of groups who have migrated there from Facebook, so make sure and look through the list until you find one that suits you. Each group has its own chat, which is fun just to interact on a more fast-paced, immediate basis.

Nov. 11, 2020, 10 a.m. EST According to a spokesperson for MeWe, the platform now has 10 million users. One million of those users signed up for a MeWe account during the past 72 hours.

Mashable.com

As with Gab, there are no ads on MeWe. There are both free and upgrade memberships as well as a shop where you can purchase emoji’s, etc. I have opted for the upgrade, which includes a number of items from the shop. My next step is to create a presence for my business.

I would love to have you as a contact. You can find me as Sherry Hayes.

Twitter

Gotta admit, I never was a great fan of Twitter. To me, it moved too fast and there was very little meaningful interaction. Some folks love it, however. My dear husband did, until it became apparent it was no longer welcoming free speech. He had over 10k followers before he quit.

Now it’s all about Parler. The “parleying” going on there is hard to keep up with, it’s so hopping! I read somewhere that it is growing by 1 million users a week. My husband has been on for a few months and already has 5000+ followers. It seems to be his niche, and if you like that sort of thing, I’m sure you will find it quite a lot of fun!

YouTube

I have a lot of video on this platform, and I have enjoyed interacting with many of you there. It truly was a great idea, but one that has been hijacked by those who wish to control speech to suit their globalist agenda.

Thankfully, there are numerous alternatives.

I am hoping this post will help other moms who are wondering where we can learn from each Here are three that I found interesting (here is an article that goes even further, if you have the time).

• Bitchute
• Rumble
• Brighteon

I have to admit, Bitchute is a mystery to me. When they say free speech, it means almost anything goes. Loads of junk on there, too much for this mom to rummage through to find the nuggets. One suggestion: Be EXTREMELY specific when you do your searches! Perhaps someone with more experience can help me out here…

After doing some research, I found Brighteon to be more comfortable. It could be a nice place to congregate, but sounds like there are limits on how much you can upload and monetization takes some navigation.

Rumble hosts a smattering of different types of video, including cooking, hobbies, and even some homeschooling. It is reported that Dan Bongino is part owner. We mommies could easily have a presence there. Here is a video that explains the platform.

Sadly, a lot of my favorite content is still on YouTube, but I am thinking of creating my own channel and uploading my videos to Rumble in the future.

Messenger

The main reason I put off deleting my Facebook account for so long was because I needed something that could help me keep in touch with my children who live all over the world. Now that Fb is gone, so is Messenger (but I do not miss the creepy feeling of being spied upon). Believe it or not, there are not a few alternatives for this one, as well. One that I am looking into is Signal. Here is a quote:

Everyone should be using Signal already. It’s the only effectively secure over-the-top messaging service at the moment — although there are secure elements in Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp, Facebook relies on you to enable its Secret Conversations manually and Whatsapp stores message records on its servers.

Gizmodo.com.au

While we’re at it, let’s talk news.

It’s important because these days we are being hit with loads of propaganda. I am well familiar with this due to my close studies of the old Soviet Union during my stint in the army. It’s no joke, propaganda is a tool that is more useful than any nuclear bomb. Whole societies have collapsed and been overtaken without a single shot fired due to the might of the pen (and the video camera).

The pen is mightier than the sword.

 Edward Bulwer-Lytton

I could tell you stories…such as the Prague Spring of 1968 (my teachers lived through it), but let’s move on…

This is our era, the one we are responsible for. Let’s make sure we are using the force of our thoughts and our voices in the most efficient manner. Arm yourself with facts and truth. Keep yourself encouraged that God is working and we have hope. In keeping with this, here are some suggestions of places to gather your information (be careful who you trust from any agency):

Newsmax

The Epoch Times

InfoWars

Breitbart

Sebastian Gorka suggests a number of different outlets in this article.

And, when all the bad news gets you really crazy, try the X22 Report. Dave takes the news and looks at it through a very hopeful lens.

The MSM is predicting the doom of all alternatives, but I think they are wrong. I think they are frightened we might actually break free from their intimidation and manipulation. In any case, I am going to make every effort to change the hold they have on us.

I hope you will join me.

If you have migrated over to any of the outlets I have addressed, make sure and leave your handle below so others can connect with you as well.