03/13/2023
Dear Brave Souls... I put this image here that is like the wardrobe in Narnia that leads the children to another world, for surely we are good to remember we belong to more than just the whorl and whir of the mundane world... in order to balance and weigh matters of our lives...
like this one, which Im striving to weigh in two worlds... You will be asked to make a choice about this and too, soon. I hope you will make the choice that fits you best for your dear life... re this latest
Just a small housecleaning head's up. I received the following from a reliable source [Kim Komando] --the latest about Mark Zuckerberg's plan to charge facebook users what I think is a very steep monthly fee, [added for clarity::: for certain elite perks...
given that his company runs ads alongside all our content, especially those of us who have numerous readers--and keeps all the money paid for ads, for his company which he recently renamed Meta as in Metaverse.
I will stay on facebook as long as I can, but imagine because I wont be bowing to their charging for something that used to be free for all persons. [added for clarity ::: that is full access to all features], that my reach to you dear souls may be downgraded by fb -- and I may not be able to reach the very souls who indicated by signing up to this page, that they wish to be reached.
I have been contacted by Substack some time ago, and some other forums to move there, and i may.
Some have a two tier offer, free content to readers as we have currently at here facebook... and then a subscription layer for more immersive content which the site takes a % of. I dont know the metrics as I havent gotten that far.
My dearlings, sorry to say, I am not convinced by any of the latest 'new but not so great' forums.
For this reason, those corporations who want to charge for the kind of [added for clarity] 'verified' commentary, writings, prayers, and calls to prayer and actions we have noted and solicited here for years at no extra cost [I've been here at fb for 15 years] reaches anyone who has access to a cell phone, or computer, at home or school or library.
Meaning esp library, access for most all, [added::: to ALL fb offers] including mommies with babies, people late in life going to college, people on fixed incomes esp the elderly, the people without complete locomotion, people in hospital, people in prison, people who dont have an extra $150 a year to spend on fb, re what used to be free --just to gain 'customer service' that should have been there to begin with. And has been egregiously missing for decades.
Not to mention the years of fb's artificial squeezing down of my "newsfeed reach'' to the good souls who literally signed up to receive notice of new posts on their news feed.
I promise you I will look hard over the next couple months at alternatives to facebook. I dont find snap chat or instagram or tik tok to be viable for various reasons. Nor a website that will need constant oversight.
Please allow me to also say, that in addition to the incredible lack of concern fb appears to have toward the poor, meaning esp for those who across the world are trying to communicate in the midst of war and mayhem with their loved ones, and helpers... and
for facebook a year ago disappearing 7 months of writings here for those sweet and earnest souls following 40 Nights on Snow Wind Mountain, and NO response from any layer of FB for months, until I wrote to the board of directors of fb so-called 'charitable' foundation
[I will never understand how fb's founder can try to charge the very poor for their new scheme in one door, while 'giving money away' to their favored ones at the other door.]
Not to harp on it, but to relay it: last summer during a huge heat wave, when I posted the terms of avoiding heat stroke, and the necessity of hydration and rest, and electrolyte balance, fb disappeared that entire post that was long and detailed, and facebook did not care to restore it in a timely manner no matter what signals were sent up of distress.
Additionally fb has seen fit to squeeze the reach of our notifications to persons who signed up for them, minusing them by the thousands when we have put out a call for prayer, a call for aid for the helpless innocents.
Im going to place kim komando's missive here, and you decide for yourself how to proceed. As I understand you will still have access to all you have now if you dont pay them. [And I strongly suggest not unless you have some good reason, which is up to you]
And if you do pay, you see the benefits they are offering for a price. [Just my .02, I like hf, have NO interest in stickers and badges whatsoever, and have no faith in fb idea of 'customer service' ever. So after cussing a bit here, which i will spare you, but it included 'Creepy Mr Poopey Pants,' I have to go to Confession now. But i will be back. Here is the missive. I send love. Be kind to yourself. We are. Together.
dr.e
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"Meta Verified"
Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta Verified, a subscription bundle for Facebook and Instagram users. Like Twitter, this plan comes with a blue badge, which requires a government ID for verification.
Here are more perks that come with Meta Verified:
Stickers and stars: You get special stickers to throw around, along with 100 Stars per month on Facebook to send to your favorite content creators.
Increased visibility: More people will see your posts and comments.
Account protection: Meta promises that “proactive account monitoring” will protect you from impersonation. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Adding a requirement for two-factor authentication will definitely help to secure your account.
Direct account support: This is a big one. Getting in touch with Meta for issues such as a hacked account is difficult. Hopefully, this solves the problem. And if you’ve ever been banned and don’t know why Meta will finally let you know!
Really, does anyone care about stickers and stars? Meta threw that in there to add some perception of value. The big change comes via 2FA and better customer support.
Meta Verified is currently available in Australia and New Zealand and will launch in other countries soon.
It costs $14.99 per month for the app on iOS and Android and $11.99 per month for the web (Facebook only).
