In 2008 I joined a community of writers on a site called NewsVine. It took quite a while, but I eventually got some visibility on that site, and I found that very enjoyable and rewarding... Having many productive conversations with people of widely varying ideologies. I wrote both humorous pieces and political pieces. As time passed, people I describe as trolls took over... turning every dialog into a hate-filled food fight. I stuck with the Vine until it finally succumbed to the vitriol. After the Vine was gone (subsumed by MSNBC) I went looking for another place I could write and, most importantly, have respectful and thought provoking dialog. I found Medium and submitted my first article somewhere around 2016. Alas, I have yet to find the dialog and visibility I loved so much on the Vine. I'm not leaving Medium, but I'm not very inspired to write either... It is the notion that someone (better yet, many) will see what I have written and respond... I have yet to find that on medium... Sorry for the woe is me rant... :o\

I do enjoy your writing very much Mark. Keep up the good work, and please don't leave.