But that's not my situation at all - though I admit mine connection with TTLG is probably a bit unique. It's no secret to anyone here that I used to be strongly evangelical - progressive, but conservative in my religious beliefs, and a pastor and theology teacher to top it off. Then I left it all behind - mostly because I was challenged so much by many of you and past members in these pages, which led to a lot of soul searching. I owe TTLG a LOT in that regard. Even though I left that life behind, I didn't leave the people behind. I even relocated geographically because of that whole thing, but there are people still in that group that I grew up with and still have strong affection for, despite their assholery when it comes to politics and religion. Add to that, my family are all conservatives and I now live thousands of miles away from them. FB is the logical way to keep up with these people, and especially to keep my family updated on my health situation. So in a sense, I didn't really "choose" my FB friends - I confirmed them out of a practical need stay connected with them. But that doesn't mean I want to discuss Trump, or God, or sex, or raising children, or even music with them. It's easy to say "just unfriend them" but then that link is lost for me, and the obvious question becomes - "should I unfriend my own mother?" I could do that, but is it really worth the drama and conflict over a FB account? Regardless, even when I post original thoughts or try to start a discussion, it gets lost in the mix. Replies are one to two sentences, even from well-meaning posters, but there is hardly ever a real discussion and when there is, it's usually an argument. It's just not the same - and I say that as someone who, as a direct result of my conversations here, changed my entire life and career, moved away, re-invented myself and started a new life. Tell me when anyone, ever, has done that over a FB conversation. My experience here is probably way more intense than most people's but the fact is, online forums/communities like this have the potential to affect and challenge us much more than Twitter and FB. Particularly when you've developed relationships with the members beyond funny memes and sharing Onion articles. Hell, TTLG has collectively contributed nearly $10,000 toward my medical bills in the last two years. There's no way shit like that happens out of FB hookups when someone liked your post and decided to friend or follow you. That happens because of daily interaction and sharing life together which forums like this allow for to whatever degree the user chooses.