Edit – as of 6/10/19 the SBC Explainer account mentioned below has disappeared from the Twitterverse, thankfully.

Edit – at some point in 2020 (continuing the tradition of 2020 being a year composed of awful things) the SBC Explainer account returned. The SBC (and the church) is not better for it and I would recommend you avoid the foolishness that defines the content they send out.

The Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting for 2019 in Birmingham, AL is fast approaching.

Each year around this time several helpful guides emerge on various social media platforms. These guides cover everything: how the convention functions, what reports are of particular interest this year, where to eat (and how to manage the lines at lunch).

One aspect that I don’t see covered in other guides is how to handle the up-swell of social media activity comes along with the beginning of the annual meeting. It is that particular gap I’d like to address as a veteran of many annual meetings. SBC social media has become, in my opinion, an essential element of experiencing the Annual Meeting. Not only does this medium allow Messengers to connect with other Messengers they may not meet in person it also connects (because of the SBC’s commitment to live-stream the Annual Meeting) members of the Southern Baptist family who are unable to attend the Annual Meeting in person.

Where can you find this online ecosystem I am talking about? Why, Twitter, of course. None of the other major social media platforms present the open, public organization (i.e. hashtags) around which SBC Annual Meeting social media gathers and thus what I am writing about pertains exclusively to the Twitter platform.

First, SBC Annual Meeting Twitter is really, really fun.

In my opinion you should keep your Twitter app open during the sessions of the annual meeting. Helpful information flows freely and quickly in the associated hashtags of the Annual Meeting.

Here I should pause and note that there is, every year, some initial confusion about the right Twitter hashtag to use. There will be something like #SBCAnnualMeeting2019 and #SBC19 in the early hours of the convention. Eventually, each year, the shorter hashtag ends up having the most associated tweets with it. We could all save some time (and characters; this is Twitter after all) if we just hop right on #SBC19 right away.

It isn’t just information, however, that flows freely on the app – the Southern Baptist Convention is blessed with a large number of legitimately witty and humorous participants. Yes, there are also a considerable number who are witty and humorous in their own minds only. However, this will quickly sort itself out in your feed. The good-natured humor on SBC Twitter is well worth consuming on social media during your time at the annual meeting.

Second, SBC Annual Meeting Twitter also has trolls who need to be avoided.

Like all of internet culture, social media, and Twitter in particular the good of SBC Annual Meeting twitter is mitigated by the presence of trolls. The same open and organized structure that allows Messengers of good will to gather up for conversation around Annual Meeting hashtags provides a forum for trolls acting in bad faith to [attempt to] manipulate the goings-on of the Annual Meeting.

Remember that the SBC remains the largest Protestant denomination in the United States and thus its doings are of interest for a number of reasons to a (still) broad swatch of people and organizations around the world. As a result there is a spectrum of motivations driving the trolls who participate in SBC Annual Meeting social media, some less harmful, some more.

So what should you do as someone who is going to follow my advice to keep Twitter open during the annual meeting? Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you in regards to the trolls:

Block or Mute Anonymous Accounts You Find in SBC Annual Meeting Hashtags

Americans are more aware of the dangers of manipulation by faceless Twitter bots/trolls than we ever have been because of our running conversation in the political realm about how foreign agents attempt to manipulate U.S. poltics through these kinds of accounts.

This same principle applies to the Southern Baptist Annual Meeting social media. Because of the amount of money flowing through The Cooperative Program and the relative footprint of influence represented by Southern Baptists there is considerable amount of interest in manipulating how the SBC approaches issues like mission and education spending, issues of social justice, and approaches to human sexuality.

The best way to guard against these efforts to manipulate the conversation is to listen only to those people willing to put their real names and real-life reputations on the line when they participate in the conversation. Twitter profiles representing human names with real churches and institutions in their bio give us the best opportunity to find participants who are acting in good faith within the events of the Annual Meeting.

As I mentioned, real-world names connected to real-world churches and institutions are the best indicators of a good-faith participant in Annual Meeting conversations. In contrast, anonymous accounts present the most likely avenue for those attempting to manipulate the conversation for ulterior motives.

Specific examples of accounts to avoid as a means of identifying the characteristics of anonymous troll accounts :

Pulpit & Pen – this pseudo news blog represents one of the most toxic examples of faceless troll accounts likely to show up in your SBC Annual Meeting hashtag feed. While we know some of the people behind this organization, the noxious J.D. Hall being the most well-known person associated with Pulpit & Pen, there are a number of writers who contribute to the site and the P&P twitter account makes no effort to identify the person behind the tweet, allowing for the full expression of vitriol (most often deeply unthoughful) that would be otherwise restrained by the threat of public embarrassment and real-world consequences.

SBC Explainer – This account represents the means of manipulation available to those who would mask their identities through anonymous Twitter accounts. The Twitter handle of the account assumes a kind of official credibility for this account but the reality cannot be further from the truth. Thankfully, the last line of the account’s bio indicates there is no official connection to the Southern Baptist Convention (possibly to avoid legal consequences for the public adoption of SBC copyrighted images) I have serious doubts as to how many first or annual meeting-only users of Twitter will see that small disclaimer.

On the other hand, notice that the unnamed user of the account has recently deleted all tweets prior to about a week ago – a deletion that removes a public record of divisive and spiteful interactions with other users. Often social media anonymity provides cover for petty and cowardly conduct. SBC Explainer is a text book example of this phenomenon and should be avoided.

The Baptist Blogger – like J.D. Hall with Pulpit & Pen we know at least one person behind this account. Ben Cole is an off-again, on-again participant in Southern Baptist life who is currently on again and thus likely to be found in the Social Media of this year’s annual meeting. Cole’s record of inappropriate public conduct apparently makes his use of an anonymous handle helpful to his aims, whatever they may be this time around. Here we see an illustration of why real-world names and institutions help us find good-faith actors and why the lack of those things help us see accounts to avoid.

I should be clear: not all anonymous accounts represent bad-faith actors. I personally follow several that I find helpful. However, this time of year is bad time of year for Southern Baptist Messengers to allow these kinds of accounts access to their ears. Stick to the known this year and get the best out of the Southern Baptist Annual Meeting social media, both for yourself and our denomination.

Third, if you are new to all this here is a list of helpful accounts to get you started with.

Twitter allows for the creation of lists and the following accounts represent the kind of open, honest, and forthright users of social media that will help you find the best of SBC Annual Meeting social media. Again I need to be clear – these accounts aren’t the only helpful ones available, just ones I have found helpful for numerous Annual Meetings which also represent a diversity of perspectives. I trust they will continue the course. In no particular order:

That should get you started well. Enjoy Birmingham, the Annual Meeting, and SBC Annual Meeting Twitter!

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