I'm transferring many of our Facebook posts to create a simple, accessible resource where you can enjoy, learn, and find inspiration. But there's also more to my decision that I'd love to share.

Morality and integrity

My feelings towards Facebook (and all major tech social media platforms) are well-known and thoroughly documented. I’m not eager to discuss the morality of Facebook and other big tech companies, as I don’t believe this is the right time or place for such a discussion. Needless to say, I find the behaviours, attitudes, and morals of social media platforms (and big tech) towards individuals, society, and our politics abhorrent.

Removal of posts

Facebook has removed many of my posts for reasons I still don’t understand. None of the posts removed contains anything offensive, divisive, or a breach of copyright. By publishing here, I can be confident that my posts will not be deleted, except by us.

Fake accounts!

Several Facebook pages have been created that claim to be us! They have stolen my writing, photographs, and videos, and they look compelling; one is still live on Facebook, despite my multiple requests to have it removed.

Content black hole

Publishing on Facebook is like tossing a ball into a black hole. All our posts are lost forever in the Facebook black hole. Searching for it, even if you know the exact text, produces nothing but a flood of pointless and irrelevant adverts and clickbait.

The time investment

I’ve spent hundreds of hours documenting our adventures, writing journals, recording videos and podcasts. I feel I've wasted a lot of time publishing them into the void of Facebook's black hole. Moving the posts onto our own website makes me feel my time wasn't wasted and that it will be something we can all look back on with pride!

Future proofing

I don’t want to rely on Facebook as a repository for hundreds of hours of my effort and the sacrifices we have made to document our charitable endeavours. Having the posts here will stand the test of time. Although they will undoubtedly become less relevant, they will never disappear. Facebook may purge our content at some point, our page might get hacked, or other scenarios might occur. This website and its content will remain long after our Facebook page and its content have gone!

The trolls

I know I can’t stop them from coming on our website, but they can’t leave offensive comments or send us revolting messages as easily. If they do, I have more control over preventing, stopping, or reporting them to the authorities. Facebook moderation tools need a lot of work!

Why did we first publish on Facebook?

During the planning phase of our first charity walk, we needed quick, simple, and easily accessible ways to reach the largest possible audience. Facebook was the obvious choice for us. My wife already had a Facebook page to document our daughter's home education journey. I took over that page and renamed it Our Spectrum Adventures. I began posting nightly journals, along with other news and updates.

The future of Facebook

Our time publishing on Facebook gained us nearly 14000 followers. I am eternally grateful and appreciative of everyone. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to raise the amount of money we did or receive the generous support we were given.

I have kept our Facebook page for them and still post on it occasionally. We no longer use it as our primary publishing platform, and I never will again! This website, ourspectrumadventures.com, is our online home and primary publishing platform, where I want to dedicate my time and energy, feeling liberated from Facebook's algorithms, adverts, and trolls!