Friends, I'm popping into your life on a rare Thursday to let you know that your inbox is safe with me!
My secure web platform does not have a virus and does not send out fake links.
Honest!
At least a dozen of you - including my own children - wrote to say that their computer system sent this week's Tuesday letter directly to their Spam/ Junk folder, OR arrived with a scary warning like this one that my daughter received (thankfully, she laughed!)
"This message seems dangerous. it contains a suspicious link...etc etc etc."
My web helper checked it out, and Michelle discovered that certain computer programs flagged my letter with a warning simply because I used the words "Con. . . Theories" and "Mis. . . tion" in the title.
Ironically, as those of you who read my post and commented already know, I was simply trying to caution all of us about the need to read widely, vet media sources, and beware of the proliferation of "con. . . theories." (We've been flooded with them here in WNC post-hurricane).
Instead, some mail systems flagged my warning with a warning! (Side note: Wouldn't it be great if actual Con... theories and Mis....tion were labeled as such?!)
Funny thing, I was already planning to talk about algorithms next week and how they often determine what stories are shown to us, and an AI algorithm must have been deployed when my letter went out.
In over 15 years of writing explicitly Christian, faith-based content, I've never been subjected to censorship, and that's not what happened here. The web server algorithm simply sounded a false alarm.
But here's what I don't want you to miss.
This week's Tuesday letter contains an opportunity to put in your name for our October giveaway - the late Lucinda Secrest McDowell's beautiful new gift book, 52 Prayers of Blessing for Women.
Because of the glitch, I'm upping the ante to three giveaway copies.
To enter, please leave a comment on the original post (even if you have to pull it out from your Spam folder and brush off the gum and food wrappers.)
You can also add my email - maggie@maggierowe.com - to your Safe Sender list if you haven't already.
All for now - winners chosen on Sunday!
Hugs,
Maggie