Since the Trump Inauguration, I have turned to Twitter more and more to cover late-breaking news. Specifically, I post “threads“–that is, series of messages in sequence that allows readers to follow along–as I digest an opinion. In addition, after I wrote a fairly lengthy blog post, I will post a series of tweets that attempt to explain the post concisely. Thus, rather than requiring readers to slog through a 3,000 word post, I will pluck out the top 15 or 20 highlights. Invariably, someone on Twitter responds to a single one of those tweets, and comments that I made an error or missed the bigger picture. Whether my would-be interlocutors read the entire thread, let alone the entire post, is unclear.

In any event, I am confronted with a choice. Do I reply with a snarky tweet to the effect of “Did you read the entire post?” Or do I attempt, in one or more tweets, to explain to that one person the full context. I prefer not to snark on Twitter, and lengthy tweet wars are not productive. Nor do I want to waste my time explaining for one person what I had already spent several hours explaining for the entire community.

My preference: say nothing, and let my work speak for itself. If you tweet at me–especially in an attempt to prove me wrong–please don’t feel offended or slighted if I ignore you. If you want my opinion–especially if you are a law professor–email me. I’ll do my best to reply right away, and may even write a subsequent post.