1. As of this moment, 180,947 people follow me on Twitter. I assure you not one of them thinks exactly how I think, believes exactly what I believe, or agrees, implicitly or explicitly, with everything I say here or elsewhere. Sometimes they disagree vehemently and passionately.

2. I don't *expect* everyone who follows me to be in lockstep with me; one of me is enough in this world. I don't view their Twitter followship as an endorsement of my personal philosophies on anything. People follow me, or don't, for their own reasons.

3. This includes people who know me; friends and family and acquaintances follow me here and I can promise you I say things here that raise their blood pressure/make them roll their eyes/put me on mute for an indeterminate time. My politics and views are mine, not theirs...

4. ... and neither they nor I consider their followship to be considered in any way agreement or acquiescence (or, even, complicity). Sometimes they'll publicly comment on something I wrote, which is of course fine. Sometimes they'll wait until they see me, which is also fine.

5. (and sometimes they'll subtweet me, which is always fun.)

6. The converse of all of the above is also true. I follow over 500 people on Twitter, many of them friends, family or colleagues; none of them think/believe exactly as I do, and there are times where I disagree with some of them, not just a little, but immensely and with fervor.

7. I don't consider my followship to be a whole-sheet endorsement any more than anyone's followship of me to be the same. For me, that's not a useful expectation. We can't and don't read off the same sheet, online or offline. There's always divergence.

8. Now, to the extent that I am notable and know other notable people, there is the additional complication of the public nature of Twitter followership. I've been asked more than once why I follow various people, and I know various people have been asked why they follow *me*...

9. ... and I'm aware that for some folks who one follows is a litmus test. I'm not going to argue if that's fair or not; everyone makes their own choices for what/who is acceptable and safe in their life. If my following a particular person is a litmus test for you, that's fine.

10. I'm also aware that my thoughts on all of this are part and parcel with who I am and how I fit into the world, so my point of view here is not going to work for everyone (which is partly to my point, but even so). This is obviously fair to note and to criticize.

11. Anyone who follows me here on Twitter will know that I am not shy in expressing myself. This includes everyone who follows me who does not hold to my own specific point of view, which is, again, everyone, sooner or later. It's the nature of me, and you, and the medium.

12. That's it, that's the thread. Thanks for your attention. To play us out, here's Zeus, our senior cat, clearly expressing an opinion of your own. In keeping with the Scalzi tradition, he is not being shy about it.

(PS: For everyone who is about to ask "Is this about [Insert person here]?" Probably, but it's ALSO about people whom you have not inserted there. I get questioned/criticized for my followship of a LOT of folks, actually. It's the nature of a quasi-public life.)