Anybody considering leaving Twitter?

[brewski]

I'm now on Bluesky, and for what it's worth, my followers have been climbing this week. So far it does remind me of the Twitter of yore.

https://bsky.app/profile/brucehodges.bsky.social

Meanwhile, I have a zip file of my Twitter posts, and have made my account private. I'll probably nuke the account by the end of the year. A shame, really, considering the former vitality of the platform that is now gone.

-Bruce

[Kalevala]

I don't, since I never participated. But I remember what it was represented as. People would make short personal comments ("I had a good cup of coffee at Joe's", "My cat coughed up a hairball," Traffic was bad on the five today") and they would percolate around to other people with nothing better to do.

Didn't the library of congress archive tweets (anonymously) at one point?

I've never participated either, but I did read Tweets of people that I liked--like Federer.

K

[Florestan]

People would make short personal comments ("I had a good cup of coffee at Joe's", "My cat coughed up a hairball," Traffic was bad on the five today") and they would percolate around to other people with nothing better to do.

This has always been my impression about what Twitter was, therefore I never considered joining it. To paraphrase McLuhan, global chit-chat of no interest whatsoever to me. 

[Florestan]

I've never participated either, but I did read Tweets of people that I liked--like Federer.

Why?

I mean, what could Federer really tweet of interest to you, that you were not aware of before reading his tweets?

I'm asking candidly, without any polemical intention.

[Brian]

A lot of people not on Twitter always made fun of it as idle chitchat about breakfast, but that was not true for me. I made multiple real-life friends out of the platform. One came when a mutual friend of ours said "you should follow each other" and we started chatting about shared interests in art. Another was a reader who followed my work as a writer.

As a journalist my experience was of course different from most - I also used it as a professional networking site, talking with people from the NY Times and other publications. One of my restaurant reviews went viral on Twitter once upon a time, maybe 7 years ago.

In the past year or so it became almost completely useless, most of the accounts being spammers or scammers, and readers stopped finding our work through Twitter. Bluesky appears - in design and function - to basically be the same as Old Twitter. If everyone uses it the same way, hey, maybe I'll make another friend. 

[brewski]

I don't, since I never participated. But I remember what it was represented as. People would make short personal comments ("I had a good cup of coffee at Joe's", "My cat coughed up a hairball," Traffic was bad on the five today") and they would percolate around to other people with nothing better to do.

This has always been my impression about what Twitter was, therefore I never considered joining it. To paraphrase McLuhan, global chit-chat of no interest whatsoever to me. 

There was certainly some of that. But at its best, it was a platform for breaking news that was reported before other outlets weighed in, and also, for important news that might not have been of worldwide concern, which may have been ignored elsewhere.

I curated my feed pretty tightly, so it was a good experience.

Just saw Brian's post, which was similar to my experience, too. I have also made a few real-life friends as a result, e.g., one friend who wrote, "We met at a concert ten years ago, and you may not remember me." Well, now he and his wife are among my closest pals — thanks to a chance connection on Twitter.

-Bruce

[Spotted Horses]

Is an invite needed to join bluesky?

[Florestan]

important news that might not have been of worldwide concern, which may have been ignored elsewhere.

Important news to whom?

Consider this hypothetically case: my dog was poisoned by my neighbor who could not stand its barking all day long while I was away at job.

I'm sure tens of thousands of people would have expressed their sympathy to me --- and tens of thousands of other people would have sympathized with my neighbor.

Or viceversa.

Truly and certainly, not of worldwide concern.



Actually, not hypothetical at all:  the neighbors above my flat have two dogs which bark all day long while they are away at their jobs. I often daydream about poisoning the darn beasts....

[Karl Henning]

A lot of people not on Twitter always made fun of it as idle chitchat about breakfast, but that was not true for me. I made multiple real-life friends out of the platform. One came when a mutual friend of ours said "you should follow each other" and we started chatting about shared interests in art. Another was a reader who followed my work as a writer.

As a journalist my experience was of course different from most - I also used it as a professional networking site, talking with people from the NY Times and other publications. One of my restaurant reviews went viral on Twitter once upon a time, maybe 7 years ago.

In the past year or so it became almost completely useless, most of the accounts being spammers or scammers, and readers stopped finding our work through Twitter. Bluesky appears - in design and function - to basically be the same as Old Twitter. If everyone uses it the same way, hey, maybe I'll make another friend. 

At best these platforms are Social as well as Media.

Is an invite needed to join bluesky?

That used to be true, but may no longer be.

[brewski]

Is an invite needed to join bluesky?

It was at the beginning, but not any more.

Important news to whom?

I get your skepticism. No, I'm thinking, say, classical music news, or other news germane to specific fields of interest, which might not merit "international breaking" coverage, but which many of us might be grateful to know about. At the moment, I can't think of an example, but certainly dog poisonings — sad as they are — would not be on my personal "can't miss" list. 

-Bruce

[Florestan]

I get your skepticism.

Thanks. And don't get me wrong: I would never poison those dogs even if I could.

No, I'm thinking, say, classical music news, or other news germane to specific fields of interest, which might not merit "international breaking" coverage, but which many of us might be grateful to know about.

Fair enough.

[Spotted Horses]

Important news to whom?

Ideally you get news from accounts you subscribe to. I have deactivated my twitter account, which I never posted to, but I remember following a few accounts such as Hilary Hahn, Chandos records, etc, which would send me innocuous news items. You could also subscribe to news outlets you are interested in. An issue for me is the dominance of material from sources you didn't subscribe to, toxic content from sources that pay to identify you. That's the essence of "social media" as it has developed. You are the product, not the customer.

[Florestan]

That's the essence of "social media" as it has developed. You are the product, not the customer.

Hear, hear!

GMG is a "classical music" forum. Can you imagine your favorite composer(s) and performer(s) using Twitter?

[Brian]

Can you imagine your favorite composer(s) and performer(s) using Twitter?

Very easily. Stephen Hough and the conductor Kenneth Woods were especially good users of Twitter who interacted with fans and contributed genuinely thoughtful musical commentary, along with the occasional video clip. Woods loved to promote contemporary music his orchestras commissioned, including a lot that is now being enjoyed by our friend foxandpeng. Joyce DiDonato once sent me a thank-you note on Twitter.

A composer-musicologist friend of mine from university used his Twitter, and now uses his Bluesky, to promote contemporary music concerts and videos, along with historical research on composers from past eras.

(It's funny to have this conversation after Twitter is effectively dead.)

[Spotted Horses]

Hear, hear!

GMG is a "classical music" forum. Can you imagine your favorite composer(s) and performer(s) using Twitter?

Yes, as I mentioned, I followed a few. Hilary Hahn spoke about music she was preparing, and described her practice and rehearsal routines, which could be interesting. I never had the nerve to post anything to her.

[JBS]

Very easily. Stephen Hough and the conductor Kenneth Woods were especially good users of Twitter who interacted with fans and contributed genuinely thoughtful musical commentary, along with the occasional video clip. Woods loved to promote contemporary music his orchestras commissioned, including a lot that is now being enjoyed by our friend foxandpeng. Joyce DiDonato once sent me a thank-you note on Twitter.

A composer-musicologist friend of mine from university used his Twitter, and now uses his Bluesky, to promote contemporary music concerts and videos, along with historical research on composers from past eras.

(It's funny to have this conversation after Twitter is effectively dead.)

Stephen Isserlis posts almost daily. Most of his posts are born/died in this day of (mostly) musicians/composers with quotes from them. But there are also a considerable number of posts in which he documents the troubles of travelling with cello.

[steve ridgway]

My wife's still very keen on Ex-Twitter. Mainly for discussing serious health issues that are suppressed by other media with professionals, researchers and people looking to improve their wellbeing, but she also follows plenty of fun and positive posters. I don't use it myself as have nothing important to say so would sit there forever with zero followers, but she has some 11,000.

[AnotherSpin]

My wife's still very keen on Ex-Twitter. Mainly for discussing serious health issues that are suppressed by other media with professionals, researchers and people looking to improve their wellbeing, but she also follows plenty of fun and positive posters. I don't use it myself as have nothing important to say so would sit there forever with zero followers, but she has some 11,000.

 

[Kalevala]

My wife's still very keen on Ex-Twitter. Mainly for discussing serious health issues that are suppressed by other media with professionals, researchers and people looking to improve their wellbeing, but she also follows plenty of fun and positive posters. I don't use it myself as have nothing important to say so would sit there forever with zero followers, but she has some 11,000.

  Interesting!  Like what?

K

[steve ridgway]

  Interesting!  Like what?

At root exactly how the body works and the effects that foods and particularly pharmaceutical drugs have on it, the biochemical mechanisms involved.