Twitter’s replacement

[AnRoinnUltra]

A wee list of past (I’ve been here a while, dudes) and present - feel free to add others, those on there Chronners

Fair play, thanks -seems like a twitter reboot

 

[Jo Zebedee]

TBH, I'm afraid I only recognise you on that list, Jo...

that’s cos I admit to my true identity lol - there are a number of current chronners on there

 

[Jo Zebedee]

@Pyan - on the list @The Big Peat @Abernovo @Juliana @millymollymo @Phyrebrat @TheDustyZebra @Christine Wheelwright @AnRoinnUltra and @Luiglin

 

[Luiglin]

I’ve enjoyed Bluesky for a year for two now — I deleted my Twitter account on 6th Nov.

The only thing I’ve seen on bsky is (along with a huge load of new users), sadly the ‘buy my book’ people are out in force.

Note to self: send @Phyrebrat subtle message about buying my book

 

[Dave]

Not my experience and it's still a fun and lively place to interact. Musk has opened things up compared to the previous regime, which has certainly caused some angst among a lot of users, but I expect the fuss will settle down after a while and business as usual will resume.

I'm on Bluesky, though, so I'll hedge my bets

If that is your experience then keep using X in the same way that you are. Many people who have left don't understand the way the algorithms work. If they keep interacting with posts they don't like, whether it's quoting them or commenting on them, then the X computers thinks that is the content they enjoy seeing, and so will continue to show them more of the same. They need to share more posts that they do like, from people they want to see more of, and it will clean their "For You" feed within a day or so. I also Block people who post lies and misinformation, and then you'll never see them again. These will not stop the adverts, which have increased, but I generally use my own Lists, and Lists from others, that give you a curated feed from only those people. I've done that for many years setting up lists on different subjects, but it appears that few other people use X that way. Surprisingly, there are currently no adverts when you read a List.

However, I also like to 'take a walk on the wild side' sometimes, and often look at "what's trending" and it is that more general feed that I'm saying has deteriorated. The much publicised removal of the Block would mean that I'd see all those Blocked accounts once again which I can't face. A merge with Truth Social would be even worse in my opinion.

The are also political aspects and political reasons for people leaving. Issues with the owner's behaviour. I can't and won't comment on those, but I think they are very unlikely "to settle down after a while and business as usual will resume."

I've only lost about 1,500 followers in a week which isn't that bad really. The rate of leaving has slowed down. So, I'm staying for now with the account I manage, but have deleted my personal account as I never used it much. It seems that many bots went away last week too, which is good. Many people say that they intend to leave on 19th Jan 2025, so I'll see what happens then. I don't think I'll move to BlueSky as I'd rather spend less time on social media anyway.

Not everyone is having a good experience on BlueSky. Hannah Bourne-Taylor who wrote Fledgling and has a petition to have Swift boxes fitted to every new-build house tried to join and she immediately found that her "whole profile has been slapped with a content warning." Does the blue sky not like birds?

 

[Pyan]

Not everyone is having a good experience on BlueSky. Hannah Bourne-Taylor who wrote Fledgling and has a petition to have Swift boxes fitted to every new-build house tried to join and she immediately found that her "whole profile has been slapped with a content warning." Does the blue sky not like birds?

Perhaps they thought she was advocating locking Taylor up in a box...

 

[Harpo]

Perhaps they thought she was advocating locking Taylor up in a box...

Not for the first time

 

[Steve Harrison]

If that is your experience then keep using X in the same way that you are.

The exodus from Twitter/X is interesting as the platform seems far more open and inclusive now than it was pre-Musk. It's currently a bit of a chaotic free-for-all as Musk tinkers with it, which has clearly put many people off, but I expect it will settle down again over time.

The key for me is to not take it too seriously, follow a mix of people I agree and disagree with, ignore malicious users (and/or bots) and remain skeptical of everything (which has prompted some very interesting research). Oh, and promote my books (it's still the best platform for sales!).