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Got out of Twitter after seven years using it like a breaking news website from few vetted sources: bots, venom, ads and shameless plugs just made the experienc

by DrNuke 7y ago

Got out of Twitter after seven years using it like a breaking news website from few vetted sources: bots, venom, ads and shameless plugs just made the experience more and more unsufferable, so good riddance. Also unfollowed any contact on LinkedIn, the amount of motivational fluff and plain gibberish just astounding, something like facebook for professionals. Am I happier? Nope, but the void will be somehow filled by something more productive or just interesting.

Mathnerd314 7y ago
I've been using Twitter for news, IMO it's not too hard to get things "right": - start from a (small) curated list, like https://twitter.com/i/lists/1014747092554866689 https://twitter.com/i/lists/1014747092554866689 for national politics - add in news publications you read - add in reporters from those news publications (they usually link their account in their bio) - add in accounts of people who appear in the stories - continue for 2-3 years At the moment I'm following 18k news-ish accounts spread across 4 lists. The main Twitter interface doesn't work for that many accounts, but Tweetdeck does. I open it up in the morning and get a 10-minute dose of "reality", leaving me with 5-6 interesting news stories to read later from opening the links in background tabs. Even with semi-curated lists there's a lot of fluff in the feeds, but since it scrolls by in less than 10 seconds I don't mind as much. Is this the best setup? Probably not, Nassim Taleb has written some good articles arguing that nobody should read any news. But it's enough to cover most of the popular trends and satisfy that "in the loop" craving.
vertis 7y ago
I am incredibly close to getting rid of my twitter account. Already most of my meaningful interactions have moved to private group chats on Slack (etc).
- jvagner 7y ago
  I unfollowed all accounts, deleted all my tweets and just login periodically to see what's trending or to follow a hashtag associated with a sporting event I'm interested in. And since I do that from home, I have the twitter app on my iPad but not my phone. Nice way to keep it but throttle it.

by DrNuke 7y ago

Mathnerd314 7y ago

I've been using Twitter for news, IMO it's not too hard to get things "right": - start from a (small) curated list, like https://twitter.com/i/lists/1014747092554866689 https://twitter.com/i/lists/1014747092554866689 for national politics - add in news publications you read - add in reporters from those news publications (they usually link their account in their bio) - add in accounts of people who appear in the stories - continue for 2-3 years At the moment I'm following 18k news-ish accounts spread across 4 lists. The main Twitter interface doesn't work for that many accounts, but Tweetdeck does. I open it up in the morning and get a 10-minute dose of "reality", leaving me with 5-6 interesting news stories to read later from opening the links in background tabs. Even with semi-curated lists there's a lot of fluff in the feeds, but since it scrolls by in less than 10 seconds I don't mind as much. Is this the best setup? Probably not, Nassim Taleb has written some good articles arguing that nobody should read any news. But it's enough to cover most of the popular trends and satisfy that "in the loop" craving.

vertis 7y ago

I am incredibly close to getting rid of my twitter account. Already most of my meaningful interactions have moved to private group chats on Slack (etc).

jvagner 7y ago
I unfollowed all accounts, deleted all my tweets and just login periodically to see what's trending or to follow a hashtag associated with a sporting event I'm interested in. And since I do that from home, I have the twitter app on my iPad but not my phone. Nice way to keep it but throttle it.