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Twitter and platforms like it encourage snippet-based thinking. I've noticed a communication trend recently where, instead of a few well constructed paragraphs,

Twitter and platforms like it encourage snippet-based thinking. I've noticed a communication trend recently where, instead of a few well constructed paragraphs, you get a pile of half-finished thoughts in 200 charachters each, strung together in a stream of consciousness. This passes for written communication in some places. Not only are blogs easier for the reader. It's a more expressive medium for writers as well. To the extent writing is a reflection of thinking, writing microblog threads reflects a scattered and haphazard approach to solving problems. It poisons how we think, not just what we read. I've said this before but it becomes more clear every year - your biggest professional advantage, the skill you need to work on more than any theory or leet code, is written communication. The number of people who simply cannot or will not write a coherent paragraph is way too high. We have people in top professional positions that are functionally illiterate.

matthewdgreen 2y ago
These aren’t mutually exclusive. I sometimes begin with a thread as a rough draft while I’m still thinking, and then move it into a more polished blog post. It is also (at least in last years when Twitter/X had a better SNR) a great way to get people to quickly consume ideas. But most importantly, the thread format gives you instant real-time feedback about which portions of the thought process resonate with readers, whereas a blog is all-or-nothing. Hard to find a perfect example, but here’s one I learnt developed bits of: https://x.com/matthew_d_green/status/1800291897245835616?s=46 https://x.com/matthew_d_green/status/1800291897245835616?s=4...
ozymandias8 2y ago
> The number of people who simply cannot or will not write a coherent paragraph is way too high. We have people in top professional positions that are functionally illiterate. I feel this deeply in my day-to-day at a mid size public tech company. But how do you turn this into an advantage when your audience (colleagues and leadership) are either functionally illiterate as you describe, or simply refuse to read?

matthewdgreen 2y ago

These aren’t mutually exclusive. I sometimes begin with a thread as a rough draft while I’m still thinking, and then move it into a more polished blog post. It is also (at least in last years when Twitter/X had a better SNR) a great way to get people to quickly consume ideas. But most importantly, the thread format gives you instant real-time feedback about which portions of the thought process resonate with readers, whereas a blog is all-or-nothing. Hard to find a perfect example, but here’s one I learnt developed bits of: https://x.com/matthew_d_green/status/1800291897245835616?s=46 https://x.com/matthew_d_green/status/1800291897245835616?s=4...

ozymandias8 2y ago

> The number of people who simply cannot or will not write a coherent paragraph is way too high. We have people in top professional positions that are functionally illiterate. I feel this deeply in my day-to-day at a mid size public tech company. But how do you turn this into an advantage when your audience (colleagues and leadership) are either functionally illiterate as you describe, or simply refuse to read?