Actually, I have been pondering over this for a while but I think it's time for me to make a decision now especially after the restriction on viewing tweets kicked in suddenly yesterday.
As of now, at least on my end, I can't load my timeline. Searching for tweets is also intermittent for me since yesterday. This makes me wonder, do I actually read more than 600 tweets in a day for this restriction to apply to me?
From this year onwards (no thanks to the changes happening within Twitter due to you-know-who), the functionality and usability of this platform have been affected in more ways than one.
Just to quote an example, the user analytics section is seeing a reduction in the number of statistics provided so it doesn't provide a very accurate picture of the user situation for this account. In addition, the information is often not up-to-date. Much as I know that as a "free" user, I can't be complaining but still...I am not asking for some fanciful features. Prior to yesterday, I could still try to convince myself to stay on this platform for its ease of use and the fact that I have a sizeable following here. However, to have the reading of tweets being restricted in this manner means that it's time for me to decide what to do going forward.
With immediate effect, the following changes will take place:
* News updates/posts which can fit into one tweet will still be provided on Twitter until further notice.
* For stuff which cannot fit into one tweet, please click the Facebook post link below the source to view the entire post.
The reason for the second change is that I have to load the first tweet in order for me to add the subsequent parts to the thread. However, based on yesterday's experience, it is near impossible to even load my own tweet unless the restriction is lifted. Since I am posting the same content on Facebook and that that does not have a character limit which forces me to break up the post into smaller bits, you will be able to view the content in its entirety over there. Alternatively, if you already have a Facebook account, you can just like/follow my page there.
The long term plan though, is to find another platform to replace my Twitter account.
For now, I hope to solicit some feedback from my Twitter followers on this with regard to the following questions:
* What other platform do you think is suitable to replace Twitter and why?
* Is there any other preferred channel or platform other than social media which will make it easier for me to post and for you to follow the news update?
For the Facebook followers - you can also give suggestions especially if you find that using the Facebook platform is inconvenient or difficult for you in any aspect.
It would be best if you can leave a comment on this blog post instead of replying to the thread on Twitter (in case I cannot load it). Looking forward to hearing from you as we try to navigate the transition to a new platform in the least painful manner as possible. Thank you!
6 comments:
Hello Chiaki!
Minds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minds_(social_network)
Pros: More characters per post, ability to edit posts, maybe better if you think of international following, but I'm not sure.
Cons: No mainstream media to follow for news updates.
Discord server dedicated to Jdrama News.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discord
Could maybe work. But I worry that the news could get lost among all other discussions. Unless there's separate channels created for J-Drama News *only* on that server.
I'm not sure how permanent a Discord server would be, how long messages are kept.
Another alternative would be to keep your Facebook page public and continue to only post news there. People can still read it whenever they want. And for major news, you can post them on your blog, as I've done in the past.
how about Instagram? it allows long text. the only thing is you'd have to put up a picture, but you can also just make an 'image' out of text.
I personally prefer Instagram over fb in terms of usability. there's also a new 'broadcast' function where you can post updates. it works a bit like Twitter.
for myself I've started following twt pple on ins and it works out okay. not perfect but close. just more image heavy.
I wanted to second the discord server option. the main con would be that you have to 'moderate' the forum which may / may not be something you want to do....
How about Tumblr as an alternative? Many people probably already have an account there.
For a more twitter like experience I use blorbo.social, which is a fandom friendly Mastodon server. Calckey and Misskey can be good alternatives as well even though they're not mainstream yet. The greatest benefit is that these platforms are part of the fediverse, meaning that if you choose to join Calckey I can still follow you from my Mastodon server. Tumblr will eventually join the fediverse as well so that's also something to keep in mind.
Threads from Meta is due to be released on 6 July per news reports today. I'm not a huge fan of Meta, but given its deep pockets, this could be a viable Twitter replacement. It could also attain a critical mass of users relatively quickly given the huge users bases for Facebook and Instagram. So, I'd recommend waiting a week and seeing if Threads takes off. My guess is that they're unlikely to repeat the same user-infuriating actions that we've seen on Twitter during the past year.
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