Twitter: Well, he don't beat me

I'm sorry to say, but this is the best thing that can be said about Twitter right now. Twitter is not beating us, not holding us hostage and not physically harming us.  But our collective relationship to Twitter right now is sort of like being married to an alcoholic. It's unpredictable, unreliable and opaque, but expects that we'll always be there, full of unconditional love.  We're supposed to live off the good times and be grateful that Twitter has given us a place to hang our Tweets.  You know what? 15 years ago, I left a marriage with two kids under the age of 3. My mom asked, "Sis, he don't hit you, does he?"  Nope, he didn't hit me, but I was deeply and unhealthily unhappy and knew that it would never get any better, solely based on what I needed.  He was and is a nice guy, a good dad, but I had to get out. 

If I could leave a relationship with two little kids, no job, and no permanent place to stay, I sure as heck can walk away from Twitter. It seems melodramatic, but I think that Twitter is banking on the fact that it has had tremendous loyalty from the start.  Up until yesterday, I was ready to stand by my API, but after watching how Twitter let my Twits down during ALA, I decided it was time for a trial separation. The "perpetual beta" excuse just doesn't cut it for me any more. I love Twitter enough that I would pay at least a few bucks a month for stable, reliable access, but don't see that happening any time soon. I'm encouraging all you other Twits to stage an intervention and join Steven Cohen, Josh Neff and others over at FriendFeed. You can find me under tinfoilraccoon or rochellehartman. I'll keep my access open for now. 

Dear Twitter: Please get your ass into rehab.  It breaks our hearts to see you like this, but we can't continue to enable you. You come in and out at all hours, don't tell us where you're going and you've let us down when we've most needed you.  It breaks my heart even more to tell you that I'm leaving, effective immediately. I'll be keeping track of your recovery efforts. We love you and wish you the best. xo --rh

Dear Horizon 3.0.8 OPAC: You're on notice, too.

Comments

[Mikhail R.]

I was surfing at a genealogy site recently, and now it makes perfect sense. Twitter is the genetically-damaged offspring of Twitch and Sputter.

Can I quote your open letter to Twitter in my blog?

[TMD]

Friend raster has declared today (7/11/08) Twitter-free Friday, trying to raise awareness of identi.ca and its open-source, distributed goodness. One hopes that Twitter will eventually recognize that the two can work together.

Read raster's post at http://rasterweb.net/raster/2008/07/10/twitter-free-friday-explained/

[K.R.]

This is making me glad I have never so much as looked at Twitter. Stay strong, mamaro!

[joshua m. neff]

"Manstick"? Is that the male counterpart to Secret deodorant?

[rochelle]

Like I told you off-blog, Bobbi--I will let any comments stand as long as you aren't hiding behind a pseudonym or launching personal attacks or trying to sell me something to increase the length, girth or staying power of my manstick.

[Bobbi Newman]

OMG I love you! Ok that might be a little over the top, but dang! I've been feeling a little less than love towards twitter lately. But I've stuck with it, because, well everyone else has. Let's face it, it's a monopoly, yeah that's right, Like Ma Bell or your local drug dealer. You only get your fix there because well, how else you gonna place your next phone call or get your next fix, depending on your analogy of preference? And of course, all your friends are doing it.

Ok realizing I perhaps should have saved rant about how twitter is like crank for my own blog, so I totally understand if you don't approve my comment

[Librarygoon]

It would be interesting to see if/how this fragments your established social network.

[Stephen Michael Kellat]

I hear what you say. For now I am going to try to stick with Pownce and see how that goes.

[Brandi Tuttle]

I support your war on Twitter!
(cuz if they aren't with us they are against us!)

[Steve Lawson]

Twitter is the new OPAC.