How Do You Tweet? 4 Twitter Applications You Might Want To Try

With so many desktop applications out there for twitter so that I can feed my habit,I wanted to enable you review my top 4. I have used many, these stand out. I am still on the search for the perfect solution...and I like to play with tech. So, here goes:

Power Twitter:

Power Twitter is an add-on for Firefox. I used to use this, and it is quite good. It augments the twitter web page, so you actually access twitter through the web page. But some of the things that Power Twitter allows you to do:

• see links as actual names of links, huge plus because of the twitter vulnerabilities that were exploited a few months ago.
• has embedded media, both pictures and video..no need to click the links to see it, it shows up in your stream
• does not have search
• does not have groups or columns, it is straight twitter web interface
• mouseover avatars for recent tweets

I like Power Twitter, and is is a good choice if your followers are quite manageable. But I found that I needed something that allowed me to organize a bit better. So I switched to TweetDeck.

TweetDeck:

• Is a stand-alone application based upon Adobe Air that you download and use on your desktop
allows groups and columns according to how you set them up. You can have groups of friends, business, people who make you laugh..use your imagination
• allows searches to be incorporated into columns, so you can follow a topic site-wide, regardless of whether you follow the person. It updates automatically, just as your regular stream
• allows you to do everything with a follower simply by scrolling over the avatar. Reply, DM, Retweet, add to group, delete a tweet, everything can be done by mouseover. This, in my opinion, is the best feature of TweetDeck. Fast, and easy.
• Allows easy color change from Settings if you don't like black background and white type. I do not.
• reply window is right at the top, where you would naturally put your mouse
• allows adding Facebook to your columns to check friends' status at a glance (does not include messages or comments on the pages)
• only allows 10 columns, so you may run out of room if you have a lot of separate groups. I have over 3,000 friends 4 groups and a permanent search, and still have columns left, however
• Does NOT show link names, a weakness in my opinion
• does not have embedded media, again, a weakness

I was satisfied with TweetDeck, but some others were talking about Destroy Twitter. Faithful in relationships, I let my fickleness surface when it comes to tech toys. So I tried it.

Destroy Twitter:

• another stand-alone app with Adobe Air downloaded for desktop
• allows you to adjust the size by choosing regular or expanded view
• does not allow stretching of window, or a horizontal scroll bar, instead you must tab to see other columns, which I find cumbersome
• not as easy as TweetDeck to see search, you cannot have all columns showing at the same time
• colors are not as easy to change, but the Theme Builder at the site is extensive and allows you to upload your theme, and change them with ease. Once you realize where it is. Similar to Google themes
• allows exclusion of terms as well as global search
• has a beautiful user interface, artsy and well-thought out.
• supports, choice of is.gd, bit.ly, digg and migre.me, for links; for pictures: Twitgoo, TweetPhoto, TwitPic, Posterous, Mobypicture and img.ly
• I do miss the placement of the tweets window..in TweetDeck it is at the top, in Destroy Twitter it is in the left hand corner.
• also miss the ease of replies, DMs and all operations through mouseover on avatars like in TweetDeck
• does not convert URLs to names
• does not show media in the stream, still have to click on links in order to see pictures or video

Not able to leave well enough alone, I heard that Seesmic had an update, so I had to check that one out, too. DId I mention I am fickle?

Seesmic:

• also a downloadable desktop client application
• only one color option that I can see, but it is readable, gray background with light blue. Still, if you don't like blue, you may not enjoy the user interface..I found the colors uninspiring
• allows creation of groups, I am told an unlimited amount
• URL, image and shrink text (shorten URLS) buttons at the top, under the reply window
• support for multiple accounts (yay!) at the same time. This is huge!
• Facebook support
• can stretch window to the size you want
• has referenced tweets, underneath it mentions who the reply was to
• each column is a different color; in the future, being able to choose your own colors would be handy
• media also not shown in stream, must click on URLs to see it
• has the icons on the avatar, like TweetDeck. Love this feature, it is intuitive
• can drag columns into the order you want them. Also a great feature
• search is very easy, with a text box at the top right
• easy to add search columns, also
• cuuute (via my son) raccoon icon

Since I am reviewing these apps and I actually use them, let me tell you what I want (what I really, really want) If you wanna be my lover want me to LOVE your twitter client:

• Give me the look of Destroy Twitter, customizable themes
• URL names and media incorporated directly into my stream, a la Power Twitter
• searchable and columns, like TweetDeck, but make the column number unlimited or at least more than TEN
• multiple accounts supported, like Seesmic
• other social media platforms supported, digg, Jaiku, Pownce, Identi.ca, and RSS, to name a few, like gwibber (which is not available unless you do Linux, but has the right ideas, anyway)

So there you have it..my take on the desktop twitter applications I have tried. What did I miss? Which one do you just get excited over??

T, who is waiting for that great app, get with it, developers!

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Pretty sure if you are searching for evil otters and zombies, this is the place. And chocolate? That, too

Let's Play, name that search!

I thought it would be fun to show you some of the crazy things that people search for and somehow wind up on my blog. (see, I do too have readers!) Ready?

send chocolate
Number one. Suppose people are confused that I don't ship that precious brown cocoa gold to their door?

pulling my hair out
This is close behind, and believe it or not, people don't bounce from this one...they stick around and read. Do you think it's because I still have my hair??

bang head here
Yes, this is a good place to land. I even have a graphic for it!

how to talk to a 15 year old
Why ask me?? Sure, I can talk, but does she listen? (See the two terms above this one) Believe it or not, people stick around after searching this term, too.

comfiest chair ever
If you own this, can you tell me what it is? Mine makes my butt numb.

things getting weird please send chocolate
Well, duh.

evil otter
I have no idea. Really. I write about weasels

color order of 96 crayon pack
OCD much? Listen, I love crayons, but I don't keep them in a specific order. well, ok, yes, I do. But it is my order, not Crayolas. (color spectrum, by hue, thanks for asking)

good earplugs for kids with aspergers
How about good earplugs for Moms with kids who have Aspergers? I could use those...

evil kittens
I have two they can HAVE. One doesn't pee on the floor, much.

are weasels good pets
Sure, if by "good pets" you mean "will they gnaw your face off"

how to rsvp a funeral
I have no idea where this came from

what is that smell
You know, they say, "he who smelt it? Dealt it...

sexy spider girl suit
I. don't. know. Really. I swear.

vegetable law
Sure you don't want Room 704 for that one??

sexy wheelbarrow
Because? Why? We don't want to know about your Farmer John fetish. That's just sick.

Got the cat right on his head.
doesn't everybody? This one came complete with the punctuation. I like to imagine it said with a southern accent...hours minutes seconds of fun!

hogtie boys
That's just wrong. Again, Room 704 might be more your speed....

honey there's a cat in the freezer
Guess I know what you're havin' for dinner, eh?

why kids say meow with aspergers
If you figure it out, will you let ME know? Add singing, too...

how to piss off a cat
I could teach a class in this one...trust me, ask my cat

spot and zombies
I can haz zombehs, plz??

one more:

spock as a zombie
FTW!

Apparently, chocolate, Asperger's,Spock, evil otters and zombies will bring you straight to my door. Seems my work here is done. ::insert evil cackle here:::

What's the weirdest search anyone has ever done for your blog?

T, who is immensely entertained by the search results, THANK YOU!

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That Thing We Do: What motivates writers to stick with it instead of watching American Idol or Mythbusters on the tube?

As a writer, I always am interested in what makes a writer I admire tick. I like to know how and when they write. It's not like I want to copy anyone else's creative process, I just like to know their motivation. I enjoy being a part of something, sort of a club, I guess. (but a club where anyone can enter, not one of those exclusive clubs with a ten-year waiting list). I have always said you are either a writer, or you're not. I think you know. And it isn't about whether or not others recognize your creative output, it's about if you have the need to write. If others recognize what you do, if you get published, based upon what you do, that is certainly the icing on the cake. But I think there are a lot of people out there with great talent who haven't been discovered. Does that negate their skill? I don't think so.

I am very interested in how writers I admire do it. Megan over at Velveteen Mind has a writing sweater that she wears when she is creating. Whit creates bios. Jenn M. is not writing about politics or world events. FADKOG writes for her dad. And Loralee writes about the new. Jenny is writing about sex..for a living. (and though I love her, she is an acquired taste, so if you are easily offended, better not click that link. Though that link isn't bad, not really).

Thursday night, at the booksigning, Jen Lancaster told us how she writes (and who would play her in the movie version of her life) This is my video, go easy on me if the sound is too soft, it's from my new flip video camera I got for mother's day:

So how do I write? I spend a lot of time creating content for other websites and trying to find time for adding to my own. Consequently, I write late at night, when everyone else is in bed, usually. The house is quiet, and the cat is often next to me. There are rare times I write while everyone else watches television (like right now) My daughter has her little leg thrown over mine as we sit on the couch. I am hunched over my laptop, that sits on my IKEA Dave laptop table we actually have three of them, his, hers, and teen's) They are black so they match my house decently enough. and try to tune out discussion over bungee-jumping, speed of hiccups and discussions over the merits of cereal. This is a combination of family conversation and Mythbusters, see why I am creatively challenged inspired?

But what you really want to know is who would play moi in the movie version of my life. I have decided it would either be Tina Fey (she has that sexy, impolitic librarian thing going on) or Helena Bonham Carter (who, though elfin, has the crazy that is me, with the wit and the left of center vibe).

And you? What motivates you to click-click-click the keyboard and hit "publish?" AND (you knew I would ask this) who would play YOU in the movie version of your life?

T, who likes to think of herself as the Mythbusters of blogging

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I Took the Train To Glendale and ended up with a BOOK (Jen Lancaster's book-signing)

Last night, I took the train up to Glendale to hang with some of my twitter tweeps (is that even a word??) do the dinner thang and stalk Jen Lancaster at her Barnes & Noble booksigning. Because? It's a book, people! A funny book! And I am virtually taking you with me, aren't you lucky?

I WE, you and me, sat in relative comfort on the Amtrak, non-stop to Glendale to meet my beeyotch, Adrienne, who rocks so hard...she picks us up from the train station, then takes us home to O.C. because she is all shades of awesome like that.

After traveling around a mountain...it would seem that Glendale is built around a bunch of them... to get to the bank and a store where I could pick up some tacky 80's beads (yes, I have my own, but I forgot them. By the way, apparently tacky costume jewelry is something that nobody wears in Glendale, because we tried first the drug store and then Marshalls and I couldn't find anything except a really obnoxious silver multi-heart necklace with matching earrings that will blind you if I am in the sun, and give me second-degree burns). Still, I bought it, along with a very stylin' red striped glittery long scarf You know me and scarves. Then I put my hair up in a nice little side pony, (oh Mickey, you're so fine...and yes, I know that Toni Basil had her hair in pigtails, but work with me here!)

We got to the Cheesecake Factory, but there were no cheesecake-scented goddesses anywhere. Still, Adrienne put in our name, "twitter," and we waited. The hostess was excited about twitter, and that she was on it and tweet her, ok?

this is all of us..I grabbed the busboy to take the pic: @undomestic diva, @Adriennevh, @chrisDOTgo, @onetake and me

After dinner, we headed over to Barnes & Noble to meet Jen Lancaster. We bought our books, battled the B&N stormtroopers (no variations! Only what is written on the post-it!) and took our seats to wait. I was dying because I couldn't tweet a lot, since my battery on my G1 was almost dead. So I sat and people-watched, instead. We got the last seats in the last row, and people started lining up behind us. We felt special.

this is what success looks like...someday it will be my face on a poster, I swear it!

Undomestic Diva and her hypercolor tee-shirt... remember those?

We are rockin' the 80's. Except for Jen Lancaster, we were the ONLY two who dressed up for the "Eighties-themed" book tour. Notice the side pony tail, and killer shades. Everyone else? Kill joys. Gag me with a spoon, fer like, sure!

@redvu9395 took this picture, much better than the one the B&N stormtrooper took. Doesn't Jen Lancaster look Pretty In Preppy?

ETA: go and win yourself a copy of this bad-ass book, Undomestic Diva (my hero(ine) is givin' one away! Just go tell her who you would stalk and you're in it to win it!

T, who had a blast

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Pretty in Plaid is FUNNY, but not as funny as the clothes we wore in the 80s. wait, yes it is!

Just a really quick post..this is what I did tonight...more video to follow tomorrow, I think. (yes, I took some, and some pics). But I headed to Glendale tonight for dinner and a booksigning of Jen Lancaster's new book, Pretty in Plaid. She is so funny. If you don't know, here is the teaser book video:

Tomorrow I will post pics of us all dressed in 80's garb...stay tuned!

T, who promises an update tomorrow, with pics and text & stuff.

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GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED for autism bracelets

At the end of April, I started a giveaway for bracelets. Thank you all to those who entered! I wish I could send a bracelet to everyone. Here, in random order, are the winners:

Viki
Autism Is Beautiful
Juliannem
Jackie
Shash
Sarah
RocnRN
PawsforJude

Please email or DM me on twitter so I can get your information and send your bracelet to you from Jularie's Jewels

T, who says wear them with pride

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Wolfram Alpha you aren't off to a very good start

I am a big fan of new tech. And I know that new stuff often has bugs that need to be worked out. But when I hit Wolfram Alpha, the new computational search engine last week for the first time, I was disappointed. Yes, it's an ongoing project, and needs others to contribute, but this? Floored me.

This is a screen capture of the word, "autism" in the search window, and the results found. (first I put in autism rates world and it came up with nothing) You can click on the image to enlarge, but the text is as follows:

(n) autism ((psychiatry) an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people

With 1 in 150 kids dealing with autism, and the fact that you can throw a rock in tech communities and hit someone who either has a kid with autism or knows a kid with autism? THIS result? Is unacceptable. What, are we in the 18th century?

Next thing you know, it will be all about the refrigerator mothers again! Yes autism was once thought of as a psychiatric disorder, not a medical one. It was the mother's fault, she just didn't show her children enough love and compassion...she was cold. This is the old, outmoded thinking that was thrown out decades ago. Autism is classified as a neurological disorder and a developmental delay. It has nothing whatsoever to do with parenting. I? Am a kick-ass parent. You can ask my friends. You can ask my kids. It clearly wasn't anything we did. It. just. is. Time to stop blaming the parents.

Want to let Wolfram know that this kind of search result and definition is abhorrent in the 21st century? Send feedback.

While you're at it, send email to Princeton as well. It would seem that is where this ridiculous definition of autism originated.

T, who was dumb-founded and will stick to Google

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All I Wanted Was A Beer, Not My Ego Handed To Me

I have always looked younger than my age, a fact that was much to my chagrin in high school. It was horrible in high school when the other girls matured and grew boobs and nipped waists and long, flowing hair, and became, well, women. And me? I looked like I was 12. For a long time. I would cry and lament my fate, that even as a teenager I still looked like a "little kid." (my daughter is going through that now, and I empathize). But.

I got the last laugh. Because now, I just stepped into my 40's and have been told, over and over again, that I look nowhere near my age. I have to admit, I freakin love that. Keep saying it! I was a bit of a late bloomer and am sexier now than I ever was in my younger days. And of course, there is the confidence I have at 40. If I could go back in time and be that little Senior again? I would rock the joint. But, that only happens in Disney flicks, right?

So, all that to say, I am pretty comfortable with myself these days. How I look, the condition I am in, and my age. That is, until last Saturday night. JMan and I went to see Star Trek (in IMAX, thank you, which is another post altogether, about how we went to one theatre, were lied to about the size of the screen, got a refund and hightailed it to a real IMAX theatre) and had some time to kill before the movie started. We ducked into a sports bar to have a pint. We bellied up to the bar, climbed on the stool, flashed some cash, ordered our poisons, (Fat Tire for me, Guinness for him), and this is the part that kills me. JMan was carded! I was NOT carded. I was pissed, and seriously.

Granted, JMan looks like he is 16, and has always looked really young. In reality, he is 42, thank you very much. And the numbnuts bartender carded him. AND NOT ME! Now, it seems to me if he was smart, he would have carded us both, just so he could get a bigger tip. But no. He looked at me, and dismissed me, the jerk. He asked my husband for his I.D. because he doesn't even look old enough to buy beer!

JMan tried to play it off, tried to placate my ego by saying it was due to my confidence in ordering, but the damage was done. I realize that I am not 21 anymore. I don't want to be 21 anymore. But dammit, I also don't want people to think I am some Dixie Wetsworth cougar preying on some innocent (and yeah right!) young man.

So, to the bartender at Champs Bar in Irvine? You might want to have a bit more tact when you card those you don't think are old enough to drink. The more I think about it, the more ticked at you I become. Yes, your tip reflected your treatment of us. If I had more guts and wasn't such a nice person, you would have gotten even less, like nothing. But I can't do that, I tipped you the least amount possible, and it was because of your insensitivity. I get that you are busy, and you are trying to serve everyone and you are just doing your job and all. You have to check those you are unsure about. But for chrissakes, you need to at least card the woman if you are going to card the man she's with! Didn't they teach you that in bartending school?? It's only like Bartending Rules 101. Or did you fail to graduate? And just one more thing?

Bite Me.

T, who will think twice when ordering alcohol in the future

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The words hung in the air almost exactly the way a brick doesn't

with apologies to Douglas Adams

Lately I am having a hard time with that bane of any writer's existence, Writer's Block. I often write late at night or early in the morning after everyone else is asleep in my house. It helps me to concentrate and unplug, so I can say what I want to say. I know I can write, and I it is something I enjoy, almost all of the time.

Writing is usually easy for me, but lately it's getting cumbersome. Sometimes that doubt creeps in. Why am I doing this? Who is reading? What if I have nothing to say? Am I relevant?? I have been trying to figure out the writing process. I am probably thinking about it too hard, putting too much pressure on myself. (too bad there is no pill for "that certain part of the female creativity".. I could use that)

Maybe I am writing too much about autism elsewhere, and it's a buzz kill. I am coming up empty. It's like a gargantuan space, where creativity is supposed to be. To borrow a term from Star Trek and science, "a singularity".. a black hole that consumes all of my best ideas and writing. I don't know where it comes from or why. I just know it's like...

• ...slogging through warm maple syrup, waist-deep, being chased by weasels (yeah, ok, they would probably drown, but go with me here)


• ... a brick on the chest, that hurts to breathe


• ...a fear of "Oh my God I have written my last funny/poignant/entertaining/informative piece....ever"


• ...feeling like a fraud, every time you hit publish, because, what IF you shot the wad on that one, and there is nothing left. And WHY do people read, anyway when there are so many out there more talented than you are?


• ...neglecting laundry, dishes, pets needing to be fed trying to get that elusive thought translated into writing...so you can breathe again.


• ...every day, feeling a pressure to create, and if you cannot, the pressure increases until it feels like it will consume you.


• ...staring at the flashing cursor and the blank window as you try to get something...anything, to fill that window so it doesn't look quite so ominous (yes, the cursor is mocking you: youcantwrite youcantwrite youcantwrite)


• ...never feeling good enough...never translating it exactly the way it was in your head, groping for words and hoping people understand what you have to say and more importantly, care.


• ...throwing yourself out there, every single day, hoping what you say means something to someone


• ...like labor..stalling and you aren't sure if you are ever going to have the baby and if you do...will it be healthy?


• ...waking up in the middle of the night to write amazing ideas down, then having no idea what to do with them the next morning


• ...trying too hard, too long.


• ...comparing yourself to other writers you admire, and coming up short


• ...every morning, praying you can write something and hoping like hell you won't let yourself down


• ...needing to express yourself in order to get it unscrambled


• ...talking about it, trying to break the power of the block


• ...having no idea how to end this list...
.

• ...so you add one more item and hope it's enough

it has to be

T, who writes, or at least tries to

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Change sucks like when you put money in a gumball machine and get a rubber spider

I have a new post at Examiner (where I am the L.A. Special Needs Kids Examiner) on dealing with autism and change. Please check it out and tell me what you think.

Confession.

I hate change. I mean, I really hate it. I don't get dragged in kicking and screaming, but I get a white-hot ball of crap in my stomach and feel like I am going to throw up and like someone kicked my puppy. Which by the way is a really crappy thing to do, and whomever is responsible should feel really ashamed!

I like the same stuff. At least, until I like the new stuff. I bought a wallet to replace the one I loved that just fell apart. I couldn't find the same, so I bought one markedly different, different style, shape, color, all of it. In a moment of abandon, I tossed reason to the winds and bought a hot pink and turquoise Liz Claiborne wallet to replace the black leather one I had before. And at first, I hated it. Really. It sucked. I couldn't find anything, it was bulky, hard to open. Now? I know where everything is, each item has it's place. I'm used to it. I love it, and worry what I will do when it gives up the ghost. There is a lesson in there, somewhere. Damned if I can find it over all my worrying.

I try to be open-minded about change, but it rarely works. I can try to convince myself maybe it won't be so bad. I might grow to like it. And then? I stress. I like things the way they are, and I hate getting used to new stuff. Sue me. I don't consider myself meticulous (not like my daughters, that's for sure) but I don't like upheaval much. I know there are those out there who like the variety, it's the spice of life. I like spices, I suppose, but, I prefer salsa, thank you. From a jar, in the fridge. Some things are meant to be predictable.

II am a trooper, I have been told. On the outside, I handle change pretty well, at least at first. But when a bunch of little changes all conspire? It makes me grumpy. Not just a little bit, either. But you won't see it...I hide it really well. But, if it ain't broke, I say why fix it?

Our church (which has the coolest pastor and is all postmodern and stuff and I love it) is considering some major changes. With the youth department, and with the building we are currently in, as in, moving from the existing property and buying a new lot and rebuilding. (those are two different changes, by the way) I like things the way they were! And these changes give me a knot in my stomach. So much is left to the unknown. Will I like these changes? Will anyone? What if things really change for the worse? Isn't that where the anxiety comes from? It's scary!

Then, last night, twitter pulled the #fail of doing away with replies from friends of friends. To some, that was no big deal. To me, it was huge. Twitter claims only 2% used that feature, but we were a vocal 2% (and I really question those numbers) It cut my twitter stream noise by about three-quarters, and I am very sad to see all of them go. I feel like I lost friends. It is almost scary to me to see how much I cared about these changes! I am actually...depressed over it.

My M.O. is that when a bunch of things change, I get hyper-sensitive to other things changing. And it makes me want to crawl under a rock and just make it all go away. My anxiety gets harder to control, and I don't handle my childrens' anxiety (which is always present) well. PMS just makes it worse. Thankfully, I don't feel like this very often. I am never depressed, except during that special time of the month.

When I feel like this, I like to rely upon the things I can count on. And I am hard-pressed to find any in my current state of mind. While J was gone in Canada for a week, I barely slept. Pretty sure that and PMS aren't helping my mood any.

I don't like unpleasant surprises. When my daughter was a toddler, this was what? Over 13 years ago, she wanted a My Little Pony sticker. There it was, in the machine at Toys R' Us. She was so excited, and though I rarely allowed it, I let her put her money in that machine. Picture this sweet little toddler, eyes wide with anticipation, hand held out for the cherished mirrored Pony sticker to instead have a rubber roach slide out into her hand. Can you say shock and dismay? And do you remember who else is phobic of those things? Yep, that's me. My daughter never again wanted something out of those rip-off machines.

That is how I feel, when people mess with things I cannot control. I like to be in control and do a fine job of it in most areas of my life. There are things however I don't get a choice in, (I know, I can't believe it either!) But I guess I just want to know... why do things have to change when they were fine... before?? And whose to say that if we put our collective quarters into the Cosmic Gumball Machine, we won't get a nasty plastic bug?

Suppose that's the million dollar question, isn't it?

T, who just wants to get over it

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When others didn't share I didn't play with them anymore: twitter, you listening?

Or...it's called social NETWORKING for a reason!

Once again, in a massive twitter fail, twitter has jumped first, asked questions later. (and then not really listened to the answers!)

2800+ follow me. Of those, I follow 1800+ people. I listen to ALL of them. And their friends. If they say something I find interesting, I click over, and often follow them, too. It is how I find new people, and local people, events and tweetups, in order to actually, you know, meet real people and connect in real life. I have met a lot of really great people, both online and off. And a lot of that is attributed to seeing all replies.

And I would hope if you are following my stream, you do the same. But that isn't going to be an option anymore. Because twitter has taken that choice from you. The settings for @replies used to have three toggles:

• all replies
• replies of all you follow
• replies from those you follow to all of their followers.

You had a choice. Now, you don't.

The entire reason for social media is, well, social. To limit the options is not the wisest course for twitter to have taken. Power users like @chrisbrogan,@kevinrose @GeekMommy and others, who ooze social media and tweet things I really want to know? I will miss replies unless I am following all 10,000+ of their followers. I don't have time for that. This is just short-sighted on twitter's part. The value of twitter has always been discovery of new users, and the conversations that arise. Twitter has effectively crippled themselves. And explain how this will help those who do social media business on twitter?

What set twitter apart was the ability to hear ALL of the conversations or as much as you would like. It is like drinking from a firehose...not all want to do it, but some of us enjoy getting soaked in the conversation. Now, our streams became significantly less wet. If I wanted a drinking fountain, I would do iChat. I am looking to be immersed in the fountain of social media. I want to be soaked to the skin! So twitter has miscalculated here. Judging from the way #fixreplies is trending, I am thinking they will have to address this, whether they want to or not!

And twitter isn't the only option out there. There is Facebook, a platform that is gaining popularity with the last update. I can still see the things my friends (and theirs!) are up to. I can follow their friends, if I choose to do so. I have said before that Facebook feels like I am cheating on my boyfriend, Twitter, but breaking up is hard to do...not impossible.

Or there is @Scobleizer's baby, friendfeed, which uses all types of feeds to create a "superfeed" that is customized by you. You can add RSS, all of your social media sites...lots of choices.

Part of the problem here is that twitter has never cared what their user base wants...unless we are Ashton Kutcher. We have never been important to them, and they have made that clear from the beginning. Every time they change things, they announce, and that's it. Take it, and like it.

Facebook changed their user agreements based upon feedback. Entrecard changed their policies based upon what their users said. But twitter has remained unresponsive. I suspect this isn't about "convenience" for users, as much as scaling a terrible and shaky foundation. Twitter has always maintained it is not a messaging platform. And it was never created to be. And yet... that's exactly what it is. See: Identi.ca ...the open-source system that actually gets it right from the ground up.

Rather than punish users, the very users who have made twitter a household name, that gets them recognized on CNN and has Oprah following, they need to turn towards the myriad of build problems, the fail whales and the missteps, rather than remove features that users are actually well...using.

And, they need to listen to their users. Or their users just might not be there when push comes to shove.

Agree with me? GET SATISFACTION and tell Twitter exactly how you feel about this new change.

ETA: there is a work-around. start tweets without the @, so it becomes a mention rather than a reply. Then everyone will see it. As in, "Hey @namegoes here,..." But it's annoying, and the point is, we shouldn't have to do that. Also, it breaks threading on messages (so you can actually go back and figure out what someone was talking about!) and doesn't allow for RT through the web interface. We had the option, now we don't. And that's limiting. How many will not change their tweets as they post, and how many conversations will we miss out on because of it?

UPDATE: Twitter listened, and brought back @replies, sort of. But ony if EVERYONE doesn't start with either the replies arrow or tab, or doesn't start with the @... still not there yet, twitter, but we can see you are trying. Kind of.

T, who is beyond frustrated by their idiocy

Twitter Blog: Whoa, Feedback!

Jenny the Bloggess Is Copying Me so you get this instead: To Boldly Go To The Theatre and Not Be Bored

I had a post all written up about how twitter has jumped the shark (oh and it has, for 10 reasons) and I was going to post it tonight, when I happened to read Jenny's post over at The Bloggess, and danged if she didn't write 25 things she hates about twitter, the hag pain in the butt really amazing bathroom-party friend and I don't know how she is doing that I am pretty sure she has cloned herself or is using robots or something (only with way less better hair), because every place I hit on the intarwebz she is there! Talk about prolific! Leave some crap for the rest of us to write about, ok, Jenny?? So, rather than be accused of plagiarism (cause a lot of the reasons are the same) I decided to hold the post for a bit. So deal with it, instead I am writing about Star Trek. Yes, smartass, that Star Trek, because, well, I got nothing and I am too tired to come up with something better. So, suck it. (with love, of course)

Wait! Where are you going?? I'm not finished!

Image via Wikipedia

I saw Star Trek and I am not going to give anything away, but I think it a Must See. (and I liked Star Trek before, but have never considered myself a die-hard Trekkie..some of them are just plain scary).

The movie was really great, and awesome and there wasn't one smoke monster in it and Spock didn't cut open anyone's head in order to get their powers (which would have been totally amazing, but would have royally pissed off the Trekkies, I bet) but Spock can do the Vulcan Pinch or Mind Meld with parts of my body, any time! So JJ Abrams did a great job, but it didn't matter cause the Trekkies are ticked off anyway...

Apparently, however, there is a backlash against the movie, and Trek fans are not loving it... does it make too much sense?

*by the way, the following is satire from the Onion, in case you don't catch that...but it really made me laugh. See what you think.

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

T, who says, he's hot?? Who knew? (see the movie, you'll understand)

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