AlanJul 24, 2023
Scalzi

On Whatever I'm talking about the name change of Twitter to X, what it means to me and others, and why I'm going to be on that site much less from now on.

(Also it means Mastodon will be a beneficiary, as probably a lot of things that would previously had been tweets will now become toots. Although I will have to remember to put a hashtag on the political stuff, I sometimes forget that)

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2023/07/24/preparing-my-x-it/

Preparing My X-it

Overnight, not unlike an NFL owner silently absconding with a whole football team to move it to a new town, Elon Musk decided to change the name of Twitter to “X,” which, for those of y…

Whatever
Jul 24, 2023 at 6:28pmWeb
Show threadkeeps vis.social runningJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Glad to see you more active here. I've missed seeing your posts.
Show threadBrad TJul 24, 2023
@scalzi The good news is that if you DO forget the hashtags (on political stuff, or anything), it doesn't cost $8/month to be able to edit it in!
Show threadRandom SeedJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Once they start draping the big ominous flags from all the local balconies, and denying that there ever WERE birds, it's a good time to get out.
Show threadHistory on the FoxJul 24, 2023
@scalzi It always amazes me every morning when I head to the Crashing Boer's site and it's still up and (sort of) running...
Show threadNurrenberg JabewoschiJul 25, 2023
@rmatile1 @scalzi it will always running , people just denial to realize that
Show threadraphaelJul 24, 2023
@scalzi and to prove the point of what you (among a sadly low number of other creatives) have been shouting from the rooftops since forever: saw that one first on whatever.
Show threadOggieJul 24, 2023

@scalzi Well I'm glad you're going to be active here, though it's a shame that the primary reason is a toss up between 'watch capitalism become more awful' and 'billionaires destroy more things that we used to like'.

I'm at this point mostly a silent member of bluesky (read only mode, if you will), but on here I at least feel comfortable about posting!

Show threadkalindimJul 25, 2023
@Oggie @scalzi invite for bluesky possible?
Show threadCharles BryanJul 24, 2023
@scalzi If I do completely leave Twitter, I will always feel that, actually, Twitter left me.
Show threadJoshua VaughanJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Really hitting the nail on the head with my feelings about Twitter also.
Show threadRandy SlaveyJul 24, 2023
@scalzi I'm interested in your thoughts on the ethical aspects of remaining with a shitty app, even in limited form. I'm not in a position where my career depends on remaining in the public eye, so I can't judge creatives too harshly for staying with X or Meta. That said, at what point is the value they provide specifically to you offset by their negative effect on society in general? Do you ever think to yourself, "Maybe this dumpster fire would burn out quicker if I stopped feeding it."
Show threadÆnðr E. FeldstrawJul 25, 2023
@randyslavey @scalzi Yep. That's why I pulled out early, too. My company found no benefit from remaining on that platform. That made it easy to switch.
Show threadAlan JamesJul 24, 2023
@scalzi I just checked and x.com now redirects to twitter.
Show threadJon A. CruzJul 24, 2023
@alan @scalzi did you check both http *and* https?
Show threadAlan JamesJul 24, 2023
@joncruz @scalzi Not until now.
Show threadJon A. CruzJul 24, 2023
@alan @scalzi yeah, initial reports were that they resolved differently. Fun, huh?
Show threadMorfyddJul 24, 2023
@alan @scalzi I am only a lowly tech geek, but shouldn’t the redirect be in the other direction?
Show threadAlan JamesJul 24, 2023
@morfydd @scalzi Haha no, this is the Elon way. He does things the wrong way because he can only learn new things the hard way.
Show threadHendrekJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Of course, pretty much everything is political these days.
Show threadMichael CrewsJul 24, 2023
@scalzi It’s really quite a thing to see, isn’t it? It’s as if Kimberly-Clark decide to rename Kleenex to X-paper or something.
Show threadIronheartJul 24, 2023
@scalzi It’s the right thing to do Scalzi. 😀. Will be great to see you more active around here. Cheers!
Show threadjoexJul 24, 2023

@scalzi

Glad to hear it. Only started on twitter when William Gibson stopped blogging for it. It has always been my way of following writers. When Musk first bought the site I updated RSS on everyone I followed fearing this.

Really have no desire for bluesky or Threads.

You and Cory should teach courses on internet marketing. Owning your own site is never the wrong decision.

Show threadRichard W. Woodley ELBOWS UP 🇨🇦🌹🚴‍♂️📷 🗺️Jul 24, 2023
@scalzi
To a certain generation Brand X was always the inferior brand the good brand was compared to on TV commercials.
Show threadcohomology is FUN!Jul 24, 2023
@scalzi
Show threadJon A. CruzJul 24, 2023

@scalzi cool!

A few hashtags and judicious use of content warnings like maybe just "USPOL" can go a long way here

Show threadAndy 🌎Jul 26, 2023

@joncruz @scalzi This would be so welcome!

There are several people I'd like to follow but don't because I'm reeeeally not interested in USPOL.

Show threadArturo Serrano 🇨🇴🤖👽🧙🦄Jul 24, 2023
@scalzi I've been missing your snark since I moved from Twitter.
Show threadAllieJul 24, 2023
@scalzi the change to adding more hashtags is real, but we will be happy to see more of you here. And your pets. Them too, please.
Show threadRookJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Pretty much how I feel (but said smoother). I hate watching somebody trash something other people built and enjoy.
Show threadMichael MullerJul 24, 2023
@scalzi If it means you're more involved here, then I'm glad you're (mostly) leaving there. If it diminishes the value of Musk's "investment" then I'm even happier.
Show threadKen DisbrowJul 24, 2023
@scalzi Interesting take, as always. Enjoy your thoughts wherever they are posted. Thanks for sharing them.
Show threadBoterBugJul 24, 2023
@scalzi "Thanks, it’s a façade." This made me feel a lot better. I'm upset and, like, trying to pretend I'm not, and it's nice to see that others are wrestling with that, too.
Show threadPirateRoJul 24, 2023
@scalzi here’s a bar trick! How many parts of that X do we need to move to form a swastika?
Show threadResunaJul 24, 2023
@scalzi the thing that bugs me the most is all the broken links.
Show threadDanJul 24, 2023
@scalzi one of the dumbest parts in this entire debacle is that all of us know they will have to walk it back - either partially or entirely (or at least delay it weeks) because his complete lack of planning or notice almost certainly means something very important was not considered.
Show threadSeán FenianJul 24, 2023
@Danielsand @scalzi you mean such as the fact that Mark Zuckerberg holds the trademark on it? 😆
Show threadLeRocJul 24, 2023
@scalzi I've been reading your tweets for a while, but I never made an account there (for data privacy reasons). Looking forward to reading your toots.
Show threadAdlangxJul 24, 2023

@scalzi ,"I'm going to be on that site much less from now on."

That's kinda funny.

Show threadDr. Heather EtcheversJul 24, 2023
@scalzi
Thanks for the wan smile with: "Musk took a city with thriving neighborhoods and decided to run a fucking interstate through the most interesting parts of it, and the interstate doesn’t actually go anywhere good; it just runs from Bitcoin Town to Fascistburg." But as you and @Catvalente have both noted, it's not the first set of broken online communities and may not be the last. We /shall/ adapt and recreate new ones as has been done the last 40 years since local BBS groups. 👊
Show threadSusanna the Artist 🌻Jul 25, 2023
@scalzi Love the line “Twitter is dead and X has shambled, lich-like, out of its hastily-dug grave.” #xitter
Show threadIan MalcolmJul 25, 2023

@scalzi
Good piece; looking forward to seeing you post more here. 😎

For myself I've decided not to bother with Bluesky or Threads - I'm done with corporate-owned social media and being at the whim of billionaire man-baby whack-jobs.

After a bit of a settling-in period, Mastodon for me feels a lot like the good bits of the old web, in the days when going online was mostly about finding/connecting with those with similar interests and enthusiasms. Not to shit on things, but to celebrate them.

Show threadBrad OwenJul 25, 2023
@scalzi 36 comments and no tip of the hat for the not so sly Browns reference? Come on Mastodon we can do better.
Show threadBrandorfJul 25, 2023
@scalzi Great post. Glad to see you over here now.
Show threadSkyeJul 25, 2023
@scalzi A good read, and a sensible measured approach.
Show threadNurrenberg JabewoschiJul 25, 2023
@scalzi too much excuse, dont need reason abc just for leaving twitter lol, gtfo already
Show threadDigitalRobJul 25, 2023
@scalzi I read the blog post. Great summary of the situation and I’m guessing many others don’t want to delete their accounts for the same reasons.
Show threadJames Ryland MillerJul 25, 2023
@scalzi Woohoo! It's nicer here anyways.
Show threadLee FifeJul 25, 2023
@scalzi always interesting to see what someone's personal line is ...
Show threadRai Aren 🖖✨📚🇺🇦Jul 25, 2023

@scalzi
I'm so glad you'll be here on #Mastodon more!!! I've always enjoyed your tweets, but I'm keeping my distance from Xelon's place right now, so it's great to have you here!! 🥳 👍 🖖

#TwitterMigration

Show threadPete ZicatoJul 25, 2023

@scalzi

Cool. You can inaugurate your dedication to Mastodon by sharing an update on how you’re doing with your Swiss army guitar. Pics if possible. 😄

Show threadTea time.Jul 25, 2023

@scalzi "I have 26k followers on Mastodon"

15 hours ago. Now you have 27.7k followers.

Welcome home.

Show threadTea time.Jul 25, 2023

@scalzi (Old guy on the TV, twenty-four years from now. Drives up to the front of an old country house, horse pasture in the background, in a truck that looks retro-futuristic, oversized, quaint & backwards by 2047 standards. Speaks with strangely odd Texas drawl.)

"Hi, you might remember me.
I'm Elon Musk, for eX-lax.

Some things in life are hard to get through.
Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew.
[chuckles] I should know!
But when you're ready to be regular again,
there's eX-lax."

Show threadLight makingJul 25, 2023
@scalzi serious question John and I realise I am late to the party with this. Why Bluesky? I get you are having fun there but if the idea is to start avoiding cryptobros and incels then Bluesky is an odd choice for that. On a related note the demise of Twitter shows that an Internet 'town square' is most likely a public good and should be managed as such.
Show threadScalziJul 25, 2023
@skreammast I have run into almost no cryptoboys or incels there. Perhaps you are thinking of Nostr.
Show threadCalamity Beast SeydlitzJul 25, 2023
@scalzi Glad you're over here. We're not a polished walled garden like Bluesky, but the jank adds charm in my opinion.
Show threadMatt AusternJul 26, 2023
@scalzi Most of that seems entirely reasonable, but "Twitter is dead and X has shambled, lich-like, out of its hastily-dug grave" gives me pause. Do liches shamble? It makes me wonder if there's some kind of conflation with some other undead.
Show threadBill O’LuanaighJul 26, 2023

@scalzi really nice to have you here on Mastodon. Like you I mourn Twitter’s devolution into Elon’s Fascist Funhouse. But when we worked at AOL I was mourning the pre-web internet of the late 80’s. The early internet was a freak show in the best possible sense. I get a similar (non-algorithmic) vibe here. Platforms come and go but there’s always a weird crowd somewhere if you know what to look for.

“Find the Others”

Show threadPteryx the Puzzle SecretaryJul 26, 2023

@scalzi What strikes me in particular as the most tragic part of Twitter's death is remembering how Twitter was at the center of a sea change in how traditional news media interacted with the Internet.

Remember when news stories about the Internet were all hit pieces insisting that the Net was full of sexual predators out to trick your children into meeting them in person? Remember when that changed, quite abruptly, to news stories citing tweets?