Jeffrey P. Bigham 🔥🔥

how come nobody has tried releasing a fully functioning twitter alternative? is it really that hard?

- threads has no web interface
- bluesky is invite only, idk if mobile even exists
- mastadon is all the things the glorious creators of it designed it to be and thus isn't very good

- twitter itself seems to be competing in this landscape of broken nonsense

CAN SOMEONE NOT JUST COPY THE OLD TWITTER??

Jul 30, 2023 at 9:20pmWeb
Show threadShannon Quinn Jul 30, 2023

@jbigham “landscape of broken nonsense”

particularly accurate in describing social media right now but honestly works for most of tech

Show threadvictor tsaranJul 30, 2023
@jbigham I guess, who wants to deal with all the content and legal headaches? :)
Show threadSean TilleyJul 30, 2023
@jbigham Mastodon has a ton of alternative frontends. https://elk.zone is probably the closest thing we have to a "Twitter interface", which can be used by anything that has the Mastodon API.
Elk

A nimble Mastodon web client

Elk
Show threadSibylle HessAug 1, 2023
@deadsuperhero @jbigham I just played around with elk. Yes it's still a bit buggy but at least I feel like I have an overview again. I don't know why I find mastodons Layout so confusing, I feel immediately lost when I go in here.
Show threadJoe WassermanJul 30, 2023
@jbigham bluesky mobile has a twitter-like interface but zero privacy (even blocks are public lol) so it can’t replace twitter. I have an invite if you want it
Show threadJeffrey P. Bigham 🔥🔥Jul 30, 2023
@JoeWasserman i'm on the web version. i didn't even bother to look for the mobile one, presumably i don't need another invite… or do I?? haha
Show threadJoe WassermanJul 30, 2023
@jbigham no, you don’t! haha
Show threadJake MannixJul 31, 2023

@jbigham @JoeWasserman it's funny - I had to hunt around and ask to *find* the web version. It was mobile *only* for a while!

(the web version was the "staging" UX)

Show threadMark RiedlJul 30, 2023
@jbigham social is sticky
Show threadGreg LindenJul 30, 2023
@Riedl @jbigham Fully agree that the problem is not technical, but in shifting the network. Still, these are big, well-funded competitors, and they couldn't even duplicate the tech correctly, not to mention making it easy to transition whole networks of people over, which they didn't do either. I think Jeff's right that they didn't get any part of copying Twitter and stealing its users correct, not the tech or transitioning networks over, and that's lame given how much money is at stake.
Show threadAdam MarcusJul 30, 2023
@jbigham would you use a high-quality Twitter clone if it was controlled/owned by a single entity?
Show threadAlaricJul 31, 2023
@jbigham bluesky is probably closest even to the point that it's creator reserves the right to sell the whole platform to a crazy billionaire at some future juncture