In the bin Twitter

4698 days. That's how long I've been on Twitter, but no more. 

At first, it was something interesting. There was a lot in the news about this new website, and I decided to give it a try. 

A little bit of me wondered if getting to know the Blue Bird, would help me drive visitors to this blog, and other websites I looked after. Something I learned fairly early, was that answer was "no it won't". That didn't matter, I looked in to get my dopamine fix, and occasionally, people wrote something interesting. 

However, once it was renamed "X", the site gradually developed into right-wingers screaming at each other, and to anyone not close enough to their political persuasion. Once we past the most recent UK election, things got much worse. Mostly people who forgot thier party had been in power for over a decade, and decided that every problem in the world was the fault of the current government. 

To be honest, it was making me miserable. So, I have dumped my account. I'm sure I won't be missed. 

Of course, I have dabbled with the new boys on the block. Over on Threads (I hate that name) I am practical_phil. It seems OK, even if most of the comments are people saying how much nier it is than Twitter. Right up until the Zuk said there wouldn't be fact-checking any more and they got upset. TBH, I've never seen any evidence of fact-checking on Facebook, or Threads. Possibly an American only thing? 

And ever curious, I'm on BlueSky as practical-phil Not sure what to make of this. Lots of Americans, so most stuff isn't relevant to me. Maybe I'll gradually find people to follow. Maybe I won't. 

Of course, the big problem with this sort of social media is: people. Many people online are vile. They love abusing others because they don't think they can be tracked down. People will move from one site to another, and then moan the neigbourhood isn't as good as it was. Here's a handy hint, there is NO general discussion website that is nice. There will be idiots. Plenty of people are online because it's too cold or wet for their main hobby of shouting at pigeons in the street.

You might say something about pots and kettles since I'm a moderator on RMweb. I know there are some people who really hate the site, you can read them on Facebook shouting things that would certainly have seen them moderated. It's not perfect, but generally better behaved than Facebook, and especially YouTube, commenting. Watching any RTR manufacturer do a video launch, it doesn't take long before the comments reveal a few real crazy people. And those are the ones you remember, not the majorty. In the same way RMweb is "known" for the fight in the pub car park, not the huge amount of quality modelling to be found on the site, and the areas devoted to supporting other members with various ailments. 

Of all the social media, I think my favourite is Instagram, where I am (surprisingly) practical_phil. I love popping up odd photos I take on my phone. It's properly disposable media, and all the more fun for it. I don't take it seriously. 

There is Tik-Tok, where I bagged practical_phil, but I'm not 12, so I haven't posted anything. 

Being old, I am on Facebook, but tend to limit friends to people I have met. It's mainly for groups nowadays anyway, and if you can find mutual interests, there's an awful lot to be said for it. I know I regularly find interesting content. 

Mind you, there's no escaping moans about price. In the last week I've binned one group finding interesting stuff in charity shops because it just became abuse aimed at people running those shops for the prices. On Threads (I think) someone started threatening anyone who bought partworks as apparently these are an evil scam too. 

The other thing falling out of the Twitter fun and games is people discovering they really should build a website, and not have their entire online presense in someone else's walled garden. A few people have even suggested that blogs should see a resurgence. Now, wouldn't that be a good idea...