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Buzz Kill

leoville.com

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71–80 of 84 posts

Re: Buzz Kill

#71

Post by heinel »

m0nty wrote: post #46
muhfuhkuh wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"what do I have that's worth actually broadcasting?" It's an ego-driven medium. All of it: YouTube (when actually done for its intended purpose and not flagrant copyright flouting); facebook/myspace, foursquare, getglue. It's all about what you're doing and more recently _where_ you are when you're doing it. It's about the inherent need for self-fulfillment. Let's say you have great taste in music. Just by someone no…

"we wouldn't ever even comment in HN, right m0nty?" I guessed someone would try to make that point :) You'll notice I rarely do comment here, and I don't on reddit, youtube, Digg, etc. At least here, there is something approaching a conversation. But, Golden Rule: if I have nothing to say, I don't.

But you do acknowledge that you are a user in those networks, correct? You check those sites, and by reading (even without active commenting) you are a participant. Some people project themselves, others observe, that was how social interactions had always been.

Re: Buzz Kill

#72

Post by MicahWedemeyer »

Twitter is awesome if you're a brand or company doing the shouting into the darkness. It's a great way to advertise or promote for free. You can also identify and engage with your most ardent supporters.

Otherwise, from a personal standpoint, it's pretty useless. I just post to stroke my ego every now and then.

Re: Buzz Kill

#73

Post by heinel »

I actually see this as a strength of Twitter-like microblogging services. If you have no more contributions you fade gracefully into the background while the collective move on uninterrupted.

I think Leoville is misguided for treating microblogs literally as a lite version of blogs. I guess the term is a little misleading but the platform really isn't a place for any random blogger to find a cult following.

Individuality is not that big of a deal. Trends are. I wonder if this is a contributing factor to Twitter's success in Japan, which has a culture favoring the collective over the "me" mentality.

Re: Buzz Kill

#74

Post by nopal »

I hope that when he posts a picture of a sandwich he posts an update to Twitter, Facebook, etc, and I hope he posts updates to these services in a selective manner.

I like being able to follow people on Twitter because it gives me a convenient way to see snippets of info about what's going on in their lives. I think he should continue to provide that for the the people that want it, even if the hub of the information is once again his blog.

Re: Buzz Kill

#75

Post by Splines »

spudlyo wrote: post #66
jwr wrote: post #43

Finally! I've been hoping this would happen. About a year or so ago Leo's podcasts became all about Twitter. Twitter this, twitter that, people on twitter, followers, yadda yadda. It got so tiring for those of us who really couldn't care less. I'm glad Leo has seen the light.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that way. I fact, I stopped listening to This Week in Tech for that very reason. I felt like a lot of the people on the show, Leo included, were getting swept up in how many followers and fans they had, and would blather ad nauseam about it.

Yeah, while I enjoy the long format and the lively discussion (it keeps the car commute enjoyable), the TWiT podcast is very much an echo chamber. I've since stopped listening to it and instead have broadened my podcast list.

Re: Buzz Kill

#76

Post by protomyth »

" was shouting into a vast echo chamber where no one could hear me because they were too busy shouting themselves."

I really don't think this is true at all. Leo runs a media company and many people follow him to keep tabs on what he is doing. It is not a personal relationship. He doesn't answer a large percentage of his audience so there is no true conversation. Most people probably thought he was on vacation or something. They were probably listening to others or talking to the people they actually have real "engagement" (oh, how I hate that term) with. Dunbar's number seems to be in affect.

The funny part is that many people with high follower counts crowd source answers instead of doing research, but don't balance that with answering questions themselves.

Re: Buzz Kill

#77

Post by michael_h »

Splines wrote: post #75
spudlyo wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that way. I fact, I stopped listening to This Week in Tech for that very reason. I felt like a lot of the people on the show, Leo included, were getting swept up in how many followers and fans they had, and would blather ad nauseam about it.

Yeah, while I enjoy the long format and the lively discussion (it keeps the car commute enjoyable), the TWiT podcast is very much an echo chamber. I've since stopped listening to it and instead have broadened my podcast list.

Can I ask to what you have broadened your podcast list? Sometimes twit gets boring, and that leaves an hour long void to fill during my commute. Searching for 'technology podcast' unsurprisingly returns a lot of terrible podcasts.

Re: Buzz Kill

#78

Post by m0nty »

heinel wrote: post #71
m0nty wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"we wouldn't ever even comment in HN, right m0nty?" I guessed someone would try to make that point :) You'll notice I rarely do comment here, and I don't on reddit, youtube, Digg, etc. At least here, there is something approaching a conversation. But, Golden Rule: if I have nothing to say, I don't.

But you do acknowledge that you are a user in those networks, correct? You check those sites, and by reading (even without active commenting) you are a participant. Some people project themselves, others observe, that was how social interactions had always been.

> You check those sites

My apologies if I was unclear: I don't check those sites. Also, this insight you have that people are basically social animals, that's not exactly a revelation. But I would contend, along with OP, that our natural sociability is not best served by social networking.

Re: Buzz Kill

#79

Post by m0nty »

Tichy wrote: post #69
muhfuhkuh wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"what do I have that's worth actually broadcasting?" It's an ego-driven medium. All of it: YouTube (when actually done for its intended purpose and not flagrant copyright flouting); facebook/myspace, foursquare, getglue. It's all about what you're doing and more recently _where_ you are when you're doing it. It's about the inherent need for self-fulfillment. Let's say you have great taste in music. Just by someone no…

I often get good information on Twitter, for example about events happening in my city. I am thankful that some people share the information. Ego driven, I don't know - obviously there are "egos" behind the keyboard, but sharing can be a win for everyone. Maybe it is just hard to grasp for people who don't understand the concept of "pay forward"?

> Maybe it is just hard to grasp for people who don't understand the concept of "pay forward"?

So ... so I'm a bad person if I don't use Twitter? Seriously?

Re: Buzz Kill

#80

Post by Tichy »

m0nty wrote: post #79
Tichy wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often get good information on Twitter, for example about events happening in my city. I am thankful that some people share the information. Ego driven, I don't know - obviously there are "egos" behind the keyboard, but sharing can be a win for everyone. Maybe it is just hard to grasp for people who don't understand the concept of "pay forward"?

> Maybe it is just hard to grasp for people who don't understand the concept of "pay forward"? So ... so I'm a bad person if I don't use Twitter? Seriously?

No, but maybe for not tolerating people who do use it.
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