Among my guilty bluebird pleasures is @catturd2, who recently offered to pay I think $100/mo for a special brown checkmark, which he termed a "skid mark".
This is the sort of marketplace of ideas I'm interested in.
I agree, the customer should pay. And the customer should have an ironclad contract guaranteeing no customer data at all be sold or given to third parties.
I am so disappointed that people who are essentially weirdos with secret agendas think that they are entitled to
1) Dictate advertisers on how to spend their monies
2) Tell us what to think and what NOT to think.
I am very sad that they poisoned themselves with Covid vaxx, we prevented them from poisoning the entire population, but they just would not stop with their self righteousness.
What about us weirdos without secret agendas? We demand agenda-equity!
(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
In gaming, we call those kinds of people for "Stop having fun"-guys, since they generally objct to people enjoying a game - console, computer, cards, tabletop, P&P RPG, whatever - the "wrong" way; i.e. not the way they diktate is the only one true way.
They also come in the subset "Rulef*cker", meaing someone using legalistic and lexicalic interpretations whenever they benefit from it.
Evryone participating, freely and voluntarily to their own desire and heart's content, is EvilWrongBad to the SHF-guys.
Igor I posted your article and this one on a FB comment section about today’s meltdown on Twitter. The crowd who is lamenting the take over. I didn’t preface either link because I didn’t want to prejudice any viewers, even though I always include a preface on my own posts. I have to admit I was shocked by the response. One dude told me he didn’t waste time reading blind links. I just responded, well that’s your loss then I guess, I don’t care! I have grown so used to the useful links in substack comment sections, with or without a description, that I honestly don’t understand why someone would be so hostile. How many times have I followed a blind link to be utterly dazzled! How many times have I thought, meh, nothing burger. Isn’t that just the name of the game? It’s up to me? Why preclude the dazzle just to avoid the dust? But I think we all know the answer to the difference between us. Anywho, those articles are out there now and maybe there will be some curious cats willing to take a chance on my blind links where they might learn a thing or two!
My initial reaction: nothing is free. If one believes that twitter was free; one is delusional. You are being force fed ads and propaganda by corporations. As you both have stated the user is the product. $8 or be consumed. I know what my choice would be.
I run Brave browser with excellent ad blocking and privacy features. I don't have a twitter account and visit people's twitter page directly (bookmark them). It works great and have never seen ads on twitter.
Why would I want to give Elon Musk (or anyone else for that matter) $8/month? Twitter is a cesspool, most of the replies to an interesting tweet are from subliterate morons and are vacuous at best. It's all about sick burns and people trying to show off how smart they are. Cernovich calls these attention-seekers "reply guys" and he's got them pegged. Using the method I describe above I just read people I find interesting.
For that matter, why would I want to give a substacker $5/month? Berenson's substack says "tens of thousands of paid subscribers". Berenson gets 80% of that, $4 times 20,000 subscribers = 80 grand per month minimum. Why would I give him another nickel, particularly when he pleads poverty to sue Twitter then settles secretly?
There's plenty of stuff that is free. Most of the best substacks are people that do this as hobby and actually have a real job (or are retired) and aren't using it as a hustle. Then there are those that use their substack as a way to make a living, who are always hawking subscriptions, only letting paid subscribers comment, or hiding their posts. Who needs it? These people act like they are in an esteemed journalistic class, as if performing internet research and then writing about it takes some advanced skill. It doesn't, anyone with some smarts, time on their hands, and literary skills can do it.
Agree with the comment that if you aren't paying you are the product not the customer. However, that is easily defeated with a good privacy browser. There is no need to be sending any of these people money unless you truly support their cause.
Gato, your data mining thoughts are spot on, and I can validate this from personal experience.
I suppose I am risking doxxing myself, but... awhile back I was leading a team that built an NLP/AI application platform that ingested, among other things, the Twitter firehose, that had the ability to make inferences based on incomplete yet related data.
We were looking for outliers - needles in the largest haystack on the planet - and despite the epic signal-to-noise ratio, we found some *extremely* interesting and valuable bits of information, particularly in the investment, M&A and public health sectors.
We could have scooped the NYT, WSJ and Bloomberg on multiple occasions, and discovered pathogen spread in areas before the CDC (perhaps not quite the triumph we thought at the time, but still...).
Unfortunately, as is often the case with promising tech, we had to go to ground due to a loss of funding, but what was crystal clear at the time was that Twitter is perhaps the greatest data mine in history.
We are currently having another go at another startup building similar tech but for a different use case.
Recent developments may call for (yet another) pivot.
Here's what I think may be sabotage within Twitter's ranks (what a surprise...):
Over the past 3 weeks, and especially within the past week, I have had FOUR Twitter accounts "permanently suspended" with all my "Followings" and "Followers" deleted. All the time and effort that went into building my "Followings" and (the much-fewer) "Followers" was summarily deleted by some asshole within Twitter.
For EACH of the suspensions, they said "after careful review" which included NOT telling my what Rule I broke, what Tweet got me suspended, and not telling me what language within a Tweet got me suspended. Just, Death Penalty. And even the "Appeals" process was pointless. They never responded to my appeals, never bothered to say even when I asked what it was that got me permanently suspended.
I can only guess that the POS human beings making these decisions are doing so out of malice, and are doing it to many (millions?) of peons who don't have major followings and thus don't have public advocates for their reinstatement. How many of us will try to get back on Twitter ONLY so many times, before we eventually just say "F it. I'm going elsewhere" or nowhere else at all, just give up? I know I won't keep trying to get back on, if as happened almost simultaneous with my most recent account creation I get permanently suspended, as others may experience as well.
And mind you, I've used 3 different email addresses and birthdates, 2 different phone numbers, and a VPN routed through two different portals (or whatever). Still, my most recent attempt was immediately permanently suspended because (and this time they answered) I was trying to circumvent their other suspensions.
But then how can I ever get back on? I can't. And the human debris in Twitter making these decisions at deleting and blocking thousands and thousands of peon user know that.
After the first suspension and appeal, Twitter even admitted in an email that they suspended me in error and that my account was now active again...BUT IT WASN'T. It never was restored. It's still suspended.
Pure speculation, pure anecdotal, I know. But Musk needs to get his (shit)house in order, and soon. I know he knows that, but I don't know that he knows just how much sabotage is going on 24/7.
I really hope he can manage it and quickly. Before these self righteous assholes do more damage. Saw some people discussing WARN lawsuits?? Not what I wish for Elon
I wouldn't mind paying to be a twitter "customer" the problem is that there are so many other important paid "subscriptions" that it can put a dent in one's disposable income. Particularly for those on a fixed income. There needs to be some "free" access, so people aren't' left in the dark. Thanks to all those that help make this possible, that includes you El Gato Bueno.
As Andrew Wilkow says (and a feline should appreciate this) “the mouse never asks why the cheese in the mousetrap is free”. Also Musk should shutdown every advertisers account if they don’t pay.
Actually in my experience mice are very wary of free cheese. And if a cousin mouse is lured in and trapped - humanely or otherwise - that's it. The mice get the picture and no further mouse ventures near.
This is why very very sadly you have to poison the poor little things all together by putting poisoned grain in packets they chew open thinking they are being very clever.
There is a metaphor here I am groping for.
But anyway, if only it were possible to explain to mice that there is free cheese outside if they would only go there.
It's just an inducement to lure people who perhaps otherwise are not inclined to become Twits to join. In the final analysis, it's still all about monetizing personal data, the 21st Century's gold. Do people really think that Elon doesn't have something larger in mind with the data produced by a freer Twitter platform?
Personally speaking, I will never own a Twitter account because it serves no purpose in my life. However, I am enjoying what appears to be a certain segment of the population collectively losing their minds and exposing themselves as the hypocrites they are. Like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, I still haven't figured out whether Elon's motives ultimately are "good" or a "bad".
I often wonder how much "revenue" Twitter was getting from the US government and other governments/billionaires/corporations behind the scenes? Should Elon make the platform a true champion for freedom of speech, I'm sure that well would immediately run dry.
"The only way Twitter, with 217 million users, could exist as a viable platform is if they had access to tech systems of incredible scale and performance, and those systems were essentially free or very cheap. The only entity that could possibly provide that level of capacity and scale is the United States Government – combined with a bottomless bank account. A public-private partnership."
Among my guilty bluebird pleasures is @catturd2, who recently offered to pay I think $100/mo for a special brown checkmark, which he termed a "skid mark".
This is the sort of marketplace of ideas I'm interested in.
You made me laugh so hard I spot tea out all over my phone 😂
Hilarious! Catturd says whatever he wants. A kindred spirit.
I agree, the customer should pay. And the customer should have an ironclad contract guaranteeing no customer data at all be sold or given to third parties.
240 million people no longer seeing pfizer ads seems like a win for humanity!
I've never had a twit account - maybe I'll go start one and pay the small monthly fee. Just to help ensure pfizer never gets back on it... :-)
I am so disappointed that people who are essentially weirdos with secret agendas think that they are entitled to
1) Dictate advertisers on how to spend their monies
2) Tell us what to think and what NOT to think.
I am very sad that they poisoned themselves with Covid vaxx, we prevented them from poisoning the entire population, but they just would not stop with their self righteousness.
What about us weirdos without secret agendas? We demand agenda-equity!
(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
In gaming, we call those kinds of people for "Stop having fun"-guys, since they generally objct to people enjoying a game - console, computer, cards, tabletop, P&P RPG, whatever - the "wrong" way; i.e. not the way they diktate is the only one true way.
They also come in the subset "Rulef*cker", meaing someone using legalistic and lexicalic interpretations whenever they benefit from it.
Evryone participating, freely and voluntarily to their own desire and heart's content, is EvilWrongBad to the SHF-guys.
Igor I posted your article and this one on a FB comment section about today’s meltdown on Twitter. The crowd who is lamenting the take over. I didn’t preface either link because I didn’t want to prejudice any viewers, even though I always include a preface on my own posts. I have to admit I was shocked by the response. One dude told me he didn’t waste time reading blind links. I just responded, well that’s your loss then I guess, I don’t care! I have grown so used to the useful links in substack comment sections, with or without a description, that I honestly don’t understand why someone would be so hostile. How many times have I followed a blind link to be utterly dazzled! How many times have I thought, meh, nothing burger. Isn’t that just the name of the game? It’s up to me? Why preclude the dazzle just to avoid the dust? But I think we all know the answer to the difference between us. Anywho, those articles are out there now and maybe there will be some curious cats willing to take a chance on my blind links where they might learn a thing or two!
Closed minded people "I only listen to MDs" -- show them McCullough -- "i only listen to MDs posting in authoritative sources" etc
My initial reaction: nothing is free. If one believes that twitter was free; one is delusional. You are being force fed ads and propaganda by corporations. As you both have stated the user is the product. $8 or be consumed. I know what my choice would be.
I run Brave browser with excellent ad blocking and privacy features. I don't have a twitter account and visit people's twitter page directly (bookmark them). It works great and have never seen ads on twitter.
Why would I want to give Elon Musk (or anyone else for that matter) $8/month? Twitter is a cesspool, most of the replies to an interesting tweet are from subliterate morons and are vacuous at best. It's all about sick burns and people trying to show off how smart they are. Cernovich calls these attention-seekers "reply guys" and he's got them pegged. Using the method I describe above I just read people I find interesting.
For that matter, why would I want to give a substacker $5/month? Berenson's substack says "tens of thousands of paid subscribers". Berenson gets 80% of that, $4 times 20,000 subscribers = 80 grand per month minimum. Why would I give him another nickel, particularly when he pleads poverty to sue Twitter then settles secretly?
There's plenty of stuff that is free. Most of the best substacks are people that do this as hobby and actually have a real job (or are retired) and aren't using it as a hustle. Then there are those that use their substack as a way to make a living, who are always hawking subscriptions, only letting paid subscribers comment, or hiding their posts. Who needs it? These people act like they are in an esteemed journalistic class, as if performing internet research and then writing about it takes some advanced skill. It doesn't, anyone with some smarts, time on their hands, and literary skills can do it.
Agree with the comment that if you aren't paying you are the product not the customer. However, that is easily defeated with a good privacy browser. There is no need to be sending any of these people money unless you truly support their cause.
Agreed--I just started $4.99 a month. II get to edit typos now (within 30 min of tweet).😉
I also wanted to show my support as the enemies of freedom are trying to get advertisers to boycott Twitter.
Wait. I didn’t know that was available. For $5 a month I can edit tweets?
Gato, your data mining thoughts are spot on, and I can validate this from personal experience.
I suppose I am risking doxxing myself, but... awhile back I was leading a team that built an NLP/AI application platform that ingested, among other things, the Twitter firehose, that had the ability to make inferences based on incomplete yet related data.
We were looking for outliers - needles in the largest haystack on the planet - and despite the epic signal-to-noise ratio, we found some *extremely* interesting and valuable bits of information, particularly in the investment, M&A and public health sectors.
We could have scooped the NYT, WSJ and Bloomberg on multiple occasions, and discovered pathogen spread in areas before the CDC (perhaps not quite the triumph we thought at the time, but still...).
Unfortunately, as is often the case with promising tech, we had to go to ground due to a loss of funding, but what was crystal clear at the time was that Twitter is perhaps the greatest data mine in history.
We are currently having another go at another startup building similar tech but for a different use case.
Recent developments may call for (yet another) pivot.
Carpe diem, baby.
Here's what I think may be sabotage within Twitter's ranks (what a surprise...):
Over the past 3 weeks, and especially within the past week, I have had FOUR Twitter accounts "permanently suspended" with all my "Followings" and "Followers" deleted. All the time and effort that went into building my "Followings" and (the much-fewer) "Followers" was summarily deleted by some asshole within Twitter.
For EACH of the suspensions, they said "after careful review" which included NOT telling my what Rule I broke, what Tweet got me suspended, and not telling me what language within a Tweet got me suspended. Just, Death Penalty. And even the "Appeals" process was pointless. They never responded to my appeals, never bothered to say even when I asked what it was that got me permanently suspended.
I can only guess that the POS human beings making these decisions are doing so out of malice, and are doing it to many (millions?) of peons who don't have major followings and thus don't have public advocates for their reinstatement. How many of us will try to get back on Twitter ONLY so many times, before we eventually just say "F it. I'm going elsewhere" or nowhere else at all, just give up? I know I won't keep trying to get back on, if as happened almost simultaneous with my most recent account creation I get permanently suspended, as others may experience as well.
And mind you, I've used 3 different email addresses and birthdates, 2 different phone numbers, and a VPN routed through two different portals (or whatever). Still, my most recent attempt was immediately permanently suspended because (and this time they answered) I was trying to circumvent their other suspensions.
But then how can I ever get back on? I can't. And the human debris in Twitter making these decisions at deleting and blocking thousands and thousands of peon user know that.
After the first suspension and appeal, Twitter even admitted in an email that they suspended me in error and that my account was now active again...BUT IT WASN'T. It never was restored. It's still suspended.
Pure speculation, pure anecdotal, I know. But Musk needs to get his (shit)house in order, and soon. I know he knows that, but I don't know that he knows just how much sabotage is going on 24/7.
Agree 100 percent. Got booted off twitter with no appeal...they didn't read what I wrote, it was an algorthim that didn't like a word.
There are no appeals in Twitter, its all machines.
I really hope he can manage it and quickly. Before these self righteous assholes do more damage. Saw some people discussing WARN lawsuits?? Not what I wish for Elon
I wouldn't mind paying to be a twitter "customer" the problem is that there are so many other important paid "subscriptions" that it can put a dent in one's disposable income. Particularly for those on a fixed income. There needs to be some "free" access, so people aren't' left in the dark. Thanks to all those that help make this possible, that includes you El Gato Bueno.
I hear ya. Will need to do business until I am dead so I can afford subscriptions and information. “Neeeeeeeeed input!!!!” - #5
As Andrew Wilkow says (and a feline should appreciate this) “the mouse never asks why the cheese in the mousetrap is free”. Also Musk should shutdown every advertisers account if they don’t pay.
Actually in my experience mice are very wary of free cheese. And if a cousin mouse is lured in and trapped - humanely or otherwise - that's it. The mice get the picture and no further mouse ventures near.
This is why very very sadly you have to poison the poor little things all together by putting poisoned grain in packets they chew open thinking they are being very clever.
There is a metaphor here I am groping for.
But anyway, if only it were possible to explain to mice that there is free cheese outside if they would only go there.
This is the awesome thing about Substack -- no ads means the writers provide content for the READERS, not for the clicks!
But do we know that $8 converts us to 100% customer? Perhaps it only makes us 50% customer, and the remaining 50% is still product.
Another slogan, "you get what you pay for" which is why Twitter is garbage.
Is AOC actually wanting Elom to take her out and also waive the $8 fee?
Musk: "I'll take you out and waive the fee, but we go dutch."
wondering when those 2 start dating. Yuk. She really is some sort of free loader that wants to spew her crap on a platform that he just bought.
I agree that if you aren’t the customer you are the product. I just remain skeptical that paying $8.00 will stop me being a product.
Great perspective.
It's just an inducement to lure people who perhaps otherwise are not inclined to become Twits to join. In the final analysis, it's still all about monetizing personal data, the 21st Century's gold. Do people really think that Elon doesn't have something larger in mind with the data produced by a freer Twitter platform?
Personally speaking, I will never own a Twitter account because it serves no purpose in my life. However, I am enjoying what appears to be a certain segment of the population collectively losing their minds and exposing themselves as the hypocrites they are. Like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, I still haven't figured out whether Elon's motives ultimately are "good" or a "bad".
I still have an old Twitter account but I never use it. Don’t intend to “upgrade”, either.
I often wonder how much "revenue" Twitter was getting from the US government and other governments/billionaires/corporations behind the scenes? Should Elon make the platform a true champion for freedom of speech, I'm sure that well would immediately run dry.
Sundance at The Conservative Treehouse has been trying to understand this, starting earlier this year https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/04/17/jacks-magic-coffee-shop/
"The only way Twitter, with 217 million users, could exist as a viable platform is if they had access to tech systems of incredible scale and performance, and those systems were essentially free or very cheap. The only entity that could possibly provide that level of capacity and scale is the United States Government – combined with a bottomless bank account. A public-private partnership."
BINGO. RIGHT THERE.
Makes perfect sense to me.
That's my question. Twitter is right now a CIA operation...they control it. Look at who took over the country during Covid? DOD...