There’s been speculation that this might be a test to see if absence of third-party #Twitter apps affects engagement. But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re watching the developers react in real-time on a competing platform. Their trust in Twitter is gone. Their customers’ trust in Twitter is gone. And they’re more loyal to the developers than they ever were to Twitter. API usage could have been a feature of Blue. But now people are lining up to pay for #Ivory, #Mammoth, #Mona, etc.—not Twitter.
@megachris @herid @dmnelson I’m quite surprised that there’s been no bump at all. I’m not sure what the explanation is, but I suspect whoever is left on Twitter is going to be much harder to attract to Mastodon than the earlier converts.
@john @megachris @dmnelson yes. I've been watching @mastodonusercount and there isn't even a small bump in the last two days.
I find this disappointing but I think your take is correct.
@herid @megachris @dmnelson @mastodonusercount part of the problem might be that none of the big Twitter apps have actually have their Mastodon apps available yet. It’s would be so much better to have people be able to download a replacement app for Mastodon straight away.
Oh well. Tapbots have been trying really hard. I just wish they’d always had the backup plan!
@john @megachris @dmnelson @mastodonusercount
it would certainly be nice to have those apps and I am very much looking forward to Ivory that tapbots is making but I don't think that's what holding up Mastodon migration. A number of Mastodon apps are already available including the official app.
@herid @megachris @dmnelson @mastodonusercount in general? No. But we’re talking the specific context of no bump from Twitter disconnecting particular apps.
@megachris @dmnelson there will certainly be some of that but the number of people who quit twitter completely has been quite small thus far and I don't expect this to change significantly. I am one of the double users you mentioned. My main twitter client on ios was tweetbot. I am quite upset that Musk killed it but I am not quitting twitter completely (I *have* reduced my use of it quite a bit in the last couple of months though).
But there is too much content there that is not on Mastodon. Moreover, many (most?) of the people I follow who tried Mastodon have moved backed to twitter and stopped posting here. Twitter is hard to quit. Disappointing but it is what it is.
All that maga tripe on Twitter is a clear draw. That is if your drawn towards fascism.
@megachris @herid @dmnelson i’m not going back either. It was the final straw for me. I can’t wait for Ivory, unfortunately I missed the beta slots. I loved (and love still) Tweetbot.
@megachris @herid @dmnelson I was still using #Tweetbot to check in occasionally, but mostly hanging out here. I have zero interest in Twitter’s own apps or the web experience, so if third-party clients aren’t restored I guess I’m done with it. 🤷♂️
@megachris
It's just the right description of my particular situation. Although I thought I could still use Twitter, I feel so utterly angry about it that I have thrown Twitter away. This has been decisive.
@herid @dmnelson
@herid @dmnelson If I take my own example: Switched to Mastodon a while ago. Stayed on Twittert, because I am occasionally interested in the news of the local fire department / police. Had proven to be good sources of non-sensationalized local news.
But the way the 3rd party clients have been shut down has now been the straw that broke the camel's back. Twitter account is shut down. Who wants my attention, must be active on Mastodon ...
@herid @dmnelson
So my Mastodon account is not a 1:1 replacement for Twitter, but my feed is already much more interesting and especially diverse than my Twitter feed ever was.
Sometimes a housecleaning is useful ... and @donmelton of course. He skews the experience here into the positive 😇
@h_albermann @herid @dmnelson Thanks, once again, for the recommendation! 👍
@h_albermann @herid @dmnelson @donmelton Nice to meet you! I am weaning myself off of the bird site little by little!
I think I'll be obliged to repeat it. I totally agree. I have just observed the same. We haven't lost so much and we feel so better on the Fediverse.
@h_albermann @herid @dmnelson This largely matches my experience. I’ve had a mastodon account for years, which I used in parallel with Twitter (I wasn’t looking for a replacement, per se, when I started). All the BS over the last year has cut my Twitter usage, and I’ve been basically read-only for a month.
Similar to @dmnelson’s point, a big part of what kept me using Twitter, even read-only, was how much I enjoy Twitterrific.
@a @herid @dmnelson It really depends on how you used Twitter. Mastodon is sufficiently "different" that it makes a difference whether a change is perceived positively or negatively. So I won't criticize anyone if Mastodon doesn't suit them. There are very plausible and understandable arguments …
I am lucky to have found a new "home". But with the disappointed it is interesting that they are searching! 😉
@h_albermann
I'm exactly in the same situation.
@herid @dmnelson
@herid @dmnelson maybe, maybe not. I suspect many folks using third party clients were using both services. with the death of the API we just won’t go back to Twitter.