However I thought I might point out why Twitter is useful for someone like me- not so as to debate wether Twitter is Good or Bad, but just to offer another opinion.

As a young(ish!) and (I hope!) up and coming artist & musician, Twitter has gained me many followers that have led to new ideas, experiences, commissions, jobs & friendships. In addition to this, it also serves as a kind of catalyst for my work.
Even though I create work and ideas almost every day, having a regularly updated twitter is a way for me to force myself to work harder- if I know I have over 400 people following me because they like my work, it pushes me to deliver and work harder.

With regards to the 140 character limit, I completely understand your issue- whenever I’ve tried to explain your work to someone via Twitter, I’ve always failed, as I love the complexity of what you do. I like that it can’t be described so quickly.
But for me and what I do, Twitter has taught me to be a little more succinct.

The internet seems awash with long blogs, descriptions of art and illustration that really should speak for itself, and occasionally I crave simplicity.
i suppose I could compare it to recently trying to write some haikus- to me, there is more beauty in a good haiku than an epic 12 stanza poem.

Anyways, you’ll be missed by many followers, and I hope to see you again soon in the
real world. Also, would love to do some musical stuff with you once I’m back on my feet (not been well again lately).

Kate
xo

Thanks for going into so much detail about why you finally decided to give Twitter the heave-ho. Can I respond to a few of the points you make:

“I miss nuance”

I think to be upset about the 140 character limit and what this means for the expression of complex ideas is to misunderstand what Twitter is for. I see Twitter as a mostly fact- (and, let’s be honest, joke-) driven form of communication. If you want to expound at length on a topic then I’d suggest Facebook or your own blog are better places to do that (followed up of course by tweeting a link to that article).

“RTing complliments”

Yes, as I mentioned in a recent response to one of your Facebook posts, I couldn’t agree more. I don’t really understand why people do this. If I were to adopt a benign view it would be that people who do this just don’t entirely understand how Twitter works. Or perhaps it would be fairer to say that people do this because they think whoever complimented them will appreciate being RT-ed to potentially thousands of followers (which relates to some of your other points).

But presumably you follow someone because you already like at least some aspects of what they do. So to have that person remind you how great they are seems at the very least pointless and at worst egomaniacal.

“Messenger more relevant than the message”

I think you worry too much about why other people use Twitter. ;-) I don’t think it matters why someone chooses to follow celebrities (or anyone for that matter).

I only follow “celebs” that are actually using Twitter to express interesting, amusing or useful information. But it doesn’t bother me if other people are following celebs naively thinking that the celebrity in question really gives a damn about them.

“eating crisps and watching Corrie”

No, I’m not interested either. But doesn’t this just come down to who you follow? I try not to follow people who tweet about the minutiae of their lives. And if people I follow start to tweet like that then I can just unfollow them.

“griping about shop floor staff”

I’d say this fits into the same category as above: if someone is going to tweet about their poor experience in Argos then I’m either already not following them or will swiftly click the appropriate button.

“being subsumed”

I’ve seen this too and am perhaps a little guilty of it myself. I agree that it’s healthier to keep one’s use of any social media tool under control. But unless you’re feeling subsumed by it yourself (and it doesn’t sound like you are) then I don’t see this as a reason to quit.

“commercial purpose of Twitter”

I have seen it suggested that people who use Facebook (and presumably Twitter) should be paid because Facebook is making money from their presence. I agree that the ultimate commercial aims of Twitter are a little shady but nobody is forcing anyone to use Twitter or Facebook. In the unlikely event that either company did something to seriously upset its users, we can just remove our accounts.

On the politicial neutrality point, I remember the furore about Wikileaks not appearing in the “trending topics” list. But I also remember Twitter’s response which is that “trending” is not the same as “popular”. I believe topics only appear in that list if some fancy algorithm determines that the topic is gaining momentum. I suspect in the case of Wikileaks that it peaked pretty quickly and interest plateaued after that.

However, I would also say that it would probably make more sense for Twitter to show the most popular topics because that’s precisely when it would be helpful to be able to link quickly to those topics.

“Grandstanding”

I think there are a few points here. Firstly, I disagree with whoever ticked you off for asking for help for a venue. I would have thought that’s exactly the sort of thing you *should* be using Twitter for.

However, something else I believe strongly in is that if you’re going to use a service like Facebook or Twitter and are involved in several different areas of activity, you should have separate accounts for each persona. For example, I have a Project Moonbase Twitter account and one for “me” (and, as it happens, one for my day job too!). If you want to maintain even more separation between the “real” you and your other personas, there’s no reason you can’t make your personal Twitter account a private account so only people you really know and trust can see your tweets.

“ham radio”

I like the story about the ham radio enthusiasts and their collection of weather-reporting contacts. But I’m not sure it actually applies to Twitter – at least I don’t think it does if you’re a business/event/artist/musician. In these cases, followers are not (all) people you’d expect to have meaningful dialogue with, they’re much more likely just to be people who are interested in what you do and who want to keep informed about what you’re doing. And the more people who know about that, the better.

But equally, I’d say it probably does make more sense to limit the people you engage with via a “personal” Twitter account to those who you’re likely to have a meaningful engagement with.

OK, I think that’s more than enough fat chewing from me for the time being. Can I wrap up by suggesting that you continue to use Twitter, even if purely to advertise Space Dog events (and possibly also to enquire about venue availability)?

I guess I’m just saying don’t rule out Twitter as a way to reach out to potential listeners/readers. I would have thought that it’s exactly the sort of publicity tool struggling artistes should be making full use of.

For everything else, you have this website and Facebook.

Enjoy your new-found freedom.

Robert

Although I do miss your tweets.

Living with one foot online leads to some odd consequences. People become traces of themselves, bits and pieces of personalities which warp and distort when removed from the grounding of the real world. I’ve come a cropper several times by taking a Twitter person at face value and subsequently discovering they were a completely different person playing a role or following a marketing strategy. That’s me labelled as naive right there. (And also hypocritical as I do the exact same thing myself in the mad goldrush to grab more followers.)

There surely must be a whole new DSM of digital psychology waiting to be discovered. Society is stampeding towards a digital existence with its eyes closed — but its mouth wide open.

Your issues with the Twitterverse are not unique. Society is currently suffering from Smartphone Security Blanket Syndrome – the urge to grab a shiny beepy box and fixate on a handful of pixels instead of looking someone in the eye. Perhaps the upcoming digital generation won’t have these teething problems when Twitterbook is ubiquitous and embedded within their skulls. All conversations will be pixellified and all sentences Googleated automatically to prevent embarrassment.

Twitterbook is indeed a crap marketing medium unless you have clout already or are prepared to be a 100% ruthless marketing machine. (Or else wait several decades.) I imagine there’s some kind of tipping point when you reach a certain threshold of acolytes and it becomes a glorious self-perpetuating merry-go-round.

Twitter has been kind to me – I’ve met loads of cool people and enjoyed wonderful experiences thanks to that never-ending stream of 140 characters. Present company definitely included. I hope you don’t lose out on the good stuff. Sit down one sunny afternoon and write a twitter noise reduction app to expurgate the conversational winnets and bogies from your follow stream. Protected thus, you might find it safe to return. That is, if you find there’s any signal left after all the fluff has been eliminated…

One of the stand out tracks was a version of intergalactic by the beastie boys that can be found here:

http://midi.homemusician.net/b/beastie_boys/intergalactic.html

hideous! incredible timing issues too, made for good laughs.

I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…

Thanks for your interest in the Battersea Power Station gig. Sadly for everyone concerned, the 1 June gig has fallen through as the event organisers ArtHertz were unable to secure funding in time. But they’re working hard to get funding together for a date later in the year – I’ll be posting news on my website. It’s most likely to be in the late Autumn (around Halloween). Fingers crossed…

Sarah

(Incidentally, I was a the Science Museum this weekend too, but didn’t see the all instruments because I spent so long in the Energy Hall and the 1001 Inventions exhibit. I’m just glad I’m going back in April!)

On a different note I was spellbound by your work, especially the Theremin controlling the sample playback rate on your Hammer/Willow song… totally amazing.

Are you playing any shows with that work included?

Do you have any of your work available on CD etc.?

Best wishes,

Martin Frankcom

I think your method for getting vibrato using the wiggly wire is awesome :)

I’ll keep an eye out for you shows in future.

Lorraine Bowen
http://www.lorrainebowen.co.uk

The app’s fun and works well on my iPod Touch 2nd gen.

The owner of the phone then times the player to turn over the phone at the right timing, freezing the option.

Take care and hope to see you soon
m
x

Review on m’blog here:

Cheers
melita
x

All humour is based on confrontation – with the ‘barb’ taken out or the edge slightly blunted. Describe any situation that is potentially dangerous or embarrassing and you have a subject for humour.
This explains why humour changes because of culture, age, sex and intelligence, and why the difference between a cold or uproarious response are often so close. The more confronting the joke the greater the potential reaction. That’s why if you get the giggles at a funeral or other important event it is going to be harder to control.
It also encapsulates your theories but explains why incongruity is funnier if it involves greater embarrassment. I have a lot more evidence but not time at this moment.

…vomit.It’s an awkward position to be in: you need the sound of vomit but don’t ha [...]…

Weeeell, all the old cliches of children chanting nursery rhymes/playground songs is always quite haunting.
Have you heard of Clearlake? They come from Brighton I think… a few of their songs are very haunting but I particularly like Jumblesailing.
Most of the White Noise An Electric Storm in Hell is pretty cool.
Portishead Roads.
I also reckon that something along the lines of Ian drury’s My Old Man played in a haunting background type of way would be quite spooky…

I shall add more as I have a think

Jain x

I found your site on google searching for the haunted mp3. I was looking for mp3s to download, and stumbled on your site…interesting post though….

…Just another manic Monday, yes I know! Not the best lyric in the world, buts that’s the way it looks today, thanks for the insight I was looking for wasps and found Wilderness Survival Camp – Education Camps.What a gem, thanks….