MySpace all over again: Twitter

When I read about App.net in a Tweet from Marco Arment I checked out their video but did
not understand what App.net was all about. Later I started to learn more about Twitter
and how they started to curtail the features of third party apps. Eventually I started to
understand what App.net is for and signed up for it.

So today I saw [[http://www.marco.org/2012/08/22/black-widow|this post from Marco]] and
now I am glad that App.net is there just to make sure that Twitter has some competition
in case they keep on with the current direction.

Running my own business I understand that Twitter has to make a profit to remain in
business but it must do that carefully to remain relevant. Because Twitter only offers
a simple, actually very simple service it is history very quickly like MySpace and other
Internet services. For example Apple with the App Store needs the developers to provide
Apps that enriches the iOS experience even if they make no profit with it. So Apple
changed parts of their policies to remain attractive. That said Apple makes most of its
profit from the hardware sale and so Apple is in a way better position that Twitter.

Now Twitter can go ahead and say that they are big enough and have enough Celebrities
to stay alive but then Twitter becomes a marketing outlet for Celebs and Companies which
makes for a rather dull experience. But if that is what Twitter wants, at it awfully
looks like that, then that is what they get but without me.

For now App.net is still **Alpha** and so I am not using it regularly and so most of
my bitching about Twitter vs. App.net is happening on Twitter but I hope that soon
there are clients out there that handle App.net. Then I guess I can start moving over
to App.net.

– Andy