OK, so I am deeply rooted in web application development, and in case you hadn't heard, social media is where it's at right now. Facebook is bigger than life (they sell phones now based on how easy it is to stay in touch via Facebook), and Twitter is rapidly making RSS a thing of the past. Personally, I have a Facebook account because I have to, but I really don't like it. It's replacement can't be far off, though!

Twitter, on the other hand, has become what I consider to be an invaluable service. I get so much information via Twitter... it keeps me connected and doesn't expect me to do a darn thing in return. Beautiful!

So, as I was trying to catch up on threads, and noticed that a new UOP update was out that I missed, I thought maybe Twitter could be suggested as a "modder announcement system", so to speak. Got an update? Tweet it! Need help with something? Tweet that too! Tweet about anything mod related and I'll be interested, I assure you!

Thanks, and have a great day,
veg

EDIT: OK, I am an idiot and don't understand polls... nevermind the second question for now. Mod users, this is your chance to let the modders know whether it would be worth their while to do this. Perhaps we'll get to the second part later!

ANOTHER EDIT: Nevermind the poll... Perhaps one day when I learn how to use the internet, I shall try to create another one! :user:

I already kinda do. I mean, I go through phases of what I'm into at a particular moment - at the moment I'm mostly concentrating on writing about my favourite music on my non-modding blog so the modding's taken a bit of a back seat. Not that I've stopped modding, but I just don't really have any updates to share: "put a bit of clutter in a room today" just isn't very interesting!

On the other hand, when I'm well into it and making proper progress, I update my http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/in-progress-a-trivial-mistake/ and then link to it on Twitter. I follow a number of modders on Twitter, but mostly they just post about what cool movies they watched or whatever and don't bother to post their modding updates - though my arty friends regularly post links to their drawing blogs.

I enjoy seeing what people are up to, which is why I inflict my own ramblings on other people.

I would, as long as modders stay away from "just placed a table in my house". Twitter is a really underused resource in terms of modding.

[edit] Poll doesn't work. Says I need to vote in all questions, but there is only one question.

[edit] and heres http://twitter.com/LadyNerevar. Its been gathering dust since last year

Yeah, it would be most useful if the accounts were more targetted at actual announcements, rather than whatever is on one's mind at any given time (though that could be very interesting as well, depending on who you're talking about!)


I know, I know... I am an idiot... FWIW, it seems to be recording results even though it shows the error. I had two questions, but I didn't mean to require that both be answered (apparently thta's not an option?) So I got rid of the second one, but it still seems to think it's there. Really, really, weakens my claim of being in web development, does it not? :rofl:

Maybe establish #OBModding, #MWModding, #FOModding, etc?

Thanks! You just gained a follower! I'm @vegtabill (if anyone is interested... I am a dud, though... I re-tweet more than anything!)

http://twitter.com/Argomirr Personally, I'd love to see more modders use it, it's really a great way to keep track of updates and such.

I like both - as I said, mine are normally http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/split-expansion/, but there's the odd bit of http://princessstomper.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/in-progress-dominic-and-machetes-house/ stuff there, too. Certainly if I was following someone who was making a mod I'd been anticipating, I'd be happy to read about any breakthroughs or setbacks they'd encountered along the way. The "what I had for lunch" stuff of a lot of tweets isn't terribly interesting, though - unless it sounds yummy, of course!

That said, my actual Twitter is seldomly related to modding, which is why I haven't bothered to link it here.

It's like how I un-followed Felicia Day because I was only interested in The Guild, and not actually in her. (Sorry, Felicia!)

That is a brilliant idea!


You just gained a follower as well!


Exactly. And really, to that end, it would be a matter of following someone for a while to see if their tweets interested you or not. But judging from the membership here, and the level of activity (there are so many awesome mods currently in development), it seems like there's plenty of potential for everyone's tastes... modders and mod-users alike!

EDIT: spelling

It might be a nice thought. I hate facebook though. It's ugly. And I don't twitter, not much stuff to play with. I do like MySpace because you can play with your pages and stuff and make it look really nice

I'm a dinosaur and have no use for Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. I guess I just don't see the point since most of my friends just pick up the phone and call when they want to socialize

When all your friends are dinosaurs, too, that works.

gtm

Same. I used to use MSN often, but now I rarely go on it. I don't see a need for me to use them, since I don't want to chat with people often. When I do want to chat, I either email them, use Skype, or simply call them(assuming I know their house number. I don't like to call people on their cell phones unless it's really important that I talk to them right away).

As strange as it is, my dad has a method for keeping in touch with people: Email now and then, Skype for longer chats, and never owning a cell phone. His home phone is somewhat of a background figure, since his whole side of the family uses Skype, which is pretty handy for saving on phone bills.

Phone? Oh, you mean like a Blackberry or something! Ha ha!

Kidding, of course! (yes, I had a rotary phone... I, too, am a dinosaur)

Facebook and MySpace? Definitely cast from the same mold. But Twitter is different. Just for example, I get news from NPR, sale announcements from Newegg, and live setlists from Phish. Some people use it for socializing, but that's not what it's for, really. It's really meant to be one-way communication... announcements, if you will. That's why I thought it would be a good idea for mod announcements.

Of course, all that said, I don't miss many of your updates, Arthmoor! :bowdown: Though I did miss the UOP one I mentioned above, ironically enough!

EDIT: Folks, Twitter is not an IM client! Not for chat!

I've been trying to write a reply to this thread for pretty much the whole day, on and off. I can never come up with anything that makes any sense, so I'll just splurge:

I don't see how Twitter can bring anything new to how we mod/follow mods. What does it do that you cannot do here or on other forums? There's the attractiveness of being able to keep up with specific modders, I suppose, but if you need reminders for that, then it's probably not something you're that interested in anyway. So, OK, say you miss someone posting in a thread here, and it gets buried. That's a legitimate concern, it happens to us all. If you're looking to see what someone has recently said, you can go to their profile and click to see their recent posts, which gives you Twitter's functionality. You can also set up various email updates too. I can't think of a circumstance in which Twitter would be of extra help.

As for my own stance on it, I'd better own up to, despite being a member of the younger generation, not understanding the whole Twitter deal. I simply don't see the attraction of 'following' people, and getting updates informing you of their posting what their breakfast was. It comes across as a very mundane experience. Anything of any note is quickly swallowed up by such posts, and replies to other Twitter users. Also, it's pretty difficult to condense anything of any great meaning into such a small character count, and I personally prefer well written walls of text - it's the difference between reading a good book, and reading a book of good quotations.

In a similar vein, I wouldn't use Twitter simply because I can just post my modding updates here. Why should I sign up for another account on some other site when this one works just fine? The only reason is that Twitter makes it easier for users to keep track of lots of things they're following, and I don't care if anyone finds it difficult to find what I'm saying. I'm not trying to maximise my audience, because what I have to say only applies to a tiny minority of people who are already familiar with the current system. Twitter has been adopted by businesses because it lets them reach a greater audience, but that's not something that applies here.

OK, that's the ramble over, I think. I've forgotten much of what I wanted to write, and written much of what I didn't, but I've posted something, so hopefully I can get back to being productive. If I do think of anything else, I'll probably just edit this post.

Wow! You really thought about this, I see! That's cool. I appreciate that, and judging from your work I would expect nothing less. :foodndrink:

I won't try to pose any counter-points, save one which I will get to momentarily. Let me just say this: before you decide that Twitter has nothing to offer, try looking for someone or something you'd actually find interesting. Surely, out of the millions of people/organizations that tweet, one of them holds something interesting to you. You're right about people tweeting about what they had for breakfast, or just replying as if it were a chat system (which I emphatically declare once more that it is not)... that's not interesting, and I don't really care. Those get un-followed almost immediately.

But some really are legitimate and useful. Really. And it's not just to get a wider audience, though that is certainly the driving force for many. It is also to provide another means of getting information. NPR is an excellent example of that. Their primary audience is radio listeners. They also have a very interactive and informative website. But I am not always at a computer, nor somewhere I can listen to the radio, so when they started tweeting I was thrilled! I have a simple app on my Blackberry (UberTwitter in case anyone is interested), and with it I can stay informed almost anywhere. Further, it is in a quick blurb-like format so I get what I need in a quick and nicely presented format that's perfect for the small-ish screen.

I'm just saying... if you think that the mundane types are all that Twitter has to offer, you're really missing the point. (Not you personally... the editorial "you", if you will!)

OK, now the counter-point. I don't think it's a fair statement that people are already familiar with the current system. People show up here every day that are not familiar with the system. If one doesn't care about that, and only cares about the people they are already dealing with, then I guess you're right. But I don't think that's really the case. By and large, I think people here are generally helpful, and willing to help new people get familiar with the system (as long as they are not too annoying!) But I don't think it's fair to assume that everyone already knows where to go and what to do. That's my observation, anyway.

And actually, now that I think about it in these terms, when it comes to information storage and retrieval, the forum system ... well, it kinda svcks! Topics are not really discoverable unless you already know about them, and finding older information is nearly impossible (at the very least, it is incredibly inefficient). Google will give you better results than this forum's search feature. Don't get me wrong... for collaboration and sharing ideas, forums are awesome! But that's where it ends. That's why we have things like wikis, and CMSs, and yes, social media.

Now for the big back-pedal: you guys (oops, and gals) rock, and whether you want to use Twitter or not, you will continue to rock! At least AFAIC. Modders are, IMHO, pretty selfless people: all the frustration, blood sweat and tears that go into your mods gets you... what? A paycheck? A job? (well, maybe!)... you get the point. I truly appreciate the time you put into making things just right, and would not want anything I say to detract from that. You make the world a better place... Kumbayah, anyone?

Seriously, thank you for your thoughts. I genuinely appreciate the time it took to write. And hey, if Twitter is gone in a few years, this will really seem silly. I really don't think that will happen... even if Twitter itself goes away one day, the mold is set... this form of communication is here to stay, and I truly believe it's full potential is just now being discovered. Perhaps it will even be embraced here one day.

Thanks again,
veg

This is called "hyperbole."


No matter how many times people say this, the fact will never change that you're wrong. What it's intended for has no bearing whatsoever on what it's used for. And yes, it can still be used for the other things, and that's good, but consider a few points.

1. 140 characters is not enough room for meaningful patch notes, and frequently too short even for incremental updates. This means Twitter can only ever be an extra avenue, never the primary.

2. Modding is a hobby, not a job; and most of us also have jobs, and perhaps other hobbies. Time management is crucial, and time spent managing multiple information streams is not a marketing investment. For some it's actually fun; more power to them, but to me this moves it to the "tedious chore" category.

3. People can reply on Twitter, right? They're going to reply with bug reports. And a few of them they are going to get pissed off when you don't respond. And a few of them are going to turn it into a grudge and start badmouthing you across multiple media. This already happens on Nexus, so Nexus is already among my tedious chores.

Speaking of limited time, I'd probably write more but I have to do other things. Sorry for leaving it hanging after those bullet points, I'll be back if the conversation continues.

I rather prefer the forum format, personally. But then, I'm not a modder (yet?) so...

I dislike Twitter, though not nearly so much as Facebook, et al. So, yes, I'm biased. And besides, not a modder, so I'll just shut up now.

No, no, don't do that! That's really the point of the thread... to let the modders know if you'd take the time top follow them or not. I really wanted to hear from both modders and mod users, so your opinion is more than welcome! Even if it is admittedly biased! :goodjob:

Facebook...yuck
Twitter...yuck
MySpace...yuck

Too many people in the world depend on these like oxygen. I say we go backwards in technology and mail in all the info about our mods (including updates). This will make those that download them appreciate them more.

I've got to come down with tejon on this one. I waste enough of my time trying to keep track of my mods both here and on nexus (and t.b.h. i'm not very good at keeping an eye on nexus). Modding is extremely time consuming anyway, and with a full time job and a family the last thing I need is yet another medium to be hassled on.

It's not that hard to keep up on the mods your interested in really. Nexus has got a tracking feature so you can easily watch for updates, while this forum lets you watch topics and get email notifications. Sure you might miss the odd new mod, but the chances are the modders you would "follow" on twitter would be the more prolific and active modders anyway - and those threads are never far from the top here.

Apparently I buck the trend to some extent because I *do* like facebook. I have a lot of friends who now live in other countries, and I'm generally rubbish at keeping up with people. Facebook provides me with a nice ambient awareness of what's going on with them example - I found out that one of my friends was pregnant through facebook. I didn't feel the need to comment - in fact I rarely do, and I certainly don't micro-blog on my status. I also don't really have any "friends" on facebook who are not "real" friends, but I do consider it to be a very positive thing in terms of keeping up with old friends.

Twitter on the other hand I have no time for at all. I have very little interest in what my friends had for breakfast, and even less a complete stranger. Personally I prefer pulling information rather than having it pushed at me, which is why I don't own a television.

/soapbox

OK, I am totally getting the picture here, and that's cool. I still assert that this technology is misunderstood, and I think some of the posts here prove that point. But I really don't want this to turn into a debate. It was an exploratory thing, really.

Again, I appreciate you all for your work and for making it available to us in whatever way you choose.

Oh, I agree; but the problem is that it allows itself to function in a way that matches the misunderstanding. When all you want to do is pound in nails, everything starts looking like a hammer. I don't avoid Twitter because I don't know what I could use it for; I avoid it because I know what other people will use it for.

Certainly nothing I can add that hasn't already been said best by Arthmoor and other dinosaurs - except to say that Twitter updates would be a great way for me to miss an update. Because I won't do it. Even my cell phone is considered antiquated and my text messages are about 4 letters in length IF I text.

I have a job that requires a fair bit of sitting in front of a computer screen writing reports and I'm so very lucky enough to be able to do a good portion of that at home and so can browse forums in between.

If I'm not at my computer though - the last thing I'm thinking of is a mod update.

But here is where I may even be more ancient ... no mp3 player (CDs and records), no fancy cell phone, no cable tv, no tivo.

It is a very interesting idea, unfortunately it wouldn't work for me.

I dislike Facebook and Twitter. Now I could be a little unfair in my dislike for Twitter as I have never given it a try myself. However I cannot think of a situation in my modding where I would be able to give constant updates and especially in one sentance. Modding is very slow going and usually there is nothing of interest to update about. People don't want to hear that I spent three hours creating dialog or decorating an interior and in a 'tweet' you could not elaborate on that anyway.

Updates, when the modder is able to give them usually require lengthy walls of text and many pictures to show. Also with twitter there is feeling obligated to show followers something interesting, that could make it stressful and take away valuable modding time, especially in a fast paced environment like Twitter.

But it definitely is an idea worthy of discussion to find out the general feeling on it in the modding community.