I signed up for Twitter in May, 2009. For the first couple of years, I didn’t get it. So while I had an account, I did very little with it. The I read The Tao of Twitter and the light bulb turned on. Soon I was following more accounts and my follower count was rising. Using Tweetdeck made things even more useful to me.

Over the years I learned about many news events first on Twitter. I’ve made connections throughout the world. Companies has requested that I help them with their Twitter-hosted events. When something has gone wrong, I’ve reached out directly to companies on Twitter for support. These are only a few examples of how Twitter has become part of my life. For me, it was the most used social media network and it wasn’t close.

Earlier this year when Elon Musk began talking about purchasing Twitter, I asked someone who had previously worked at SpaceX if Elon was going to ruin Twitter? They didn’t know, but they had a more positive outlook that I did. Of course there were months of drama before the deal was finalized. As I write this, it has been about a month and a half (October 27, 2022 was the date the sale finalized) since Elon Musk became the “Chief Twit”. That’s his chosen title, not mine. Below are just a few articles that have appeared in the last few weeks.

• How do you solve the problem that is Twitter?
• Ex-Twitter Employees Speak Out About ‘Inhumane’ Layoffs as Legal Woes Mount
• Twitter’s former head of safety says platform is less safe under Elon Musk
• The Twitter migration: flying away from the wizard
• Elon Musk’s Twitter Meltdown Is A Spectacle We Can’t Look Away From
• Don’t Trust Twitter: Get Out Now and Do It Right
• In remembrance of Twitter. Let’s never forget

Numerous accounts suspended or banned for hate speech have been re-activated. Misinformation is everywhere, even from the Chief Twit. Advertisers are fleeing the platform. People behind some accounts I follow have already left. Because I typically view Twitter through Tweetdeck, some of the negative changes have been less visible to me. Thankfully I rarely see the hate speech, though I know it is boiling beneath the surface.

None of the above changes are positives for me. But the worst part is that my own tweets have far less reach even though my number of followers hasn’t had a major change. With less reach, I also get less interaction. With everything combined, I made the decision to try and find something to replace Twitter for me.

One of the services mentioned the most is Mastodon. I’ve not tried it simply because everything I’d read made it sound far more complicated than Twitter. Hive Social is also mentioned though it seems to be struggling right now. Tumblr has the same owner as WordPress and they have a desire to fill the void. It just doesn’t feel like it will be what I want.

I was resigned to the fact that Twitter was going to die and that I wouldn’t find a replacement. Somewhere around November 20, 2022 I first heard about Post.news. It was started so quickly that they had to have a waitlist to keep it from being overwhelmed. I got on the waitlist right away as it sure sounded as if it could be the Twitter replacement I desired. Nine days later I off the waitlist and onto Post. I encourage you to follow me on Post.

Since I was first granted access, I’ve been “posting” similar content to what I tweeted. Even though my following is much smaller, I get more reach on Post. Overall, I feel really comfortable with the current features and I know they will quickly expand to bring much more functionality. I’m not leaving Twitter right now as there are too many people I follow who haven’t moved to Post. That said, my time spent on Twitter will decrease and my time on Post will increase. Give it a try and I think you’ll like it!