Where did the feed go?
Easy come, easy go. If you have visited the website over the last few days you’ll have noticed that the Tweets no longer appear on the website. It seems that the API restrictions implemented by Twitter have finally caught up with the WordPress Twitter widget. This new escalation of restriction, along with the stopping of automatic tweeting of new WordPress Posts, Instagram images and more, just adds another nail in the coffin for the platform.
Twitter Blues
I’ve mentioned on the podcast a number of times my growing dissatisfaction with Twitter. It used to be great for finding new photography and photographers. Over the past few weeks and months, the feed has become less and less relevant. The platform also seems to be much more negative, a place of arguments, political fighting and just plain abuse. It’s now far removed from the exciting platform it was some ten or more years ago.
Will I stay or will I go now?
So will I delete my account with Twitter? The quick answer is NO…. for now, the level of engagement I have with the platform will;l be greatly reduced. Maintenance mode only unless something changes to improve things. With the introduction of the new platform Threads which is connected to Instagram, there are now at least options. I cannot see the Twitter API restrictions disappearing soon, and although it is very early days for Threads, I will probably move the website over to using the Threads feed, once that becomes available, rather than Twitter – assuming the Twitter API is ever opened up again!
Moving On
It’s a sad moment. I’ve been tweeting since 2008 and I have to admit that I’m rather reluctant to say goodbye to that history. That said, recent changes have only taken away the relevancy of using the platform. Maybe it is time to move on to something new and just remember the good, exciting times with Twitter many years ago. The decision to stay really all depends on Twitter’s next moves. More restrictions or not, the ball is firmly in their court.
