Comments on: Twitter can’t destroy civilization fast enough http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:34:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: JMD http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3188463 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:56:20 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3188463 @Jim Kingman: Actually, you can't Twitter that -- it's longer than 140 characters. @Jim Kingman: Actually, you can’t Twitter that — it’s longer than 140 characters.

]]> by: Say goodbye to GeoCities… | Jedi Knight Academy http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3186337 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:08:21 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3186337 [...] It may be hard to fathom now, but back a decade or so ago, when this here internet was still shiny and new, the free web space that GeoCities was as important to fandom as… Well, blogs and forums and wikis and Livejournal are now. It was the place where people were driven by their passion for whatever random bit of… whatever… made sites dedicated to their foci. Sure, it looks goofy now. (To quote Heidi MacDonald: “If you want to see the Web as it existed ten years ago just find any webpage hosted on GeoCities.”) It’s certainly not where fandom - even internet fandom - began, but it’s an important touchstone. And soon it’ll be gone. [...] […] It may be hard to fathom now, but back a decade or so ago, when this here internet was still shiny and new, the free web space that GeoCities was as important to fandom as… Well, blogs and forums and wikis and Livejournal are now. It was the place where people were driven by their passion for whatever random bit of… whatever… made sites dedicated to their foci. Sure, it looks goofy now. (To quote Heidi MacDonald: “If you want to see the Web as it existed ten years ago just find any webpage hosted on GeoCities.”) It’s certainly not where fandom - even internet fandom - began, but it’s an important touchstone. And soon it’ll be gone. […]

]]> by: Torsten Adair http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183898 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:11:28 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183898 http://xkcd.com/574/ Not on Twitter. Barely look at my MySpace page. Facebook, maybe once a week, only because I get email updates. http://xkcd.com/574/

Not on Twitter. Barely look at my MySpace page. Facebook, maybe once a week, only because I get email updates.

]]> by: Strip Business 4-27-09 | Strip News | ArtPatient.com | ArtPatient.com http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183829 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:02:05 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183829 [...] You have all no doubt seen this and this that started the whole thing and you probably have an opinion on it. Lots and lots of people have an opinion. The fact is that if you post something publicly on the internet, you have exposed it for use by others. The internet is a digital copy machine, after all. If you don’t want something public, don’t make it public. If quoters have good manners, they link to the source and then quote. In Twitter’s case, one can’t easily edit tweets down much more than they already are. It’s also not easy to link to individual tweets, so the link just goes to the source on Cebulski’s Twitter page, as is reasonable. But wait - some will object (specifically Brevoort and Quesada)- isn’t it stealing from the author to compile a bunch of their tweets into an article without recompense? Well, the fact is that if Mr. Cebulski (who is not complaining publicly) wanted to write blog posts about comics, then he would do so right here. As a matter of fact, he compiled some of his own tweets the same day as the Newsarama post and had earlier allowed others to do the same here and here at least. Further, in that second link, permission was not asked prior (See the second comment?) and he was apparently okay enough with it eleven days later to link to it. I can only speculate that Quesada and Brevoort must feel that they want to set a cash-for-pro-advice precedent about their own tweets and public posts. Wait - it looks like that’s confirmed here and here.  All the noise really has nothing to do with fair use of the occassional tweet since you are literally encouraged to spread other tweets such as movie hype information. It’s simply all about who gets paid, even if it’s just pennies. If you think my assessment of the situation is off, you are welcome to draw your own conclusions by looking at Quesada’s tweets starting 7:25 pm April 21st, 2009 and Brevoort’s tweets starting 10:07 am on April 22nd. Related to this, Quesada also complained about his tweets being compiled into blog posts. While I can understand some irritation, a quick search shows a measly four sites which each made a list from a batch of Quesada’s tweets. Being a big guy at Marvel, his tweet listing is something fairly in the realm of being comic-news-worthy and does not seem to be a repeated offense by any one abuser, despite implied claims otherwise. Further yet, should Quesada wish to write his own blog posts -or even publish a book about getting into comics for sale - I would think he is certainly better equipped than most to profit from it. Really, what’s a few tens of tweets here or there? [...] […] You have all no doubt seen this and this that started the whole thing and you probably have an opinion on it. Lots and lots of people have an opinion. The fact is that if you post something publicly on the internet, you have exposed it for use by others. The internet is a digital copy machine, after all. If you don’t want something public, don’t make it public. If quoters have good manners, they link to the source and then quote. In Twitter’s case, one can’t easily edit tweets down much more than they already are. It’s also not easy to link to individual tweets, so the link just goes to the source on Cebulski’s Twitter page, as is reasonable. But wait - some will object (specifically Brevoort and Quesada)- isn’t it stealing from the author to compile a bunch of their tweets into an article without recompense? Well, the fact is that if Mr. Cebulski (who is not complaining publicly) wanted to write blog posts about comics, then he would do so right here. As a matter of fact, he compiled some of his own tweets the same day as the Newsarama post and had earlier allowed others to do the same here and here at least. Further, in that second link, permission was not asked prior (See the second comment?) and he was apparently okay enough with it eleven days later to link to it. I can only speculate that Quesada and Brevoort must feel that they want to set a cash-for-pro-advice precedent about their own tweets and public posts. Wait - it looks like that’s confirmed here and here.  All the noise really has nothing to do with fair use of the occassional tweet since you are literally encouraged to spread other tweets such as movie hype information. It’s simply all about who gets paid, even if it’s just pennies. If you think my assessment of the situation is off, you are welcome to draw your own conclusions by looking at Quesada’s tweets starting 7:25 pm April 21st, 2009 and Brevoort’s tweets starting 10:07 am on April 22nd. Related to this, Quesada also complained about his tweets being compiled into blog posts. While I can understand some irritation, a quick search shows a measly four sites which each made a list from a batch of Quesada’s tweets. Being a big guy at Marvel, his tweet listing is something fairly in the realm of being comic-news-worthy and does not seem to be a repeated offense by any one abuser, despite implied claims otherwise. Further yet, should Quesada wish to write his own blog posts -or even publish a book about getting into comics for sale - I would think he is certainly better equipped than most to profit from it. Really, what’s a few tens of tweets here or there? […]

]]> by: Jason A. Quest http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183433 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:27:02 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3183433 "Who cares about Geocities’ history?" People who care about history, obviously. Following a comment like this with a disparaging one about "neophilia" seems a bit hipocritical. “Who cares about Geocities’ history?”

People who care about history, obviously. Following a comment like this with a disparaging one about “neophilia” seems a bit hipocritical.

]]> by: Charles LePage http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182881 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:46:20 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182881 I remember posting a story on my website about Wowio not making payments after reading comments on Twitter. After posting the story, one of the commenters stated they wished I hadn't posted the story as their comments weren't ready or meant for public consumption. I didn't mention it then, but I was stunned that the person saying this didn't realize 1) saying something on Twitter IS saying something out loud, in public, for everyone to hear, and 2) I didn't need permission to repeat what I had read on Twitter. It's absurd for anyone to make the objections the Marvel people made. In actuality, they should appreciate the publicity, but what I've found is, the larger the comic book publisher, the more likely they are to be overly protective of publicity and marketing. I remember posting a story on my website about Wowio not making payments after reading comments on Twitter. After posting the story, one of the commenters stated they wished I hadn’t posted the story as their comments weren’t ready or meant for public consumption. I didn’t mention it then, but I was stunned that the person saying this didn’t realize 1) saying something on Twitter IS saying something out loud, in public, for everyone to hear, and 2) I didn’t need permission to repeat what I had read on Twitter.

It’s absurd for anyone to make the objections the Marvel people made. In actuality, they should appreciate the publicity, but what I’ve found is, the larger the comic book publisher, the more likely they are to be overly protective of publicity and marketing.

]]> by: Joe S. Walker http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182768 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:23:42 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182768 I'd be surprised if 10% of what was on Geocities in the late 90s survives online. I’d be surprised if 10% of what was on Geocities in the late 90s survives online.

]]> by: Tweet http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182596 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:49:56 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3182596 I need to get on Twitter so I can tell everybody how much I HATE TWITTER!!!! Twitter is for twits. The problem is the natural tendency of people to go with what's quick and easy rather than what's right and true. I dislike how blogs pass for news outlets as it is, and twitter is boiling down blogs into bumper stickers. I think Twitter is cool for what it is, but it's what people will turn it into that will be the real shame. There isn't a day on the calendar that would not be improved by a bon mot from Warren Ellis or even Bendis. Yet, treating Twitter as if it is some revolutionary invention that will replace thoughts longer than 140 characters and contain sentiments that amount to more than something you would put on the front of a t-shirt... well, that's where the real trouble starts. I need to get on Twitter so I can tell everybody how much I HATE TWITTER!!!! Twitter is for twits.

The problem is the natural tendency of people to go with what’s quick and easy rather than what’s right and true. I dislike how blogs pass for news outlets as it is, and twitter is boiling down blogs into bumper stickers.

I think Twitter is cool for what it is, but it’s what people will turn it into that will be the real shame. There isn’t a day on the calendar that would not be improved by a bon mot from Warren Ellis or even Bendis. Yet, treating Twitter as if it is some revolutionary invention that will replace thoughts longer than 140 characters and contain sentiments that amount to more than something you would put on the front of a t-shirt… well, that’s where the real trouble starts.

]]> by: darrylayo http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181844 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:11:32 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181844 For the life of me, I will not ever understand some people's revulsion at Twitter. It's only inane if a user chooses to use it in an inane way. Like any communication tool, Twitter can be used to great effect or to poor effect. The simplicity of the tool is the source of its versatility. As a comics person, I use Twitter to keep up with relevant news articles, webcomics updates, press releases as well as minor news from people I kinda know. It's really whatever each user chooses to make of it. I'm too young to know what a pet rock was like, but it sounds pretty silly. Twitter actually can be used for something. For the life of me, I will not ever understand some people’s revulsion at Twitter. It’s only inane if a user chooses to use it in an inane way. Like any communication tool, Twitter can be used to great effect or to poor effect. The simplicity of the tool is the source of its versatility.

As a comics person, I use Twitter to keep up with relevant news articles, webcomics updates, press releases as well as minor news from people I kinda know. It’s really whatever each user chooses to make of it.

I’m too young to know what a pet rock was like, but it sounds pretty silly. Twitter actually can be used for something.

]]> by: Jim Kingman http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181449 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:09:08 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181449 Twitter is like a new Target store. Everybody goes to it when it first opens, and then it becomes as hum-drum as any other department store/technological fad. Passion will always triumph! (And you can twitter that!) Twitter is like a new Target store. Everybody goes to it when it first opens, and then it becomes as hum-drum as any other department store/technological fad. Passion will always triumph! (And you can twitter that!)

]]> by: Jamie Coville http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181414 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:43:00 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181414 Aww... as one of those that used Geocities as my first webpage way back in 96 (and it's still up there) I'm a bit sad to hear that's going to go. But I'm not surprised. I'm glad the news is getting out about it. Even in comics there are some old websites with useful info on them (ie Jess Nevins pages). I'm not so sure 100% of everything has been transferred elsewhere. Aww… as one of those that used Geocities as my first webpage way back in 96 (and it’s still up there) I’m a bit sad to hear that’s going to go. But I’m not surprised.

I’m glad the news is getting out about it. Even in comics there are some old websites with useful info on them (ie Jess Nevins pages). I’m not so sure 100% of everything has been transferred elsewhere.

]]> by: ShutUpRob http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181385 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:21:43 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3181385 Twitter is the Pet Rock of the Social Networking Age. Everybody's got something better to do than to Twitter and, to quote Gail Simone (probably entirely out of context), "You'll All Be Sorry!" -- Rob Twitter is the Pet Rock of the Social Networking Age. Everybody’s got something better to do than to Twitter and, to quote Gail Simone (probably entirely out of context), “You’ll All Be Sorry!”

— Rob

]]> by: Michael http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180934 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:13:30 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180934 Looking further at Hely's piece, it's obvious that he is, indeed, kidding about Castlevania. And everything else. Looking further at Hely’s piece, it’s obvious that he is, indeed, kidding about Castlevania. And everything else.

]]> by: Michael http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180930 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:11:05 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180930 Who cares about Geocities' history? It's long since ceased to be of any use or relevance whatsoever, as other push-button web creation systems came along that were far better at the job than it ever was. Game, set, and match. And if all that stuff that was on everybody's old Geocities sites has been picked up and put on Wiki et. al, then what's been lost? Answer: Nothing. Someone please wake me when people get over neophilia and start looking at the 'Net pragmatically instead of feeding their egos by blaring on and on about a self-aggrandizing Star Trek-lite future that never comes. And if Steve Hely is serious about Castlevania II, then I advise publishing companies to simply burn their money in-house and save themselves the time. Who cares about Geocities’ history? It’s long since ceased to be of any use or relevance whatsoever, as other push-button web creation systems came along that were far better at the job than it ever was. Game, set, and match. And if all that stuff that was on everybody’s old Geocities sites has been picked up and put on Wiki et. al, then what’s been lost? Answer: Nothing.

Someone please wake me when people get over neophilia and start looking at the ‘Net pragmatically instead of feeding their egos by blaring on and on about a self-aggrandizing Star Trek-lite future that never comes.

And if Steve Hely is serious about Castlevania II, then I advise publishing companies to simply burn their money in-house and save themselves the time.

]]> by: The Beat http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180919 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:09:32 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180919 Ray, sure but how else were you supposed to get CB's sage advice in one place? I admit, I toyed with the idea of doing the same thing, but as someone at Blog@ mentioned, collecting tweets is DAMNED TOUGH. Ray, sure but how else were you supposed to get CB’s sage advice in one place? I admit, I toyed with the idea of doing the same thing, but as someone at Blog@ mentioned, collecting tweets is DAMNED TOUGH.

]]> by: Ray Cornwall http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180916 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:07:37 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180916 I had thought that the Marvel complaints about the Twitter articles were as much about the lousy work done on the articles as much as the lack of notification. Basically, Newsarama et al copies the Twitter feed (without even correcting for the order of the tweets), and then slapped ads on it, with little thought or anything else of value. It's not as bad as someone stealing my RSS feed to a ghost site with ads on it to capture Google revenue, but it's of little value. Had the article been "Here's the best 3 of CB's tweets, and here's a link to his feed", I don't think there would have been a word of complaint. That one article was *30* tweets cut-and-pasted. A bit excessive. I had thought that the Marvel complaints about the Twitter articles were as much about the lousy work done on the articles as much as the lack of notification. Basically, Newsarama et al copies the Twitter feed (without even correcting for the order of the tweets), and then slapped ads on it, with little thought or anything else of value. It’s not as bad as someone stealing my RSS feed to a ghost site with ads on it to capture Google revenue, but it’s of little value.

Had the article been “Here’s the best 3 of CB’s tweets, and here’s a link to his feed”, I don’t think there would have been a word of complaint. That one article was *30* tweets cut-and-pasted. A bit excessive.

]]> by: Heidi M. http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180909 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:05:33 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180909 Twitter is definitely a great tool. I've been noticing a slight rise in traffic since I started using it to announce stories. It's a great personalized RSS feed! In fact, Twitter reminds me a lot of del.icio.us, only with conversation. Twitter is definitely a great tool. I’ve been noticing a slight rise in traffic since I started using it to announce stories. It’s a great personalized RSS feed! In fact, Twitter reminds me a lot of del.icio.us, only with conversation.

]]> by: Jeff http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180900 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:03:00 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180900 Great post (and I also got to it via Twitter even though I follow this site regularly) that should be required reading by anyone writing about the Internet these days. Thanks, Heidi! Great post (and I also got to it via Twitter even though I follow this site regularly) that should be required reading by anyone writing about the Internet these days. Thanks, Heidi!

]]> by: Stephen Elliott http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180832 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:23:19 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180832 Jon Adams, the illustrator who did the kindle/book cartoon, also has a weekly comic on The Rumpus: http://therumpus.net/sections/jon-adams/. Jon Adams, the illustrator who did the kindle/book cartoon, also has a weekly comic on The Rumpus: http://therumpus.net/sections/jon-adams/.

]]> by: Scott Bieser http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180823 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:18:10 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180823 This article has been up, what, 30 minutes, and nobody's bought the domain name blortcejil.com yet? Must be one of those drag-ass Mondays. This article has been up, what, 30 minutes, and nobody’s bought the domain name blortcejil.com yet? Must be one of those drag-ass Mondays.

]]> by: Jimmie Robinson http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180792 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:08:38 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/27/when-will-twitter-destroy-civilization/#comment-3180792 "why on earth would ANYONE post any information of any real value on Twitter?" Good question. By the way... I came to this post because I followed your link on Twitter. Haha! I'm not thrilled with the usage of Twitter, either. It's just a tool, but how it's abused is strange. How CNN and other media uses it to actually direct the news amazes me. As for Joe Q and others... as you noted, he's media savvy enough to know the deal. Tempest in a teapot, perhaps. Perhaps not. Depends on the person's view. It's a new world. We're just living in it. “why on earth would ANYONE post any information of any real value on Twitter?”

Good question.
By the way… I came to this post because I followed your link on Twitter. Haha!
I’m not thrilled with the usage of Twitter, either. It’s just a tool, but how it’s abused is strange. How CNN and other media uses it to actually direct the news amazes me.

As for Joe Q and others… as you noted, he’s media savvy enough to know the deal. Tempest in a teapot, perhaps. Perhaps not. Depends on the person’s view. It’s a new world. We’re just living in it.

]]>