Comments on: Trending Topics Aren’t the Problem http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/life/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/ I write stuff here Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:26:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Sitten Spynne http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/life/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-1707 Sitten Spynne Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:12:32 +0000 http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/uncategorized/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/#comment-1707 That's a good point, Clay. If trending topics were limited to the people I follow, then my odds of seeing mundane trending topics would be dramatically lower. It's interesting that trending topics seems to try and push all users' trends on you when the rest of Twitter is supposedly focused on only giving you information from people you follow. It's even more interesting considering that the old, more useful reply behavior was changed because Twitter felt like people you don't follow aren't what you want to see. That’s a good point, Clay. If trending topics were limited to the people I follow, then my odds of seeing mundane trending topics would be dramatically lower.

It’s interesting that trending topics seems to try and push all users’ trends on you when the rest of Twitter is supposedly focused on only giving you information from people you follow. It’s even more interesting considering that the old, more useful reply behavior was changed because Twitter felt like people you don’t follow aren’t what you want to see.

]]> By: Clay Newton http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/life/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-1629 Clay Newton Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:33:19 +0000 http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/uncategorized/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/#comment-1629 Your choice of followers, however, is where you get the best push of content. I haven't seen a significant shift in the way that my followers interact with Twitter, which has meant that there is a pretty predictable pattern for me to draw value from my home feed. Beyond the home feed, you can still glean real information from search. The trending topic thing definitely went to pot because of the influx of a much broader base of users. I would like to see trends come back, however, but as trends based on my followers. That'd be pretty cool. Your choice of followers, however, is where you get the best push of content. I haven’t seen a significant shift in the way that my followers interact with Twitter, which has meant that there is a pretty predictable pattern for me to draw value from my home feed. Beyond the home feed, you can still glean real information from search.

The trending topic thing definitely went to pot because of the influx of a much broader base of users. I would like to see trends come back, however, but as trends based on my followers. That’d be pretty cool.

]]> By: Brad http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/life/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-1489 Brad Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:04:59 +0000 http://www.owenpellegrin.com/blog/uncategorized/trending-topics-arent-the-problem/#comment-1489 I don't think Twitter is necessarily dying or of decreasing use, but just that the Trending Topics feature is a completely useless subversion of what makes Twitter useful in the first place. If a friend of mine wants to illuminate me on how Michael Jackson's passing (or whatever) affected her personally, then fine. But I'm following that person for a reason. The whole point of following people is to see the updates of people whose opinions you care about. Why then subvert that and read a bunch of static by the unfiltered masses, just because they happen to mention some topic? I think the secret here is to learn to ignore the static, in the same way as it's still possible to watch opera on television rather than American Idol, and it's still possible to visit The Economist's website rather than TMZ.com, it is possible to use Twitter to have an open conversation with like-minded others across the globe about virtually any topic while completely ignoring any unwanted chatter. Heck, I use TweetDeck and it's designers didn't even feel it necessary to include the ability to view trending topics anywhere in it's UI, which is fine with me. I don’t think Twitter is necessarily dying or of decreasing use, but just that the Trending Topics feature is a completely useless subversion of what makes Twitter useful in the first place. If a friend of mine wants to illuminate me on how Michael Jackson’s passing (or whatever) affected her personally, then fine. But I’m following that person for a reason. The whole point of following people is to see the updates of people whose opinions you care about. Why then subvert that and read a bunch of static by the unfiltered masses, just because they happen to mention some topic?

I think the secret here is to learn to ignore the static, in the same way as it’s still possible to watch opera on television rather than American Idol, and it’s still possible to visit The Economist’s website rather than TMZ.com, it is possible to use Twitter to have an open conversation with like-minded others across the globe about virtually any topic while completely ignoring any unwanted chatter. Heck, I use TweetDeck and it’s designers didn’t even feel it necessary to include the ability to view trending topics anywhere in it’s UI, which is fine with me.

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