Good Migrations

Earlier this year, there was the announced rumor that a self-proclaimed business genius was interested in purchasing a social media platform – a little known one called Twitter – for a mere $44,000,000,000.00.I, along with many other people (including, apparently that same self-proclaimed business genius) assumed it was a joke.

However as word spread, it became less and less of a rumor, and more of a – for sake of another word – threat.

As the threat crept closer to reality, I decided to start taking steps to work on back-up options in case that takeover threat actually happened – mostly a precaution, since I couldn’t see myself simply quitting from a platform that I’d come to use and enjoy for the past couple of years.

Next, the dominos started toppling, and even though the self-proclaimed business genius started backpedaling from his by-then officially stated agreement to purchase the platform, it became clear that this was no mere joke.

I myself used Twitter mostly for discussing movies and films, as well as spreading memes, posting photographs of mine, and snarky political rants and statements. The main two things I had been doing were “What film?” posts (a simple amusement where I’d post a screenshot of a film and simply ask “What film?”) and a series of film polls which had become a regular item I’d post (year-by-year polls eventually choosing the top 2 films for a year, then advancing those into a decade tournament, such as “1950’s Film Tournament.”

The key for me was being able to both continue conducting those polls, as well as posting the results. Everything else, including those “What film?” posts, were easy to move onto Facebook and other social media sites.

I decided to try dusting off a couple of blog sites I’d used in the past but which I’d neglected for quite a while. I hoped that I’d be able to find some cheap / free method for holding those polls within one of the blogs.

That was not to be – as I slowly discovered there was a considerable expense involved in using plugins to gather and present data for polls. There’s the possibility of eventually learning how to code / program such polls, but not in the near future.

I’d also noticed more and more people were talking about a new (to me) social media platform: Mastodon.

I’ve always been a sucker for trying to keep up with some trends, so I immediately signed up and stumbled my way around my new account. And one thing did catch my eye: it also has a poll option built into it.

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed business genius had been taking steps to drastically change Twitter’s policies, procedures, and terms of service.That was when more and more Twitter users started migrating to Mastodon (and a few other sites / platforms). Winter was coming, and it was time to head for warmer climes or face extinction.

I’d been conducting a few test polls on Mastodon, as well as trying to build up a friend-base. There was also the drive to maintain contact with Twitter friends on Mastodon and other sites (Instagram, Facebook, Blogger, etc.).

Yesterday is when the onset of an Ice Age within the Twitter-verse became noticeable to many more users. With the proclamation / edict from the self-described business genius that workers work harder and longer or quit, as well as when he literally locked workers from the main offices – the “Great Migration” started in full swing.

So – that’s how I personally have come here, and it seems similar circumstances have pushed other friends and contacts on Twitter to do the same.

And things seem to be proceeding relatively calmly. There will no doubt be some Twitter contacts and friends who’ll be ‘lost’ during this time of flux – and I hope we can reconnect through some platform or other eventually. In the meantime, I’ve slowly started acclimating to the new environs.

Oh, and those test polls I’d conducted seem to have worked just fine.