Serial Marketer #252: Ditching my X

It isn't Twitter anymore

Author

David Berkowitz
October 13, 2023

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SERIAL MARKETER WEEKLY
Issue 252: Ditching My X
Brought to you by: Ramp (“spending made smarter”)
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The Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel upended the nation, region, and world in all kinds of devastating ways. While I stand with the victims of terrorist attacks, I have a hard enough time making sense of topics like marketing and AI, so the Middle East is above my pay grade. If you'd like to read more about that, I recommend more astute writers like Daniel Gordis, author of the Israel from the Inside newsletter.

We will cover an ancillary event to the attacks, one that is not so important -- but one that I at least am qualified to write about.

This week marked the first time in more than a decade, probably at least 15 years, that I didn't follow a major breaking news event on Twitter.

In large part, that's because Twitter has ceased to exist. It's hard to follow something somewhere that isn't real.

Granted, I'm confused that twitter.com as a domain continues to exist. And when I type x.com into my browser, it redirects to twitter.com. For a company trying to kill off its former brand, it's doing a terrible job.

It's only been the past week where I started to be comfortable calling the platform X. "It'll always be Twitter to me," thought I.

But then, I accepted that it isn't Twitter anymore. Twitter had to feel like an ex before I could call it X.

I didn't check X once last weekend as word of the massacre spread. Checking Threads and supplementing that with the NY Times live blog worked just as well, and I didn't come across any misinformation or disinformation.

Threads may finally prove to be enough of the not-Twitter version of Twitter that people need -- reliable, mainstream, a short learning curve, and ultimately run by someone who may not be a saint but keeps his own opinions out of the platform's daily discourse.

Over the past week, journalists and other influential voices have been joining seemingly en masse and have been reporting surges in follower counts. I was most surprised by this post by legendary tech reporter Wall Mossberg:

"The reason to quit Twitter (X) isn't that it's apparently collapsing financially, or killing important features. It's a moral and ethical issue. Not only are Nazis, racists, antisemites, misogynists, liars and conspiracy theorists being welcomed back, but the owner seems to be actively supporting this. I gave up a 16-year account with over 800,000 followers because I couldn't associate myself with this haven for hate and lies. You should too."

You can agree or disagree with Mossberg's characterization of X. Take that up with him, not me (you'll have to comment on Threads). The third sentence is what is most impactful. If someone so respected can give up an account that they nurtured for nearly two decades while amassing nearly a million followers, and then join a smaller, much less influential platform, so can you.

Maybe you don't want to. I'm not judging. Well, not too much.

But for those on the fence, and for those seeing more folks they follow abandon X, posts like this matter.

Such posts are easier and easier to find.

Consider Peter Shankman's bio on X now: "I'm not here anymore. Musk poisoned Twitter and it's useless now. Find me on Threads. https://threads.net/@petershankman."

Or, for good measure, there's my bio: "Find me on Threads or practically anywhere but here: dberkowitz."

That's not totally true. You won't find me active on any of the other Twitter also-rans. I tried them all, and I also ran.

I still sometimes check X to see what's bubbling up there. Most of my favorite accounts to follow are now on Threads, and a larger share of those accounts are actively using it. Often, when I’m X, I'm procrastinating or doomscrolling. And I do it less and less. I haven't engaged with anyone there in more than a month and will occasionally follow up with someone over DM, invariably telling them I'm no longer there much.

The biggest thing I miss about X is some of the people I used to enjoy following and engaging with there.

But I'm reminded of a line I heard on an AI panel recently hosted by Knotch, one of my favorite lines in part because the speaker spelled out such an obvious point. When we were talking about using AI for content generation, Jamie Roô, Head of Wealth Management Digital Content at Morgan Stanley, said something like, "Our customers don't need more content."

Most of us don't need more content, more people to follow, more news sources, or more connections. Most of us don't even need more of an audience; we just need to better engage with those we're reaching or provide more value to them.

There's a lot I miss about Twitter. There's far less I miss about X. There's some opportunity cost for not being there, but there are also already too many places to be. I'm also someone who has a weird habit of starting communities and being active in several others I love.

What matters is cultivating deeper, more meaningful relationships. That's why I bristle at all of those LinkedIn requests that say, "I see we have ## connections in common. Let's connect here too!" By that logic, you'd connect with everyone, and then it means you provide value to and get value from no one.

And if you're still not convinced, there's always the example of Jesus. With 12 of the right followers, he changed the world.

Who needs 800,000?

Peace to you wherever you are. May perpetrators of terror worldwide meet the swiftest kind of justice, and may no more innocent, civilian lives be lost in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and other war-torn areas.

Stay safe, and however deep or tenuous our relationship is, reach out if there's ever anything you need.

David

David

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GENERATIVE AI FOR MARKETING SUMMIT 2023
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"The Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024 is set to take place on February 27th-28th, 2024, at a venue to be confirmed in London. This pioneering event marks a significant milestone as the first gathering of strategic marketing leaders, creatives, and technology enthusiasts to explore the transformative power of Generative AI. Generative AI has ignited unprecedented levels of excitement and curiosity within the marketing and creative industries. Its potential to revolutionize marketing workflows is undeniable, and this summit aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Generative AI can shape the future of marketing."
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Also, check out the AI Marketers Guild job board. For other job resources for marketing jobs, see a long and regularly updated list here.

TEQUILA SUNRISE
Email Marketing Strategist
Remote
"Tequila Sunrise is a fast-growing marketing agency focused on growing eCommerce stores with Klaviyo email marketing and SMS. We are looking to hire an A-Player to grow our sales and marketing department. Hiring an email marketing strategist to help in the sales and marketing department of Tequila Sunrise. In this role, you won’t be drinking alone. You will have an SDR to help you with following up with your leads / managing your pipeline, a copywriter to create sales assets for you and a designer to create email mockups to help you close even more deals."
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TEAM&TONIC
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"Our client is a US company that is democratizing preventive health and making it accessible to everyone. This is an early-stage startup that is creating an all-inclusive experience to provide a 360° preventive health package to everyone. This company aspires to be the next leader in the preventive health space. You’ll contribute to changing people’s lives and help them live longer. The company's success will depend on you as you’ll be their first marketer. You are a thinker and doer who can set up the strategy, refine the value proposition, set up the campaigns, measure, refine, and repeat. Your expertise lies in setting up highly effective campaigns across various platforms such as LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook/Instagram. You will collaborate with a marketing advisor, the founders, web designers, and our team at team&tonic to shape and execute marketing strategies that drive results. "
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BILT REWARDS
Customer Experience Associate
In-Person - New York City, NY
"Bilt Rewards boasts one of the highest value rewards programs on the market today, including one-to-one point transfers to twelve loyalty programs allowing members to travel across more than 100 major airlines and hotel partners; fitness classes at the country’s top boutique studios; limited-edition and exclusive collections of art and home decor through the Bilt Collection, and the ability to use points for rent credits or towards a future downpayment. In this role you will: -Provide comprehensive payment and program support to our members within the Bilt Rewards platform. -Triage incoming tickets and identify emerging trends, forwarding them to relevant internal departments for resolution. -Collaborate closely with internal teams to address and resolve member issues effectively... The salary range for a Customer Experience Associate is 65 - 75K and will be eligible for equity and an annual performance based bonus."
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