I'm tempted to contribute to App.net, because it seems like a great idea and I'd like to see it succeed. However, I'm starting to think that I just may have no use for social networks of any kind at all any more.
Twitter feels like work to read and "maintain" and we're always told we have to maintain it. Facebook feels like a cesspool. I've been focused on spending time each day on learning new skills (and relearning old ones) and I'm enjoying it far more than I ever enjoyed social networking, and I'm actually getting something out of it. When I want to read something, I either come to HN or I read a book (a good book is worth at least 10,000 tweets or 1,000 blog posts, so what is really the point of all those endless tweets?)
I sometimes try to imagine the people I truly respect (the authors and inventors and scientists) spending all kinds of time on Twitter and Facebook and I keep failing.
I agree (mostly). Social networks can provide value. But the cost of using them might be too high.
Earlier this year I took one month off twitter completely. Before that I was scared to miss a tweet. I would wake up a read through what I missed while I was asleep. But after a few days of not using it I didn't feel I needed it. I may have been a few hours late hearing about the latest 'big' tech story but that was all.
After one month I went back to using it but a few days ago I decided to shut it off again. Even if you follow interesting people, and you want to hear their ideas, you still have to wade through a lot of crap. For example, one thing a lot of people post if baby photos. Why post photos of your child to a public service where you are being followed mostly by strangers? So, even if you are careful who you follow there are still noise control issues.
I could image Facebook being the same for me if I wasn't so careful about who I friend. Recently I tried their subscriber feature and subscribed to tech bloggers, news pages etc. After a few days I felt like never using Facebook again. After removing those subscriptions are bringing it down to just my close friends again it was fine. Largely because Facebook's noise controls are better. They auto created lists for me (School friends, close friends, acquaintances) and made it easy to say what type of updates I wanted from each person.
Regarding app.net I don't think it will succeed. But even if it does get off the ground and get a decent number of users I don't see the need for another social network. It seems like the reason for it to exist is the API and the fact they promise not to screw over developers. But developers aren't going to build apps and use the API if there are only a few thousand people on the network. They will go where the people (and money) are - Twitter and Facebook.
Same experience here - cut way back on my Twitter use. I see Twitter as mostly for celebrities and community leaders (tech community or whatever) to entertain us, provide interesting insight, or spread important news. Overall, though, it all isn't very important in our lives and it's not worth it to monitor all day every day.
Take people like Gruber, though, who now integrate this type of social service into their work - it is now really important to them. And of course they will communicate to us that "hey, this is really important!".
I'd say for most of us ("the general public"), it's just not that important.
Twitter feels like work to read and "maintain" and we're always told we have to maintain it. Facebook feels like a cesspool. I've been focused on spending time each day on learning new skills (and relearning old ones) and I'm enjoying it far more than I ever enjoyed social networking, and I'm actually getting something out of it. When I want to read something, I either come to HN or I read a book (a good book is worth at least 10,000 tweets or 1,000 blog posts, so what is really the point of all those endless tweets?)
I sometimes try to imagine the people I truly respect (the authors and inventors and scientists) spending all kinds of time on Twitter and Facebook and I keep failing.