Twitter unfortunately seems to now be trying to position itself as an ex-app, which I think can be the only possible reason that it is now called 'X'. For several months, since Musk's acquisition of the platform, Twitter has appeared to be lurching to the right in terms of the levels it wishes to sink to. I am now receiving random follower requests almost on a daily basis with people openly including 'MAGA' nonsense in their profiles, and questionable politics, and to be honest, my own country is currently enjoying its own post-Brexit identity crises, and I'm not really up for getting dragged into another's - but hey Musk, thanks for asking anyway!
I'm afraid that a social media app now using what to me looks like an oppressive black and white cross as its logo, whilst still protesting it is not right wing, is just a step too far for me, and as such, I will soon be quitting my remaining Twitter account, by the end of August. There comes a time when enough is really enough.
But I am still online elsewhere! The following are my other key social media platforms in use for Scottish GENES, beyond the blog itself:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGENESBlog/ - I have 4,600 followers on here, the page having first been set up in December 2011. I post each blog post on here once written, but also share additional news that may be of interest (perhaps from another territory not quite applicable to Ireland or Scotland, but which is an interesting story in its own right, and which may be of interest to followers worldwide), as well as sharing some humour, images from Scotland and Ireland, and other posts from accounts of family history interest for those areas.
Please do feel free to follow me there, as I try to answer as many comments as possible, and with a few giggles along the way! It's also great to get feedback there on the latest news announcements, and to source new stories for folk from other accounts.
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@scottishgenesblog This is the new Meta run Instagram linked social media network app, the fastest subscribed to in history, and where I currently have 208 followers and growing. It is very early days here - a lot of folk have signed up as part of a holding pattern, waiting to see what is happening with Twitter, but I have had a fair few sign-ups in the last few days, as people seemingly appear to be increasingly ready to move away from Musk's new social media Mordor. In the very near future Threads plans to replicate many of the features currently to be found on Twitter, including two key tools - the use of hashtags, and a facility to only see posts from accounts that you follow, without which it is still a bit primitive. If you have not signed up yet, I'd encourage you to do so, to secure the name of the account that you wish to have (so no-one else gets there first!), and await developments (although apologies to those in the EU, where Meta is currently not launching the app as yet).
One tip on Threads - in the morning, I tend to find on the news feed that there are lots of celebrities and folk you really can't be bothered with, but that the posts and news from those you do wish to follow seem to appear more consistently throughout the day. As Threads develops and evolves, I will be posting more there in due course - once you have the app installed, simply look for me at @scottishgenesblog.
Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES I started an account here prior to Christmas, and then took my foot off the pedal for a bit, but am now back on full time again, with some 649 followers. This is a bit closer to the current Twitter experience, and more (e.g. you can edit posts after they have been made), although the structure of the platform, with its 'instances', means that it is not quite as straightforward in terms of looking for accounts to follow.
If on the Mastodon.scot instance, you'll find me at @ScottishGENES, for those on other instances look for me at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
For the 4500 who were following me on Twitter @chrismpaton since 2009 (this account is now deleted as of last week), and the 2500 following me at @genesblog since 2018, I hope you will consider following me on one of these other social media accounts in the very near future. I will remain on Twitter for another month or so to allow as much
time as possible for you to explore these other platforms, and to hopefully sign
up!
And if none of that floats your boat, don't forget that you can also sign up for the free
Scottish GENES Newsletter, sent out every Sunday, via the panel to the right of this blog post! Look for the section that looks like the image to the right here and simply input your email address. This adds you to the subscribers list, essentially giving me your consent to email you the newsletter every week - you can also email me at any stage should you wish to be removed from the subscription list, or if you wish to re-register under a different email address.
(Please check your spam folder if the newsletter does not appear on the first Sunday after, and if so, tell your computer that I am hopefully one of the good guys!)
I am genuinely sorry to be saying goodbye to Twitter. It was a great place to interact with other genealogists, but it is now a relic of another era, and I wish to leave it whilst I still have some good memories from it.
RIP Twitter, and fly free...
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
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