Stphanie Booth brings to our attention a sad consequence of some of the latest twitter updates :
I noticed this morning that Twitter is hiding messages addressed (using @username) to people one is not following. You can still see them by looking at a friend??s page, but they don??t appear on one??s home page anymore (…) This means that we do not see what is commonly called ??partial conversations? ?? ie, conversations the people you are following are having with people that they are following but you are not. While some people will rejoice, because they found that annoying, I find that it??s a damn shame. And I??m not alone.
Why do I think it??s such a shame? Well, yes, twitter is mainly for keeping in touch with people you already know. But it??s also a really great place to get to know the friends of your friends ?? and partial conversations are the doorway to this. Partial conversations have drawn me to people I didn??t otherwise know on Twitter, because I??ve found them involved in conversations with a friend of mine, or even, a few friends of mine. Curiosity, went to check on them, ended up adding them.
This is really a sad consequence, for me twitter is the “web cool kids” pub and overhearing some bits of conversations in the open space is really part of what make’s it a special “place” to hang out… I sure hope this is not something gone for ever…
Note to self : invite her to the soon to be closed beta of Praized, I really like her take on social apps.
[Via Climb to the Stars (Stephanie Booth) » Twitter: We Love Our Partial Conversations]