I assumed that people would abandon Twitter after Elon took over. Many people I followed moved to Mastodon, Bluesky or Threads. I moved, closing my account, but many Twitter users that I knew stayed. Even the ones that hate everything that Elon stands for. Even the ones who hate his bullshit white nationalist politics. Even after… everything.
It’s depressing, but the truth is that for many people, social media is an audience game, and it’s tough to abandon an audience. It’s even tougher to build a new audience. And people did the math, and sadly decided to stay.
I left Twitter and don’t regret it.I’m scaling back my Meta usage significantly. I don’t think these large social media companies are good for society. I’m content with alternative social media platforms, but I have to at least acknowledge that many, many, many people love these services. Even if they know the social media services are harmful to themselves and society, they won’t move to a new service. That’s tough to reconcile.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
I’ve always thought that professors and researchers are an ideal target market for Micro.Blog. Many scholars have personal web sites, but they are often woefully out of date. I thought a plug-in that automatically updated academic publication listings could be helpful, but after a little research, I figured out that Google Scholar doesn’t have an API. I dropped the idea.
Last week, I was thinking about this project again and asked ChatGPT how to “pull information off of Google Scholar” to publish on a personal web site. After a couple of questions back and forth about how I was hosting my site and what I wanted to accomplish, it recommended pulling from ORCID instead. ORCID is basically a unique common identifier and profile for scholars and researchers and is often required when you submit articles to publications. Since Google Scholar doesn’t have an API, ORCID was the next best thing. Before I knew it, ChatGPT was providing instructions for creating a new shortcode template for Micro.Blog.
Some background… It hasn’t been part of my day-to-day job for a very long time, but I’m comfortable with HTML and CSS. I’ve played around with some programming, mostly Python. I’ve customized themes for Micro.Blog, and looked at the Hugo templating language to see what it would take to build my own theme. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on any of this, but I did understand the code I was looking at. Also, as a University of South Carolina graduate student, I have free access to ChatGPT. So my choice of chatbot is less a matter of philosophy and more a matter of convenience.
I started by building something that would just work on my site. ChatGPT navigated the API documentation for Micro.Blog and ORCID. After some back and forth, I got it working. ChatGPT eventually recommended that we supplement the information on ORCID with metadata from CrossRef. The CSS was a little strange, so I had to manually adjust it. Once everything was stable, I asked it to walk me through the process of building a plug-in for Micro.Blog. I fired up BBEdit and GitHub. Within a few minutes, I had a working version of the plug-in. You can see the plug-in, Academia, in action on my new Publications page.1 I plan to make some refinements, make an icon, test the plug-in with some different themes, and then make it available to others. I honestly don’t know how many people would take advantage of the plug-in, but I’m excited that I was able to build it.
I’ve been an LLM skeptic, concerned about the environmental impacts of the technology and the implications for creators.2 But after playing around with this plug-in project off and on for the last couple of weeks, I completely understand why programmers view AI-assisted coding as revolutionary. I was able to build something quickly that I’d been wanting to build for a while. In the hands of a skilled programmer, I can’t imagine how powerful AI-assisted programming could be.
Look for more updates on Academia soon.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
So what do we do? We own our own domains. We keep local copies. In triplicate. We choose open formats over proprietary ones. We treat every platform as temporary, because it is. We archive not out of paranoia but out of love—love for the things we’ve made, the conversations we’ve had, the small, stubborn act of leaving a mark.
The only way to square this Max to McLaren rumor:
Max wants to quit F1 until the regs change.
Zac wants to win the Triple Crown (Monaco, Indy 500, 24 Hours at Le Mans)
Zac is willing to pay Max F1 money for endurance racing.
This doesn’t make sense, but it makes more sense than replacing Oscar.
Cortado.
Our July 4th tradition… catching a Columbia Flieflies game. Although tonight, they are cosplaying as the Capital City Bombers. 🇺🇸⚾️🎇
I was recently listening to The Rest is History’s series on national anthems. I knew that the Star Spangled Banner was inspired by the War of 1812, but what I did not know was that it wasn’t adopted as the National Anthem until 1931!
In fact, many of our national symbols are no where near as old as we think they are. Lots of Americans probably think that the symbols were created alongside the Constitution, but that’s not the case. Like any brand, the marks and symbols that represent it evolve over time. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of them were codified after the rise of Communism and in the Cold War that followed World War II.
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, I’ve pulled together a list of our national symbols, and the date that the current version was adopted:
The Great Seal of the United States (1885). The original seal was adopted in 1782, but was refined in 1885. The current version remains faithful to the 1885 version.
National Anthem (1931). The anthem was written in 1814 after the British siege of Ft. McHenry, but it would be over 100 years before it officially became the U.S. National Anthem.
Current version of the Pledge of Allegiance (1954). The original version of the pledge was written in 1892, but Congress didn’t recognize it officially until 1942. Then 12 years later, they added the phrase “under God,” which is the version that is still in use today.
In God We Trust (1956). The national motto of the United States was adopted in 1956, replacing E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one). It previously had been used on coins starting in 1864.
Current version of the US Flag with 50 stars (1960). The basic formula for the flag was set in 1777, but it’s changed over time as the US has grown and stars were added. The current version was adopted when Hawaii was added to the union.1
Bald Eagle (2024). The bald eagle has been part of the US identity since 1782 when it was included as part of the seal design, but the US didn’t have an official “national bird” until a couple of years ago. Joe Biden signed it into law in 2024.
While these symbols feel like they’ve always been here, they really aren’t that old. When my grandparents were born, there was no official national anthem. My parents were born when the U.S. had a 48-star flag. And when I started kindergarten, the version of the Pledge of Allegiance that we recited was just over 20 years old. This all serves as a nice little reminder that symbols change and evolve over time as our society changes.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
There is a table on the Flag of the United States Wikipedia page with all of the different official flag configurations over the last 250 years. Many of the flags only lasted a year. And who thought an inverted pentagram star pattern was a good idea? ↩︎
This You.Gov survey on American’s opinion of flags is fascinating. My research is primarily focused on visual branding, and I’ve long thought that what most people think of patriotism today aligns better with our theories around brand loyalty and brand love.
Turned off my alarm last night so I could sleep in today. Woke up at the same time anyway.
The NY Times published a guide to Sandra Boyton’s best books and the whole thing is a trip down memory lane. We read all those books to our kids. I love “Snuggle Puppy” and “Personal Penguin.” I’m a little surprised they didn’t include “What’s Wrong, Little Pookie?” One of my favorites…
There’s been some discussion on Micro.Blog lately about the absence of likes and other typical social media features. I wanted to look at my experience with two recent posts and what they tell us about how posts are viewed on social media. My posts are shared to three timelines:1
Micro.Blog (No follower count)
Bluesky (198 followers)
Threads (420 followers)
As far as I can tell, the vast majority of my posts get limited to no engagement. Micro.Blog offers no engagement metrics. Bluesky shows likes and comments. Threads offers “Insights” on each post that includes engagement metrics.
Post #1: World Cup Watch Party
The first was a post about accidentally landing in the middle of a Brazil-Morocco World Cup watch party.
On Micro.Blog, I got no comments.
On Bluesky, I got one like from a person I did not follow at the time.
On Threads, I got 1,074 likes and 24 comments on 13,051 views. Here’s the interesting part… only 83 of those views were from my followers.
Post #2: Slate’s Final Price
The second was a comment on the Slate truck…
On Micro.Blog, it sparked a conversation and at least one other post.
On Bluesky, I got one like from someone that doesn’t follow me.
On Threads, I got a like and a reply on 31 views, only 6 views from followers.
Clearly, if you want people to engage with your posts, the Threads algorithm can provide an audience. Bluesky didn’t generate much activity on either post, but I assume more than one person saw them. For the Slate post, Micro.Blog actually generated a conversation, and another blog post from one of the participants. I decided to follow up with a longer post as well.
These three timelines are different. I use them for different purposes. Is the Micro.Blog timeline quiet? Sure, but it’s full of unique and distinct voices including many I follow from Mastodon. I use Threads to follow pop culture, F1, WNBA, local news, and more. Bluesky has a bunch of academic and political experts that I enjoy following. Each timeline has a purpose. And the character of each is derived from the design of each service.
If I wanted to go all in on metrics, I’d be posting regularly to Facebook (823 friends), Instagram (707 followers), or LinkedIn (750 connections). I wouldn’t have deleted my Twitter account with over 1000 followers. But that’s not why I post on my blog.
I don’t think we’ll ever have a single dominant social media platform. The reality is that I’ve always had two or three different social media channels at a time. In the early days, I used Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I still use three — Micro.Blog, Threads and Bluesky — but my current setup works better for me because everything is hosted on Micro.Blog and crossposted to other services. I value having all of my content on a single site.
We all use social media for different purposes. One great thing about today’s social media is that we have choices, but having more social media channels available means it’s harder to focus on a single outlet that meets all our needs. Each platform makes decisions that shape the experience, and that’s especially true in the case of Micro.Blog. In fact, I almost wrote a paper for a Ph.D.-level PR theory class a couple of years ago about how Micro.Blog’s structure aligns with Kent & Taylor’s framework for creating dialogic social media. Maybe someday, I’ll get around to writing it.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
Honestly, four. I still share to Mastodon, but I don’t have any followers over there and don’t expect any engagement. ↩︎
Goodness! The Cubs have scored 22 runs on 7 home runs against San Diego today. And it’s only the 8th inning. Dansby Swanson has 3 of those home runs.
I’m increasing intrigued by what’s happening with the AT Protocol and Bluesky. I’m finding myself on Bluesky more often as the user base grows. I like the basic concept of storing your data on a personal data server (PDS), with social apps filtering relevant data from a “firehose.” I’m fascinated by the idea of using the AT Protocol as a foundation of open science and academic publishing, even if I have lots of questions. I like where Standard.Site is going. Eurosky is doing interested things with some different AT Protocol apps.
I’m interested in Bluesky, but I don’t have the bandwidth right now to tinker with all of it. Micro.Blog creator Manton Reece has built a platform that interfaces with everything with an open API.1 Bluesky rolls out support for Standard.Site. Manton supports it. Bluesky starts to allow 12 pictures, Manton supports it. I’m not quite ready to spin up my own PDS, so hosting everything on Micro.Blog gives me the next best option.
The reality is that AT Protocol advocates see a world where everything is based on their vision of the open social web. I like their vision, but I’m not sure we’ll ever have one dominate protocol. (And as Dave Winer points out, Bluesky isn’t 100% billionaire-proof yet.) It’s best to cast a wide net and bet on interoperability. I host everything with Micro.Blog on bobwertz.com, but my content automatically crossposts to Bluesky (plus Threads and Mastodon).
And that’s why Micro.Blog is the perfect solution for people who want to experiment with different platforms, but maintain a centralized web presence. Manton’s built something amazing at Micro.Blog and I’m still surprised how few people know about it. Plans start at $5/month, but I pay $10/month for the premium plan, which includes multiple blogs, email newsletters, an alternative social media feed that allows me to follow people on Mastodon, bookmarking, an RSS reader, short video hosting an independent Goodreads alternative, and more. I can use it with desktop apps like MarsEdit and Ulysses. It’s phenomenal, and the best solution for me as we collectively figure out what’s next in social media.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
When I switched jobs at the university, my parking spot moved from a surface lot to a parking garage. And while I pay more for the reserved garage spot, I have to say that it’s nice to have my car in the shade when it is 95°F outside.
Similarly, it seems unlikely that AI is a technological genie that will be fully returned to its bottle. Much like early PCs, there is too much untapped convenience to be ignored. But as we struggle to figure out how to think about the promise of these tools, it’s worth remembering that in the digital world, productivity doesn’t always match our expectations.
The comparison to early PCs is good. The rise of AI also seems similar to the advent of desktop publishing. Incredible promise, but the true productivity payoff might be decades away.
What a wild ending to the Cubs vs. Brewers game. Glad the Cubs could hold on…
I’ve used Glyphs for type design since 2011. Love the new features coming with Glyphs 4 in July. Such a great application and it keeps getting better.
Sigh. I waited too long to buy my daughter’s laptop for college. I was waiting for Apple’s annual back to school promotion, but the MacBook Neo she wants is now $100 more.
