Quitting FriendFeed

June 26th, 2009

Almost entirely at random, I got caught up in a FriendFeed thread by Aaron Brazell where he voiced dissatisfaction with the service. Things got rather surreal, and argumentative. But while Brazell hasn’t officially pulled the trigger and quit — I decided to save myself a few days of waffling, and actually did it.

I’d been slowly sliding towards pulling the plug for the past few months, ever since the redesign which left me cold. I was once a passionate FriendFeed user, even wildly comparing it to Google. But passion slipped away and I became just a user. Now I’m not even that. And a great sense of relief and anxiousness has lifted.

The basics:

• “Community” and “conversation” are not the killer apps I once thought. I used to participate in Usenet forums back in the day, as well as dabbling in MUDs and MMPORGs. But I don’t participate in those communities, anymore. With each, there was a point where it just got tiresome. I see similarities to FriendFeed — they’ve done a great job of creating a vibrant, constantly changing place for people to communicate in real-time. After a time dabbling in these communities that annoy me as well as entertain, I inevitably start asking myself what I’m getting out of association with these people. Inevitably, the answer is always: not much. Plus, most online communities have a nasty habit turning into a mob surprisingly quickly (perceived anonimity of the Internet). Recent run-ins on FriendFeed have included Rizzin, TechCrunch, and now Brazell. I was never the target of a mob, but just seeing their rise and fall is enough of a turn off. Perhaps FriendFeed needs a community manager.
• Facebook and Twitter pretty much cover everything. Facebook has literally, everyone on it. I have found Twitter’s non-commital, lack of conversation and community a positive. If you fail to participate for months and nobody cares. Twitter is a communication tool; it’s not a place to hang out. Or if you want to hang out, use Facebook. I’m not convinced anymore, that there is an inevitable, evolutionary path that users will follow, from Facebook, to Twitter, and then FriendFeed. I’ve heard many Facebook users say they see no point in Twitter. Sow how will they ever get to FriendFeed? If they don’t get Twitter I can’t with a straight face, suggest FriendFeed.
• Jon and Kate Plus 8: I have never watched a single episode of the popular television show Jon and Kate Plus 8. However, because of their recent divorce, my curiosity was piqued. In about half an hour online, I learned everything I ever wanted to know about Jon and Kate Plus 8, and now feel no need to ever watch the show; it’s not for me. Did I miss out by not watching the show for the past five years, or at any point in the future? As far as I’m concerned, no. I’ve saved a lot of time and energy by not being a regular viewer over the past several years. Last year, I quit Twitter, and this year, returned to it. What did I miss? Like Jon and Kate Plus 8 — absolutely nothing as far as I can tell. Same with FriendFeed. If in a year or two, FriendFeed is as big as Twitter is today (doubtful), I may give it a second shot. But I’ll take the bet that in the meantime, I won’t miss anything important. Because: anything worth hearing about, appears on Twitter or Facebook.

All of this, is enough for me to give FriendFeed a rest for the time being.