Mathew's comments - Latest Comments in Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:09:03 -0000

Thanks, Hugh. And just for the record, I love your stuff and I think
it's great that you are trying new things and focusing on what is best
for you and your art. I was just venting :-) Rock on.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

Hugh MacLeod — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:42:21 -0000

Hey Matthew,

Just saw this post, Rock on. It still AMAZES me, one month later, how much brou-ha-ha this wee scandal caused :)

Of course, when I say scandal, I do mean in the strictly "inside-baseball" sense of the word ;-)

Like your blog. Always good stuff going on here. Keep ut up :)

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:23:03 -0000

I could be wrong, Andrew -- it's been known to happen. But I still
don't see why it has to be all or nothing. There's value in lots of
things, even if only a little, and even if it's only entertainment
value. As for the purpose, what's the purpose of the Internet again?
What's the purpose of the telephone, or email? It is what you make of
it.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

andrewgoodman — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:34:42 -0000

Reflecting on this, Matthew, I feel there's a strong possibility that Hugh is right, and you are wrong. :)

Some things are just time sucks and just seem important because you've got yourself caught up in their orbit. I personally retired from "investing" and "frequent trading" in 2000 (coincidentally, the same time a lot of people did). My life improved significantly. I never looked back.

Since the purpose of the activity was to get rich (I don't think anyone day-trades for the "insights" it provides), and it wasn't achieving that goal any better than any other means, I stopped.

What is the purpose of Twitter again?

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:14:02 -0000

Good point, Keith.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

KeithShepard — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:29:17 -0000

I agree with you as well Mathew. No reason to delete the account. Twitter can be a lot like IRC in that you can spend too much time paying attention to it.

I can understand how Hugh feels. I've seen people bail out of IRC all together because it was taking up too much of their life, but I still use it to get info., maintain contacts and collaborate on hobby projects.

Instead of deleting Twitter, seek to discipline your usage. It'll help you in other areas of you life as well.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:45:02 -0000

I meant by deleting it, rather than just not using it -- and then
telling everyone that he was deleting it. Hugh knows how many people
read his blog. It was a statement. I'm just responding.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

Roscoe — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:41:13 -0000

He didn't make a big deal out of it. You are the one making a big deal out of it.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

n8k99 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:27:58 -0000

thank you thank you

i'll be here all week--- or until i completely delete my disqus account

ba-dum ba!

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:27:02 -0000

Wow -- really, David? That's quite the addiction. In any case, I
think you are right -- but I didn't get the impression that Hugh was
addicted to it, just that he spent too much time on it because it was
easy to do so. Or maybe that's the same thing :-)

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

Ddonat — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:23:37 -0000

I generally agree, but some people can become literally addicted to a medium. If you are addicted.. then getting rid of it might be the best plan. I am a recovered TV-o-holic. The only way I was able to kick my TV addiction in 1990 was to remove all TVs from my home and view. When I booked into a Hotel, I told them to remove the TV before I checked in. They never understood the request: "Just don't turn it on, sir", or "How about if we unplug it for you?" This drastic measure was the only way I could break the habit.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

Sean — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:14:21 -0000

agree totally... there's a lot about twitter people go all or nothing about. being in or out of it, whether it's useful or not, to follow or not to follow.... i think it's best used with some progression to figure out how it fits in your life or workflow and who you should follow or be followed by.

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

mathewi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:07:03 -0000

Hanging out on a school night with pals that have no curfew -- that's
a good one. I might have to use that :-)

Re: Why I deleted my GapingVoid account

n8k99 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:02:22 -0000

i believe that some people just do things in binary; fullbore or nil. It's just how they are wired up until they figure out how to balance everything, set some priorities and reqrrange the time expenses. i do understand how twitter can totally suck up the time, its like hanging out on a school night with pals that have no curfew so it gets really hard to break away and do your homework or study for that upcoming test.