I wanted to clarify for myself why it is that I don’t use Facebook or (for the most part) Twitter. Brace yourself for self-justification and equivocation.

First caveat: I actually do have a Twitter account (@sgarrity), but I don’t post anything (sort of, more on this later). I use it to follow people.

I don’t dislike Twitter or Facebook.  They are both amazing systems. They both took blogging and messaging and made them way easier on a massive scale. As a professional web designer and developer, I respect the craft with which both Facebook and Twitter have built their platforms. I regularly rely on open-source projects that both companies produce and finance (thanks!).

Messaging and communication are too important to be controlled by a private corporation. For all of their faults, our phone or text messaging services allow portability. If I have a problem with my phone company, I can take my phone number with me to another company. I can talk to someone regardless of what phone company they have chosen. The same is true of the web and of email (as long as you use your own domain name).

I’m not an extremist. I don’t think you’re doing something wrong if you use these services. I would like to see people use more open alternatives, but I understand that for many, the ease and convenience of platforms like Facebook and Twitter are worth the trade-offs.

All of this is to say that you can now follow @aov_blog on Twitter for updates on my Acts of Volition blog posts.

While I’m contradicting myself, I also have a third Twitter account, @steven_reviews, which I created to share reviews for a new site I’m helping to develop and test at work (more on that soon). While I may opt out of these services personally, if there’s a compelling reason for me to use them at work, or my reluctance proves a significant hindrance for those around me, the scales of the trade-offs may tip in a different direction.

Oh, and I also help manage the @silverorangeinc Twitter account as part of my job.

Now, get off my #lawn.