The coming tighter rules on client apps are worrying. The "things that make twitter twitter" are not geegaws. It's time for someone to blow the dust off identi.ca
A big part of what makes Twitter wonderful is that it's home to the "cool kids" right now. If Twitter starts restricting third-party clients like Tweetbot, or making ads harder to avoid, it may generate more money for Twitter, but it'll scare away some of the great conversation.<p>I don't know if it's feasible, but I wish that services like Twitter would let me pay a subscription to not see ads, promoted tweets, and other services that "enhance" my "brand experience".
From Sippey's post:<p><i>You need to be able to see expanded Tweets and other features that make Twitter more engaging and easier to use. These are the features that bring people closer to the things they care about. These are the features that make Twitter Twitter. We're looking forward to working with you to make Twitter even better.</i><p>We really don't need to be able to see these features - it's you who needs us to see them. These are not features that bring us closer to things we care about, these are features that enable you to sell us to brands.