Twitter Ye Not!

[Guest]

We have all heard by now how the BBC believes that facebook and Twitter are adequate replacements for the messageboards. Some of our number are trying to convince you that Twitter represents an opportunity for real,viable interaction with the programme makers and the controller of Radio 3 - and all in a medium which puts a cap of 140 characters per "tweet"!

However, in order to allow everyone an opportunity to consider whether twitter is the answer to all of our prayers, here is an unedited selection of tweets:

BBCRadio3Live BBC Radio 3 Live
The Telegraph report on Radio 3 becoming the first station in the UK to broadcast continuously in HD sound - http://bit.ly/gQxElJ

BBC Radio 3 is now available in HD sound! Visit the website and click on the 'Listen Live in HD' button. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/

.@otterhouse Thanks for question about the message board - answered here http://bbc.in/gIYU8p Please keep in touch!

bbcpress BBC Press Office
by BBCRadio3Live
Week 2 BBC Radio Programme Information is now available online at: http://bbc.in/e5E4W8
10 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply »
MarkRClay Mark Clay
by BBCRadio3Live
@ @BBCRadio3Live Why thanks very much indeed! Looking forward to your January Mozartfest! #radio3 #POTBBC #mozart
8 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply

For those of an inquisitive nature here is the link: http://twitter.com/#!/BBCRadio3Live

You will note that in response to one tweeter, "Otterhouse", who enquired into the fate of the messageboards, was summarily given the link to the standard Beeb blurb about how cutbacks are being forced on the BBC etc.

Now,I know that by nature I am a cynical so and so, but are those tweets really the epitome of informed, "pithy,witty comment"? Does anyone honestly think that by tweeting to this nameless lackey you really have your finger on the pulse?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i do not tweet

does anyone?

[Stillhomewardbound]

It's a polite form of tourettes, isn't it/ Random, non-sequitored squeaking. Life is too short.

[3rd Viennese School]

Hello every1. I am eating a biscuit!
LOL

[salymap]

I chatter, I will never twitter, [or facebook] Thanks for info,

[Frances_iom]

Hello every1. I am eating a biscuit!
LOL

titter ye not! but I'm sure someone else will carry on in the forum about how artistic, witty and intelligent there are - presume by American standards they might be.

[french frank]

Facebook and Twitter are both for self promotion. True enough, otterhouse was directed to a page where there were links to the two alternative messageboards (though my request that these boards should be described as The Radio 3 Forum (not For3 [sic]) has not so far - after more than a week - been either acknowledged or acted on).

It will be worth keeping a watching brief over there, though, since the Trust has indicated that it will expect Radio 3 to demonstrate that it has provided an adequate substitute for the messageboards. At a pinch, that might include linking on their website to an independent messageboard which keeps the spirit and purpose of the old boards going ...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNfPSXWZqw

[Panjandrum]

titter ye not! but I'm sure someone else will carry on in the forum about how artistic, witty and intelligent there are - presume by American standards they might be.

[Hitch]

It seems to me as though the Beeb is using Twitter the way it's meant to be used. Twitter's current motto is "The best way to discover what’s new in your world". As such, it's a conduit for handy links to other websites. It's not intended to be a repository for lengthy discussions; that's what a messageboard is for.

If anyone here is curious about Twitter, please note that it is possible to "protect" your tweets (should you send any) so that only your "followers" can read them. Alternatively, Tweeters can send private messages to each other or simply post tweets on their public timeline.

What might be easy to miss at first glance is that Twitter is an excellent breaking news service. For example, look at the Wigmore Hall's profile and click on some of the links in their timeline (the central column) or some of the square icons to the right of the screen, each of which represent people that the WG follows - from Decca Records to humble music fans. You'll get some pertinent info tout de suite.

Have a look at Twitter the next time there's a big breaking news story (the current rash of UK protests, for example, or the Wikileaks controversy or a general election) and you'll get a whiff of immediacy and authenticity. Remember, it's not necessarily the tweets that are important - often it's the accompanying links that provide information and entertainment.

And where else can you find out what Joyce DiDonato is up to?

But it's no substitute for a BBC Radio 3 messageboard.

[Eudaimonia]

FF said:

Everyone wins? I think the main message people are trying to get across is that they don't want listener messages being read out in the middle of music programmes. So it's a bit of a Catch-22, isn't it?

True. But given that they're going to be reading messages whether you like it or not, wouldn't it be better if they had a more meaningful selection of messages to choose from--and why not yours?

You and I both know that Twitter and Facebook are no substitute for a message board, and that 99.99% of what currently passes for commentary on the "new social media" is a bunch of banal, low-value nonsense. My only point is if you're thinking pragmatically, it doesn't have to be. Nobody's bothering to use Twitter for anything other than press releases and blather, but that doesn't mean you couldn't convey your message and have an impact--however small--within the confines of your allotted 140 characters. It's not much, but it's something. And if you add up a whole lot of "somethings" it might end up having an influence.

The reality of the situation is that Twitter, Facebook, texts, and blogs are the only ways management wants to hear from you. If you really care about "being heard" why not grit your teeth, adapt, and use the hell out of them for your own ends? I think the fact that these channels are going largely unused could be a golden opportunity for anyone shrewd enough to figure out how to take advantage of it.

It's possible that being from, and based in, another part of the world and not having had the experience of being a Radio 3 listener over many years, you don't really have the necessary empathy to appreciate the views of R3's audience?

Not at all. Remember the thread of a few weeks ago comparing the R3 schedule of 1970 to that of today? You'd probably be shocked by how strongly I'd prefer to listen to the 1970 lineup, no question about it. Furthermore, I loathe "bleeding chunks" ripped out of context-- the kind of radio I grew up on didn't do that at all. In fact, the first time I heard a piece unceremoniously hacked off in midstream by some cheerful syrup-sodden presenter, I was absolutely livid.

Did I mention that when I was at university, I briefly researched, wrote, produced and announced my own classical radio show for the student radio station? I don't think any of you would have a thing to complain about-- my show focused on the works of little-known late 19th and early 20th century composers, with no commercials and minimal commentary aside from a brief educational component.

In sum, my personal preferences have absolutely nothing to do with how I view the kinds of programming choices a publicly-funded radio station needs to make to remain viable in the twenty-first century. As lay people and outsiders, there are so many variables going into the equation we're stone-cold ignorant of, it simply doesn't make sense to make policy recommendations in a vacuum. However, I honestly believe that if the FoR3 were to put some real effort into conducting scientifically valid, statistically-sound surveys of the R3 listenership at large, you'd be providing a valuable public service.

[Tragoedia]

i do not tweet

does anyone?

I fail to understand Twitter and I don't use it. That said, I love (it's a guilty pleasure really) Katherine Jenkins' tweets asking her followers what dress she should wear. Indiscreet tweets seem to get some idiots into a lot of trouble. I just think that too many people (famous, infamous or otherwise) have more and more powerful ways of saying nothing.

Aut tace aut loqere meliora silencio.

[Tragoedia]

Something I would love to hear Suzy Klein or Rob Cowan say:

... and if you have any thoughts about the music we've played, or indeed anything else, why don't you just keep them to yourself?

[doversoul1]

Eudaimonia
I think french frank has voiced the crux of the matter in The Eternal Breakfast Debate. This debate is about Radio3 and not about radio stations in general, public or private. I appreciate that you are interested in and knowledgeable about public broadcasting but as Suffolkcostal said somewhere that Radio3 is very unique and clearly defined, none of those general theories you have recommended on various threads are sufficiently relevant (I expect it will have to be something of the post-doc level to be relevant). Your posts in other threads are valued and enjoyed but to see the point of this particular discussion, being a listener of Radio3 is a prerequisite.

As for conducting a survey, I dare say you know what that involves. And as far as I am concerned, I am not in the least interested in providing a public service on this matter.

[doversoul1]

Something I would love to hear Suzy Klein or Rob Cowan say:

... and if you have any thoughts about the music we've played, or indeed anything else, why don't you just keep them to yourself?