New Twitter, Old Twitter, and the Definition of "Soon"

So if you're on Twitter, have been for a while, and you've been there in the last several months, you've probably heard of New Twitter (hashtag: #newtwitter). It's the big upgrade that's supposed to make Twitter better, easier to use, faster, cure cancer, prevent the common cold, and give you x-ray vision. Okay, maybe not the last one.

Problem is, that's not what New Twitter users are saying. A quick search for #newtwitter reveals the many disgruntled users:


"@---------- ****, dislike #NewTwitter! I gave you an unfollow! :o :-( *follow again*"

"I'm starting to suspect that #Newtwitter shows that u ain't following so & so [when IN FACT U ARE] but when u click the the fb button, u end"

"@--------- I still don't like #newtwitter either. Seems like I have to refresh the page or wait 20 minutes for new tweets to show up." 

 "There's only 2 things I hate about Twitter: #TwitterJail and #NewTwitter"

"The #NewTwitter has too many glitches and problems.. That's why I don't mess with it"

"Using #OldTwitter cause #NewTwitter is ****ing up"


 "#Urgh wish that #newtwitter would hurry up and just give me #oldtwitter back!"

Okay, so maybe the majority of Twitter users don't have the best spelling/grammar/communication skills. And there are a few tweets sprinkled among the spam and the hatred of the new version that don't paint it as such a bad thing. But the point is pretty clear: New Twitter may not be all that Twitter promised. Users have had problems following other users, including a glitch where they don't appear to be following someone they are, and in trying to follow them again accidentally click "unfollow". Other issues include unusually small profile pics, slow loading times, difficulty seeing what tweet someone has replied to, problems viewing direct messages, and the list goes on.

Twitter has addressed some of these issues, but as old problems go away, new ones arrive. Problems that the old version of Twitter didn't have (what problems did it have, by the way? Nothing I've noticed). In response, users have clung to the option that Twitter has left in place that allows them to keep using "Old Twitter" while everyone adjusts to the change. I'm among those users, and I plan to stay with Old Twitter as long as possible. 


However, Twitter seems determined that we, the stubborn users, make the transition. First, we had a bar at the top of the page encouraging us to make the switch, telling us that Old Twitter wouldn't be around for long. Then they added a link to a survey, inviting us to tell them what we didn't like. Then the link disappeared, and we believed that the switch was about to happen whether we liked it or not. 


It didn't. Instead, after months of the blue "this version won't be around much longer" bar, Twitter gave us the "very, very soon" bar:

Click on it - it gets bigger :)

Very, very soon... Yeah, it's been there for a while now. Twitter, check a dictionary for a word besides "soon" - one that means what you're actually trying to say. No rush, though. I just wish that, if you're going to let me keep Old Twitter forever, we could do away with the yellow bar. It's so...yellow, and with the "very, very soon" and the big blue button, it's almost like you want me to do something...Nah, that's silly. You wouldn't force a change that so many of your users don't want, would you?