Welcome to Issue 67 of Writing and Other Stuff. I’m Kim Scaravelli, popping into your inbox every two weeks with advice on branding, content, and creativity. Not a subscriber yet? Let’s fix that: subscribe here.

🩷I LOVED Twitter!

In its heyday, it was a vibrant platform that I used to build meaningful connections with friends, colleagues, and potential clients.

When Elon took over in October 2022, I had almost 10,000 followers and a sweet engagement rate.

Flash forward to late 2023...

Despite the battlecries and chest pumping, most active Tweeters didn't flee when Twitter morphed into "X" and the vibe became super creepy. Or when it became impossible to be seen unless you paid a monthly fee. Or even when Elon messed up the analytics so badly that you couldn't measure results.

😔Instead, we started quiet quitting: posting less, engaging less, and watching the platform slowly fade away, with a whimper instead of a bang.

I’ve seen plenty of folks on platforms like Threads proudly announcing they've shut down their X accounts. I get it. They’re taking a stand and stepping away from the chaos. But while I appreciate the sentiment, I believe quiet quitting is the smarter choice.

Why Quiet Quitting Beats Abandoning

When you abandon a social platform and delete your account, you risk losing control over your handle. Here’s why that’s a bad idea:

Brand Control: Someone else can claim your handle and post under your name, potentially misrepresenting you.
Reputation Risks: Followers might engage with an imposter, leading to confusion or harm to your reputation.
Lost Opportunities: Even if you’re inactive, keeping your handle preserves your visibility and leaves the door open in case things change. You can potentially return without starting from scratch.

📣🔥🥁I've chosen to LOUDLY Quiet Quit!

A dramatic exit comes with risks... but it's also fair to say that remaining on Twitter/X can look like silent support for its increasingly polarizing and political shift.

So... I'm LOUDLY Quiet Quitting!

My Profile now reads: Brand voice coach for entrepreneurs, experts and biz leaders. Author of MAKING WORDS WORK. No longer a Twitter fan so please 🩷 join me on Threads instead.

The whole Twitter THING is infuriating to me and this has a raising-the-middle-finger feel to it - which I enjoy.

Where are you at with Twitter/X right now?

😶Never got into it. Just not my thing.

🤬I'm DONE! Deleted my account.

🤫Quiet Quitting.

🫤Staying the course and hoping for the best.

Cool quote

"Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up."

James Belasco and Ralph Stayer

Stuff Worth Sharing

Here's a recent (Nov 12) article by Newsweek on How Top X Rivals Fared Since Elon Musk Sparked Twitter Exodus. Interesting!

For the Word Nerds

Here's a word that feels appropriate to the moment: meliorism

Meliorism is the belief that any situation, whether good or bad, can be improved.

So... A meliorist is someone who believes that the world can be made better through human effort.

FYI: A meliorist differs from an optimist in that they believe improvement is possible but requires action, effort, and practical steps to achieve it. While an optimist generally has faith that things will turn out well on their own, a meliorist holds that positive change depends on deliberate efforts to make things better.

💪Let's all be meliorists!

Thanks for reading. See you again November 27th.

In the meantime...

👉 Feel like your brand voice doesn't match who you are or where you're headed? Book a free 30-minute chat. We'll get it sorted!

💥 Want to learn how to write powerful brand content that sounds like YOU? Buy Making Words Work. It's an easy read. I promise!