Why I Left Triberr
Posted by 
October 31, 2011 •
Dear Triberr,
You came to me and offered me great things… things to help make sharing blog posts easier. You noticed the ReTweet Club we had where we helped each other out. You offered me a way to make this happen automatically. It sounded too good to be true. At first it was true.
Then it was too good to be true.
You were quite small then. Barely on the social media map. There were lots of issues and bugs to work out. And I mean LOTS. However, I saw value in the service being offered. I started inviting people in – LOTS of people. They in turn invited more in. You grew faster than you expected in a short amount of time.
Meanwhile, technical issues were frequent and annoying since they would irritate my followers. I admit I got frustrated on several occasions, but I was a good bug reporter – and often very thorough.
Then somewhere along the way a negative, condescending attitude infiltrated Triberr and it’s bonfires (community forums). The guys behind Triberr (the ones who invited me in personally) made it clear that Triberr was for people who don’t post more than 1-2 times a day. There were frequent remarks in the bonfires that indicated review bloggers weren’t “real bloggers” because reviews aren’t “real content” and we’re arrogant and selfish if we post more than 2 times a day.
Hell, I thought that was productive!
It was one thing to read such negativity from other members, but it was unprofessional (in my opinion) for the owners and moderator to chime in to chide members with concerns – whether they were critical or not. And goodness, the trolling and derailing … no squashing of drama, but rather seemed encouraged.
You started out as a useful service that freed up my time and energy so I could invest it elsewhere (like writing too many posts, ha!) But then that vision quickly deteriorated into petty micro-managing and judgement.
First it was karma and quality scores. Then it was auto vs. manual. Recently it was engagement scores – them telling me if I tweeted enough. Funny thing though, they were pushing it as getting one to interact more by personally tweeting and losing automation. Yet, if one used a program like Hootsuite to schedule tweets, Triberr’s system saw that as engagement. Trade one for the other?
And now the announcement has been made that everyone will be on manual mode starting November 1st.
Yep, you are doing a complete 180 on me. You say it’s because the automation is against Twitter’s TOS. I didn’t read that in there though I can see how Triberr tweets can border the spam line per the TOS. Why build a business model that violates the platform’s TOS in the first place? Regardless, it’s not the same service that was marketed to me initially – for better or worse.
So I’m done. Your usefulness has run its course. I’ve been unhappy with many of the changes and the attitude hasn’t helped. I don’t feel wanted. I don’t feel appreciated. I don’t have any “wait and see” left in me. I stuck around through a lot in the beginning… but no more.
And I don’t need you.
I’m perfectly capable of manually retweeting people without signing into Triberr.
Good news? I’ll actually see real mentions and @replies now because my alerts won’t be filled with Triberr retweets.
I’d like to say it’s not you, it’s me… but it’s you. You’ve changed too much, too often, too quick. You aren’t the same service I desired back in the spring.
Sincerely,
Darcy/Syrana
(Yes, I deleted my account already.)
_______
Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: blogging, social media, triberr, twitter
This is so disappointing!! I just joined Triberr over the weekend and joined a tribe and started a tribe for my Newbie Bloggers. :(
janet recently posted..CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Sponsor – Click N Kids #CouponCabinHopjkrugel
Hi Darcy,
I cant say that you’re wrong on any accounts. It was (still can be) buggy. And all that….
Here is the bottom line.
Out goal was and always will be helping bloggers solve the big problems.
We did that by bringing retweets to everyone. And we will continue to do it whether it’s manual or auto mode.
We had to pivot because Twitter recently changed their TOS. This is fine. We anticipated this happening. We have a few aces up our sleeve.
If you think that auto retweets is where we will stop at helping bloggers then you’re not giving us enough credit.
We will continue to bring awesome new features that solve the big problems for bloggers, thats a promise :-)
Sorry to see you go. I hope that once we roll out new upgrades (around December) you will write another post …and this time, it will be about how you found new use for Triberr :-)
Salute
Dino, Founder of Triberr
I am curious to see how many people will move away or use Triberr less because of the lack of automation (set it and forget it), but, as a new member, I will look forward to the new updates! Fingers crossed that people in tribes login and share each day!!dwaynekilbourne
I agree with Darcy! I think that there is discrimination, and too much negative drama that is fueled by the admin/creators! I am disappointed in how Triberr has changed community/attitude wise… not the changes to the system being manual. I think that a lot of BLOGGERS will end up leaving Triberr!MSRheinlander
Being fairly new to Twitter…well not new but new as in actually using Twitter to communicate with my followers, I have yet to join a community like Triberr. It is interesting to read your story and point of view, it makes me wonder if learning this new social media is worth my time. There are so many new social media websites out there and I am a full time working mother, so it is great to hear different opinions and see what is worth my time and good for my followers. Thank you for sharing, I look forward to hearing more!
Share the Comment Luv! Come stop over at SAPsMaMa Natural PSAPsMaMa
Tweeted and stumbled. Great post. + 1 too. Oh heck might as well recommend while I’m at it.
Reading this made me glad that I hadn’t joined triberr. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everything and just didn’t want one more thing…sounds like it would have been a major irritation. I don’t need that for sure.Elleberra
I love it Darcy. Very well said.ashleythinks2
Darcy, I truly do appreciate and understand your concerns with triberr. That being said, I am hanging in there/ Because I still see it as a useful tool and a good source of traffic…and my content and blog are exposed to an audience that might not ordinarily come across my blog.
Engagement annoyed me. But then I realized, wow, they’re forcing me to become more engaged on Twitter. I should have been doing that anyway. Duh (duh on me, not you)! So, I’ve worked on that, and it’s working for me. Some people didn’t think an automated tweet program should be “telling” them to engage more…and I get that. I totally do.
Karma…unfortunately, it’s misunderstood and misused. You’re not supposed to give Karma to everyone and everything. It should truly be a thumbs-up on the things that you think deserve it. That’s just my two cents.
And, as you well know, for all the mishaps in triberr, there have also been issues with the actual users as well. Like ones who don’t understand how the system works, or who (for a variety of reasons) force me to monitor triberr more than I would like (such as allowing expired posts to go through, and I have to delete them manually — this happens A LOT), and so on.
Sorry for the rant…I get your points and I don’t begrudge you for breaking up with Dan and Dino. But I’m going to “wait and see.” I believe in the mission of triberr and am hoping it comes to fruition, once everything gets settled. I’m optimistic!kristinnw
I broke up with Triberr too…I don’t need any more drama in my life! Great post!MusingMainiac
I left- I dont believe in micromanaging, no matter what. You accept ALL bloggers or none. So sick of this divide and now being reinforced by this app.
I wrote a positive article for my group for triberr… next week will say why you should leave.SassyScorpYM
oh Darcy…I heart you…
oh, and happy birthday to your sweet Rissa!notaperfectmama
I’ve definitely backed off Triberr a lot. I’m still hanging in there, but certainly not investing a lot of my blogging time in it. Which is a shame, because one of the great things Triberr does is connect small bloggers with a bigger audience.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,
JennyFullCartBlog
I totally support you and this post, Darcy! I feel the guys behind Triberr intentionally misled us. In fact, I feel they went so far as to tell us what we “selfish and arrogant” bloggers wanted to hear so we would continue to post about THEM and help them grow. Well, they’ve grown and no longer need our daily posts to “join Triberr”. I will be breaking up with Triberr too. I had already removed myself from three tribes earlier today because there just isn’t enough time in the day to write “unworthy content” AND manually approve everyone else’s too. I can easily create a thread within my own circle of BLOGGERS and we can manually retweet each other without giving Triberr any traffic. I definitely feel used and abused. Shame on Dino and Dan for their own arrogance and ignorance. They like Karma so much…I’d be willing to bet one day it will bite them where the sun doesn’t shine. I won’t be writing a post about this development because, in my opinion, TRIBERR is not content worthy of taking up space on my blog.MatterofCents
Well said! I’ve been toying with breaking up with them as well!MamaDoesItAll
WOOHOO! I just deleted my account as well. Thank you for this post! Agree 100%!amysuesplace
I left not long after joining it. The one group Iwas in got too big and most of my tweets were not my own. I am thankful I got out before it started getting more crazy :)insightsbyapril
Great post Darcy! Deleting my account right now. No use for it anymore.StealsDealsLife
LOVE LOVE LOVE it, love it, love it….you are so dead on
I have a feeling you are going to have lots of company and this is what everyone should do…blog about why they left.
There are always people that forget from where they came and Triberr seems to be one of them.
I enjoyed your post.
I also left Triberr. I was sick of the drama and the attitude towards blogs like mine. I won’t support a site that looks down on me.simplystacienet
Funny I’m not even as upset about the changes…it’s the condoning of the behavior that you mention.
But if you say anything you are shut down…I even resorted to emailing in order to avoid the condescending stream hog commenting wanna be admin but they didn’t respond.
My new term is Triberr Troll- A stay at home mom that is hater with a condescending attitude. She hates mommy bloggers that post better quality content on their blogs especially those that are able to do it more often. She isn’t able to keep up with her blog because she posts on Triberr all day. She also secretly thinks she is a Triberr admin….gonna submit to Urban Dictionary.closertolucy
Well said!! I’m pretty much done too! So annoying.FamilyNLifeLV
Hey Darcy,
We loved having you as part of the Triberr community. You did help us quite a bit with the bug reporting, and for that we are quite grateful. Make sure you read our Triberr version 2 post: http://triberr.com/bonfire/thread/?pg=3&thread=13985
Here is something interesting that I’ve noted. You, and others, don’t see Triberr as just a tool. You see it as a relationship. If it was just a tool, you would just log in less. But this seems to be a little different. You wrote this as if you were breaking up with Triberr.
Actually, it’s not the first time bloggers have written about the Triberr break up. Erica Allison had exactly the same post at http://www.allisondevelopmentgroup.com/blog/2011/03/the-triberr-break-up-its-not-you-its-me/ then 3 months later she wrote another post saying that her and Triberr are back together: http://www.allisondevelopmentgroup.com/blog/2011/06/5-reasons-to-reconsider-triberr/
My point isn’t that fact that someone else had a similar post, rather I’m intrigued at why you view Triberr as a relationship as opposed to just another tool.
Thoughts?
Hey Dan. I thought Triberr was a service (a tool) when I joined. But, the atmosphere in the bonfires and the continual changes (now you are filtering out posts with “negative words” that are used most often by review and deals bloggers) point at more of a club than a service run as a business.
As for writing a break up letter, it was to add a layer of humor and to convey emotion. I’m more likely to influence others and get through to them with my message if they feel something … feel a connection when reading.
I once wrote a break up letter to a dungeon boss in World of Warcraft. http://www.sideshowandsyrana.com/2009/04/20/dear-archavon-or-why-i-love-voa/ I didn’t really believe I had dated him.
I do wish you both well… I just am not sure you two have decided what you really want with Triberr. Do you want it to be a club for your friends where you exclude and ridicule certain other bloggers or do you really want it to be a service that is used by any and all bloggers and address updates extra to benefit EVERYONE and not just a certain type of blogger. Know what I mean? I mean Twitter doesn’t try to say only people having “real” status updates can use it…Syrana
you know.. I wasnt thinking of leaving Triberr at all till I read Dan and Dinos replies..
Kind of rude and ignorant if you ask me…
The whole POINT of Triberr, (for me) were things getting retweeted with out me having to lift a finger.
Seems now you have to lift a finger, get dressed, go for a few laps around the house, walk the dog, nurse the baby, and then shower..
To much work for me…RealMomReview
Hey Darcy,
Thanks for the response.
I’d first like to make something very clear. I never “ridicule ” any blogger or any type of bloggers. If anything, I’ve always been quite respectful of our members. I appreciate them, I am thankful for them, and I spend countless hours developing a tool for them.
You write for a particular audience, but anyone is welcome to read your blog, right? We do the same with Triberr. We develop it for a particular type of blogger in mind, and we welcome any blogger to use it.
When we do things like disable automation, show quality scores and include banned keywords, we do it because we need to comply with Twitters TOS. It’s a bit sad to read these responses of members getting upset with us for implementing these features, when our only other option is have Twitter revoke our API access. It is like I’m driving a bus full of passengers, and they are yelling, “Go faster, Go faster” and I’m yelling back, “I can’t, else I’ll get pulled over and my license will be revoked”. Yet they are so mad that they can’t go faster, so they want to get off the bus and walk.
I understand that members will be unhappy at some of the changes, and I don’t expect every member to stay with us. It just saddens me when I read things like Adelina saying, “Shame on Dino and Dan for their own arrogance and ignorance”. I mean, what?! Arrogance and ignorance? I get it that you all want the bus to go faster, but hurling insults at the diver when they are trying to drive the speed limit is a test of patience for sure.
It’s ok though. I totally understand the frustration, and just know that I do hope that over time Triberr will again offer enough value where any member that left over automation will once again want to give it a try.
The constant replies from Dino- shows me that even they are not happy with these changes. Yet nothing is being done about it..
I feel many more people then planned are going to be jumping ship.
Netflix much??RealMomReview
I agree with Darcy. I see Triberr as a tool, a dull useless tool now, but a tool just the same. I liked the idea of auto tweeting, and I LOVED the idea of manual and auto switching. However, I do not have the time to log in EVERYDAY to retweet my entire tribe. A) Your UI doesn’t work very well on my dumbphone (Blackberry Torch). B) it isn’t compatible with IE7, our standard browser at work. So I have to wait until I can get home to do it, and then I am lucky if I am not distracted by dinner, the dog, or diapers. I loved the Automation for that. Also the one time that I wrote in about a possible feature upgrade. I was asked why I would join a tribe if I didn’t agree idealogically with my tribe mates. How is that not a relationship? Your name and focus have always been a tool that is relationship based… I’m just sayin… Make it easier to get to or bring back the option of automation or I will have no choice but to bow out. :/dudsordeals4mom
Automation was great for situations like you described. If we could bring back automation AND retain our API access to Twitter we would.
As for the UI. You are right. We don’t test on dumbphones or IE7. We could, but it would eat up a ton of time, and only a small % of our users have those.
We do believe in iteration. Small, incremental changes over time will hopefully result in a great user experience with the site. We know it’s not perfect, but we’ll keep trying to improve it for everyone.
LOVE this Darcy!! So funny/accurate/well said – I totally agree with you!
I myself was late to the Triberr game, so I do still have a bit more “wait and see” left in me – but only very little. I have hopes that this can once again become the great traffic-driver for me that it once was, but I’m incredibly doubtful.
It was great while it lasted – but like most of the Love/Hate style relationships in my life, it looks like this one will soon end, with a bit of bitterness left behind, and longings for the good ol’ days :)
Thanks for a great post!sunandsipcups
Well written, Darcy!0rganicmama
Thank you! I think you expressed so many of our feelings.KerrificOnline
Well I have to say that I am leaving too. It took me a while to figure out what triberr was all about and when I did I thought it was really great. But then all the changes happened and I have been reading about the behavior and such. I am always one that is looking for more exposure but personally I feel that I can get better and more quality exposure just by fellow bloggers who ACTUALLY read the posts they are retweeting.
Thanks for sharing this Darcy it has really helped me make up my mind.
Well put.
As for being a tool. Well at one point when using Triberr did not consume far too much of my time. I considered it a tool. Now not so much. I deleted my account.
Just as everyone else it’s all about what is right for each individual and at this point Triberr is far to time consuming.PassportFrugal
Ahhh Dear Danno, maybe it isn’t that we are upset that you aren’t driving the bus faster…maybe it is that we are upset that you choose to drive in City where the speed limit is 35 with a ton of stop lights…instead of finding a route on a Highway where the limit is 70 with NO LIGHTS.
I’ve been meaning to leave Triberr. I’ve just been busy with other things. Quite frankly, I’m tired of my Twitter stream filled with Triberr and Klout RTs. It’s rather spammy. I miss more of the actual discussion and organic sharing. I’m not in many tribes nor are mine large since I never got heavily involved in the service. I found it redundant of other services I was already using. I need to make it a point to move the task of removing my Triberr account to the top of my to do list and just get it over with already.householdsix
I joined triberr, I stayed for a SHORT bit, then I left. Simply put, I’m really glad that I left when I did.
- Signed by a “negative word blogger”
Will you be putting that retweet group back together. If so, I am interested!
Darcy,
I agree WHOLE HEARTILY. Triberr is not cool anymore!! :)
Thanks for sharing the info. I had considered signing up, but I won’t be doing that now. I find it completely unprofessional and tacky that you were criticized for how many posts you write and what type, etc.klshrrs