This isn't Twitter. Pack it in with the @, if you'd be so kind

[Habbibu]

Have noticed this lately - and ToadintheHole, I'm going to apologise straight off, because you've just done it to my name, but it's not an attack on you, it's been bugging me for days - lots of @username when addressing someone.

Now, I'm assuming that this has some technical necessity on Twitter (don't touch the stuff, myself), but what's wrong with just username, without the @. If you say my name, I know you're addressing me. I really do.

at eleison- alt tab is to switch windows (but obv superior browsers are tabbed )

Bertie- aw bless... you are so young my love! I first started in chat rooms in 1994...erk

rofl at humphy faces- scottishmummy... you may be words on a screen my dear, but you're always funny ones!

know a thread gone tits up when wee humphy faces appear

At Nancy
Thanks, and : saying At Eleison is even more cumbersome than saying @ Eleison. We should all def say 'Eleison, and what I mean by that is you, Eleison'

Alt-tab would be good for me: I installed FF just so I could use leechblock to block MN, but then resurrected zombie form of no-add-ons IE to get round leechblock. So constantly switching from browswer to browser. #stupid

Oh dear god. What are you talking about?

@Hab. I am Threadie btw. Haven't seen you for ages.

THREADIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! How very nice to see you.

Lenin, no, no and thrice no. I have never in my life had the gift of brevity anyway.

Habbibu (see, no need for @, she knows I'm talking to her because I used her name) - I love you.

I've been getting arsier more and more irritated by this, and also had something similar as a Facebook status. All the 'RT' business gets up my nose, too (on FB, not here) - a post can look like a load of complete twaddle, what's wrong with real words?

Why thank you, CJ. I don't use FB, either, though. I think I may be too misanthropic, in the end.

A pleasure, Habbibu . I'm tempted to give up on FB but am too intrinsically nosey to pack it in.

They use @ a lot on the Guardian boards. It's not so annoying there because they're not combined with irritating #s and RTs, but it's still strange. Maybe it's just for stupid lazy people - they need a symbol to show them that a particular person is being addressed. Grrrr. It's the thin end of the wedge, the filthy Hun will be taking over before we know it ...

Go on Habbibu give it a try
Last night you missed the lovely mamaG a little bit squiffy
We did try to persude her to start a thread on here that involved rolling bread into little balls

See you're tempted now

I do think we need a "wee humphy face" emoticon. Perhaps a with a bunnet?

habbibu
Please come over to Twitter, it is a lot of fun.

It is good for me, as I do tend to blather on.

threadie
Love this:

Twitter is a place where you say things that didn't need to be said, in fewer characters than they need for saying them.

Haha, I meant that twitter started in 2005. I am young but not quite that young... was not on the internet in 1994 though At around that age I was getting excited about the thought of my Dad getting a colour printer for the first time.

I haven't read any Jasper Fforde but thanks tribpot! :)

Well, flattered as I am by all your entreaties (!) - NOOOOOOOOO. Really no. Everytime I look at it it makes my eyes hurt. And MmeL, blathering on is good...

Bertie, you definitely should, they are fab-u-lous (I'm still in the post-Strictly glow from last night).

I propose that henceforth the MN standard is "Eleison, and what I mean by that is you, Eleison".

As to CJCregg (or @CJCregg) (a) your username is that of a goddess, deep respect and (b) yes RT is out of control crazy bonkers, esp as there is no proper 'standard' for how to RT.

Thanks, tribpot! One day, my dream is that there will be a thread where everyone shouts 'CJ! CJ! CJ!' in manner of White House press corps ...

I still don't get Twitter. It feels like the party I've arrived way too late for. Nothing's ever happening when I'm on there. (Mind you, only following five people .)

Also, MN steals enough of my time as it is - how do you cope with Twitter as well?

CJ ("CJ! CJ!") - I find Twitter more of a reading experience. So I follow some famous people, usefully some are American so post in the night, something to read first thing, and keep up with some work friends I don't see during the day. Other than Trinity I don't generally interact with random strangers in the manner of MN - and I use it more for professional reasons too (health informatics).

Actually, I do read one Twitter page sometimes, but then Armando Iannucci is indeed the soul of wit, brief or otherwise.

Ah-ha! J'accuse!

Points the finger ... @ ... Habbibu

It's Armando! the exception that proves the rule.

Come on - Burn a Kerrang Day?

But if you wanted to 'speak' to him on Twitter you would need to '@' him or he would not hear.

He is fabulous. But he has embraced the '@' (I assume, unless he never replied to anyone).

But why would I want to speak to him? I want him to be funny for me. That's his job. And anyway, if the @ has a function on twitter, then fine. I just saw no function for it here .