I get it. You're tired of the chaos on Twitter.
Whether it's the algorithm changes, the toxicity, the uncertainty about what Elon will do next, or the growing feeling that your tweets are just feeding someone else's machine—a lot of people are looking for an exit. And honestly? I built Jottings partly because I felt the same way.
The good news: moving your voice somewhere you actually control isn't as hard as it sounds. Let me walk you through it.
Why Leave Twitter in the First Place?
Before we get to the mechanics, let's acknowledge what's driving this migration.
Twitter used to be your platform. You'd write something, and your followers would see it because they followed you. Now? The algorithm decides. Posts get buried. Engagement is down. And there's this constant feeling that the rules might change tomorrow.
Then there's the bigger existential question: who actually owns your voice? You've spent years building an audience on a platform where you have zero control over the terms, the features, or whether your account gets suspended for reasons that are opaque.
Jottings exists because I wanted something different—a place where writers, thinkers, and creators could own their space. No algorithm. No ads. No surprise policy changes. Just you and your words.
What You're Really Migrating
Here's the thing: you're not just moving posts. You're moving your platform.
On Twitter, you're a visitor renting attention. On Jottings, you're building a home. That shift matters because it changes how you write, how your audience finds you, and how sustainable your voice actually is.
But don't worry—you don't have to leave Twitter entirely (though you can). You can run both. Use Twitter to announce new posts, then send people to your actual home base on Jottings.
Step 1: Export Your Twitter Archive
Twitter makes this surprisingly easy. Here's how:
- Go to Settings & Privacy → Your Account → Download Your Data
- Request your archive (it takes a few hours or sometimes a day for Twitter to compile it)
- Download the ZIP file once it's ready
- Inside, you'll find a JSON file with all your tweets
This archive includes everything—likes, retweets, replies, threads, all of it. It's yours to keep forever.
Step 2: Decide What Actually Matters
Now comes the hard part: not everything needs to move.
Some tweets are timely. They were funny in March 2022, but they don't matter anymore. Some are just noise. Some are replies that don't make sense without context.
Take an honest look at your archive and ask: What do I want to represent me?
For me, this meant:
- My original thoughts and observations (definitely)
- Threads on topics I care about (definitely)
- Funny/personal moments that still resonate (maybe)
- Quick news reactions from 4 years ago (probably not)
- Pile-ons and dunks (absolutely not)
You're building a home here. You want it to feel intentional, not like you just dumped your entire browser history on the internet.
Step 3: Adapt Tweets to Jots
Here's where Jottings is different from Twitter in a way that matters.
On Twitter, you're optimizing for virality—threading, hashtags, hot takes. Jottings is the opposite. It's slower. More thoughtful. More you.
A few practical tips:
Keep them concise, but not cryptic. You don't have a character limit (well, not really), but that doesn't mean write a novel. Jots work best when they're focused and complete thoughts.
Add links generously. Twitter's link handling is annoying. Jottings will auto-fetch the title, description, and image from anything you link to. Share what you're thinking about, not just what you think.
Use line breaks. Short paragraphs. Whitespace. Make it easy to read on a phone. Twitter's threaded format forces this naturally—Jottings doesn't, so you have to be intentional.
Add photos when it helps. A screenshot of something weird you found, a photo from your day, whatever. Jottings renders images beautifully. Use them.
Don't force tweets into jots. A 280-character zinger doesn't need to become a 500-word essay. If it was just a quick joke, maybe it stays on Twitter (or gets retired). The good stuff—the things you actually want to be remembered for—those belong here.
Step 4: Bring Your Audience With You
This is crucial, and it's where most people get stuck.
Your Twitter followers aren't going to magically appear on Jottings. You have to tell them where you went.
Some things that actually work:
Pin a tweet. "I'm writing more on my own site now: [your Jottings link]. Follow there for longer thoughts." Simple, visible, does the job.
Link in your bio. "Microblogging at jottings.me/[yourname]" is a quick way to point people your direction.
Link from your website. If you have a personal site, add a prominent link: "Read my latest thoughts on Jottings."
Post on Jottings first, then link from Twitter. This is my preference: write something meaningful on Jottings, then post a short teaser on Twitter: "Thoughts on [topic]—full post on my blog: [link]." This gets Twitter driving traffic to your actual home.
Use email. If you have an email list, tell them. Email is the most reliable way to keep people connected anyway. "I'm moving my writing here. Subscribe to stay in touch."
The key insight: you're not abandoning Twitter's audience. You're inviting them to your home. Some will follow. Some won't. That's okay. The ones who do matter more anyway.
Why This Actually Works
I know it sounds scary to leave a place where you already have an audience.
But here's what I've learned: the audience that matters is the one that will follow you, not the algorithm. The people who are on Twitter because they like you specifically—they'll come. And you'll probably discover new people who prefer your writing in a space that isn't optimized for outrage and engagement metrics.
Plus, you can always link both. Your Twitter becomes an announcement channel. Jottings becomes your real home.
Start Today
You don't need to migrate everything at once. Export your archive, read through it, pick the 50 or 100 posts that actually matter, and bring those over. Write some new stuff. Point people your direction.
The freedom of owning your platform? It's worth it.
Ready to start? Create your Jottings site and begin rebuilding your home. Grab your archive from Twitter. Take your time deciding what matters. And then start writing.
Your voice deserves a platform you actually own.