I’ve seen a lot of brash negativity lately on twitter. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn’t say “x sucks” or “y FAIL” on twitter:
1. you are being sarcastic. sarcasm doesnt work on twitter and some people will think you are a jerk (so go ahead at your own risk).
2. x may be worse in a limited context, but it comes across as if you are thinking narrowly and not like a statistician. estimators have many different properties. e.g. the median is less efficient than the mean but has other advantages.
3. you could have made a mistake. humility goes a long way for your long-term reputation as a scientist.
Instead state things plainly and precisely. I’m not saying don’t criticize. It is possible to form precise critical statements in < 140 chars, or in a series of tweets.
Then there is the case that x is really not such a good method, and you think no one should use it. You should be prepared to back up your statements with data and analysis. You can use twitter to link out to long-form pieces where you provide evidence and code.
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