Why Ryan's swift exit is the way to go

SMALL PRINTS:IT'S HARDLY BEEN a slow news week, but in the midst of it all, a bombshell dropped that would cause chaos, leading to news sources stopping everything to report on a dramatic event. Yes, Ryan Tubridy has left Twitter. Okay, so maybe it's not that dramatic.

Some sources printed reaction stories, with comments left on RTÉ’s website including one from Paddywhack saying” followed him for ages. . . very entertaining. pity he’s gone now . . . ” , as if he’d left this mortal coil instead of just Twitter.

His farewell read, "Dear Twitter, this is my last tweet. It's been lots of fun but I must leave. No drama, just not enough time. Thanks and take care." That was after Tubridy assured his 60,000 or so followers that the Tubridy Showand the Late Late Showtwitter accounts will be attended, just not by him.

Tubridy was a fun twitterer, rather genial and jokey. He was probably a model of how a high-profile broadcaster should act on the medium. Perhaps he’ll miss being part of that bustle, especially in a week where Twitter was all over the news with the London riots.

When you have as many followers are Tubs, what’s the etiquette for leaving? Are you meant to leave thousands of people who listen to your ramblings and interact with you in the lurch so suddenly? Well, why not? For every person who fawned and jested with Tubridy, there were people who slagged him off – part of the inevitable acerbic nature of online communication and commentary when someone in the public eye puts themselves up for grabs so easily. For every benefit with being closer to one’s audience, there’s the danger of getting burned by those who will use the opportunity to be nasty. Not that that’s the reason, as Tubridy was keen to point out; no drama, but no time either.

He adopted a swift exit policy, which is to be advised. Make your excuses and go, and don’t hang around to see how much people are going to miss you, or what they have to say about it. Like ripping off a plaster, the more abrupt it is, the better off you are.