Lately as I practice chinese daily I have been wondering whether I should learn how to write traditional characters or simply know how to read them. I am learning simplified, although my first semester was using traditional characters.

Realistically speaking, what is the best way to chose? learn how to write both? Or only learn how to read traditional (although I find it not too hard already, if you know the radicals).

I am seeking opinions before going over my entire vocab (in traditional) in the near future.

"I am seeking opinions before going over my entire vocab (in traditional) in the near future."

Why the entire vocab? Just switch to "both traditional and simplified", run through a few lists of single characters and then switch to "simplified and previously added traditional".

Skritter statistics aren't really able to digest both types of characters at the same time (counted as two separate characters), so that method produces rather strange Twitter status messages like
http://twitter.com/#!/kshuzx/status/16092994222428160

Well I think that depends on you. If you want to study some time in Taiwan or Hongkong, learning traditional characters would definately help. Or maybe if you want to do calligraphy? Read traditional texts in traditional characters?
I'm learning traditional characters at the moment and think about learning the (copied from wikipedia):
- Chart 1, which contains 350 singly simplified characters, whose simplifications cannot be generalized to other characters
- Chart 2, which contains 132 simplified characters and 14 simplified radicals, which can all be generalized to other characters
So it would be about 500 characters, I think that should enable me to at least read simplified characters. Anyone doing something like that?

I learned to read and write simplified characters while in Mainland China. I honestly can find no personal use for learning how to write traditional characters. I maintain writing capabilities in simplified and am using ANKI to learn how to read traditional characters. The overwhelming majority of the time, characters will be typed, unless you are in a class of course. I can think of tons of exceptions, don't get me wrong, but I really can't see the point in being able to write both versions.

Will you be taking classes in Taiwan/Hong Kong/other countries that requires you to be able to write traditional characters? If not, I wouldn't bother with it. Once you are pretty good at either type of character, using a program like ANKI to help you learn how to read the other type isn't hard.

Thanks all for your comments, I guess I'll stick with my plan: write simplified, read traditional.

I'd like to mention that I'm only studying (writing/reading) traditional chinese but I have basically no problem with simplified, it's just deeply hurt my retina but beside that, once you know one set, the other one is easily reachable.

IMO if you learn Chinese for a pure cultural purpose, you should do the opposite. Write Trad/Read simp.

Nick, were you still planning on showing the traditional character alongside, after the simplified is written (and vice versa)?

I don't think we had decided; maybe we were holding off until doing some other work on the prompt, so as to figure out how to get the design to work in there. Did I say we were doing it? I don't have it on my list to do soon.