ACCOUNT MOVEDAug 11, 2018

After sleeping on it, I think #Mastodon should rename ‘instances’ to ‘Communities.’

Instances feels too technical and I see even savvy people struggling to understand it.

I argue communities would make much more sense. It denotes much of the purpose behind _why_ this service has different instances, and many people will already be familiar with the concept from Reddit (the, what, sixth most popular site on the net?).

Show threadJustin MichaelAug 11, 2018
@chartier "Communities" is good except for one thing: it makes it sound like none of the instances are connected to each other, which is one of the key aspects. It's not just a bunch of seperate communities, it's one big interconnected federation.
Show threadACCOUNT MOVEDAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel Sure, but real world communities interact with each other, and members frequently participate in multiple or uproot and move between them.
Show threadJustin MichaelAug 11, 2018

@chartier True, but this place is even more connected than that. You and I are effortlessly talking to each other even though we're using different instances; it's not like I had to go over to your building or even pick up the phone, you're just immediately accessible. "Communities" implies barriers that don't exist here.

Don't get me wrong; I agree that "instances" is a very technical and opaque term, and I'm all for finding a better name, I just don't think "communities" is quite right.

Show threadMike PiontekAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel @chartier I don't agree that there aren't barriers. If I follow a web link to a different instance it's not at all clear how to interact with anything on that instance. I also think we're well past the point where people think of separate communities as a significant barrier to communication—there are so many ways different communities flow together constantly, especially on other social media sites.
Show threadDan V PetersonAug 11, 2018
@robotspacer @VioletPixel @chartier definitely dislike “instances”. I worry a bit about “communities” as well for similar reasons as Justin. So far the easiest way to explain to others has been comparing to email and they just call those “providers”. Same as ISPs. I really don’t like that term either but maybe the easiest to grok?
Show threadMike PiontekAug 11, 2018
@danvpeterson @VioletPixel @chartier I think "servers" is a better word choice if you're trying to explain the service from a more technical standpoint. Web servers and email servers are familiar concepts; people get that they're run separately but communicate with each other. Sure you could have more than one instance running on a server, but if you're not a person running an instance then… who cares 🤷🏻‍♂️
Show threadACCOUNT MOVED

@robotspacer @danvpeterson @VioletPixel The technical angle is precisely what I’m trying to avoid. I feel it’s confusing and off putting. Think how Apple renamed “802.11b” to “AirPort.”

Communities or other similar options like Host or Spaces aren’t perfect analogies. But I think they would help denote at least some of the definition and function better than Instance.

Aug 11, 2018 at 8:08pmWeb
Show threadJustin MichaelAug 11, 2018

@chartier @robotspacer @danvpeterson Maybe something like hubs? Perhaps TootHubs?

...

I'll see myself out.

Show threadAleenAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel @chartier @robotspacer @danvpeterson you're a toothub
Show threadACCOUNT MOVEDAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel @robotspacer @danvpeterson Hub is good. Tooothub is hilarious.
Show threadDan V PetersonAug 11, 2018
@chartier @robotspacer @VioletPixel I could see “host” working well, similar to “provider”. It helps to denote that this thing doesn’t limit you and is primarily just your entry point to the world of Mastodon. The host/provider provides a community but community/space/instance when talking about the sign up process sounds limiting which is what I want to get away from.
Show threadJustin MichaelAug 11, 2018
@danvpeterson @chartier @robotspacer I like "host" a lot, especially when you think of web hosts. "Who hosts my website?" "Who hosts my toots?"
Show threadDan V PetersonAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel @chartier @robotspacer plus a “host” relates well to thinking about communities as well.
Show threadDan V PetersonAug 11, 2018
@VioletPixel @chartier @robotspacer an excellent host fosters a great community.