David in SetouchiNov 19, 2022
blaine

There is a clear line between the cultural factions on Mastodon:

Community Groups vs Broadcast Social Media.

This tent has to be big enough for both. Thankfully, the protocols support this. @darius's Hometown fork of Mastodon is even better than Mastodon for small community groups (but still federates where you need it!)

We need a Mastodon fork (or AP server) that works more like Twitter, for more broadcast orientated individuals and organizations.

Nov 19, 2022 at 6:53amMastodon for Android
Show threadblaineNov 19, 2022

This will take work, but I feel certain that the good part is that both sides of this fence can be happier with this sort of arrangement than they ever were on Twitter.

The best part is that the Fediverse protocols were designed from the ground up with this sort of ecosystem cooperation in mind. 💜🤝💜

Show threadwillshNov 19, 2022
@blaine That’s one of the things that interests me about it here; we’re at a stage where people are keen to know and set out the rules of the road, and of whatever instance they’re on, given everything that just happened. In that respect, it feels more like the establishment of actual communities, rather than subsisting on a product. Not everyone will feel this way, though. Some people want to be the pioneers who build the first infrastructure. Some want to come later as they here it’s better.
Show threadwillshNov 19, 2022
@blaine There’s also something which reminds me of the Graeber / Wengrow work in ‘The Dawn of Everything’ on three controls / three freedoms. One of their freedoms that might be thought of in civilisations was the freedom to leave - you could decide to get up and go from one community, without much personal cost, and go and join another. Mastodon feels like the platform has this built in from the off, with instances model etc.
Show threadwillshNov 19, 2022
@blaine fwiw, I found Graeber & Wengrow’s three freedoms /controls really useful as lenses to examine all sorts of aspects of communities - wrote some things up back in the summer, still thinking through best use of the tool / framework etc - over here if it’s of interest - https://smithery.com/2022/06/15/introducing-the-community-power-compass/
Introducing the Community Power Compass

The background context for a tool for investigating and evaluating different types of community, particularly those in the Web3 space.

Smithery
Show threadNateNov 19, 2022
@blaine strong agree. Servers can also make *defensive* changes to evolutions other servers take that offend their sensibilities. If you feel strongly anti-quotetoot, and a fork implements it, get your server to suppress or reformat to your vision of proper discourse.
Show threadBill SeitzNov 19, 2022
@blaine is there a good post describing a rich fediverse ecosystem, and the right/wrong steps in that direction?
http://webseitz.fluxent.com/wiki/Fediverse
Fediverse

Fediverse

WebSeitz
Show threadFerdi F. Zebua 🌏Nov 19, 2022
cc @Ronkjeffries @ErikJonker @gideonro becos Mastodon searchability/broadcast...
Show threadFerdi F. Zebua 🌏Nov 19, 2022
I, for one, personally support the responsible enabling of "broadcast mode" (so to say) for those on Mastodon who want/need it. ☮️
Show threadErik JonkerNov 19, 2022
@blaine @darius very good point, I agree, it's also necessary for all #dissidents and #activists around the world that use Twitter now in their struggles , in #Iran for example
Show threadBrian KoppeNov 20, 2022
@ErikJonker @blaine @darius I wish I could favorite this more than once, because it's so important. For all its flaws, Twitter has empowered those facing oppression of many types around the world to share their experiences, connect with a community, *and* reach a broader audience to raise awareness and create allies. And the fediverse *needs* to support this usage, because it's too important to leave to a platform owned by an erratic billionaire.
Show threadJoanna Bryson, blatheringNov 19, 2022
@blaine @darius The tent may be big enough but the toots are too long and I'm seeing too much rubbish to get the quality I learnt to expect from twitter of new knowledge broadcasted. I never even liked litter (long twitter 240 chars). This just seems like moderately fun 2007 twitter chatter, not 2014 actually getting work done but pre-feed-algorithm twitter which is what I'd really like.
Show threadarcktipNov 19, 2022
@j2bryson @blaine @darius I agree the system needs design for depth/community vs surface/broadcast. It matters for posting & reading & dialogue. I find the longer format here refreshing. Twitter became a broadcast “me me” space with many tweets just hot takes to appeal to quick attention hits (similar to TikTok) which some hacked w/ threaded tweets. The few short hot takes here make me want to mute folks. Maybe Twitter can be the “broadcast” space & we don’t need it all in 1 tent.
Show threadVicki ZieglerNov 19, 2022
@blaine @darius This sounds like a good balance, technically and culturally, to give all community members here the mix they seek.
Show threadBrian SwetlandNov 19, 2022

@blaine @darius I think there's also a "Casual Users" category who want to be able to follow friends and/or broadcasters (celebrities/authors/sports/news/whatever) but don't have a super-strong association with a specific small community.

These folks find "pick a server" daunting and would benefit from, I think, some more generic hosting: guarantees of stability, reliability, and moderation for basic good behaviour, but not a bunch of very specific small community rules.

Show threadTamlyn RhodesNov 19, 2022
@blaine I love the idea of joining a shared interest community and having local only posts. But my interests are diverse and change over time so I don't want to have to pick one server and make that "my identity". On the other hand I don't really want to have multiple accounts in different servers. Something like Reddit where you can join multiple groups would be nice, but maybe that's straying too far from the brief. @darius
Show threadshauncuttsNov 20, 2022

@blaine @darius For all that people love to pick on "the algorithm" at Twitter, it did have a good effect of bringing in people and ideas in contact.

We need an algorithm with controls for people. I imagine training categories by example w/ combination of bayesian and collaborative filtering. Individuals' categories could be leveraged to build "community languages".

Show threadSeigeANov 23, 2022

@blaine @darius I think this is true, i see critiques like this already... Like so: https://debbieohi.com/2022/11/mastodon-is-it-a-good-alternative-to-twitter/?fbclid=IwAR0GeGB-nZ5n_STu2p0PgFLE9SquIbS7zRXYJzbK7UntDH1O9-mdxnv0NHE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Some folks just want reach and some folks are excited to consume more than community... A little accomodations for these models on the fediverse at least and within platforms would support adoption, and I don't think at the expense of the rest of the benefits... Though it could be a slippery slope...

Mastodon: Is It A Good Alternative To Twitter?

(Last updated November 22, 2022) Like many others, I’ve been checking out Mastodon as a possible alternative to Twitter, if the latter implodes the way some say it might. Of all social media platforms, Twitter is my personal favourite. I get why some people say it’s negative but for me, . . .

Debbie Ridpath Ohi