#HotTake: the ability to follow hashtags defies the purpose of thematic instances and their Local timelines. There’s less incentive to move to a thematic instance which will result in a few big ones and reduce decentralization.
EDIT: one might argue the reverse as well, see my reply below.
@simeon
This is the play I would consider, instead of staying on the mega-instance.
The big server is great for discovery, but it's a fire hose I'd rather not have after I get a solid network graph. I've done a single user instance before, and I like that speed a lot better.
One does not necessarily exclude the other 😛
I had an alike conclusion after learning its current possibilities, by active daily use in the last two weeks or so.
On what really instance matters:
https://mastodon.social/@teixi/109364574655998294
On interests watch via tags columns:
https://mastodon.social/@teixi/109366102663397915
#Fediverse
#Newbieverse
#FediTips
#MastodonHelp
#TwitterMigration
#TwitterExodus
@simeon
Plus the "What server do I use??" friction for new users is very real and a big obstacle to Mastodon critical mass.
If nothing else, I would support a giant server that everyone new joins, which gives them time to figure out what specialized or general server they want to use.
@dann @simeon
@teixi @mattrichardson @jeffjarvis
i think many of these challenges can be addressed with creative _client-side_ applications (aggregators, filters, etc.), too.
while we look to solve UI/UX problems, I'd be slow to modify the server and quick to generate new client apps.
lots of room for growth in the client side that *might* lead to minor changes on the server side.
@dann Good point!
Would be cool if the figuring out is a little bit guided by e.g. a bot that pings you from time to time with bitesized information about the #FediVerse.
Much like video game tutorials. RPGs come to mind: you first learn to move, you then pick a character, profession, join a guild, complete an easy task/mission to find your feet and only then venture into the world.
@Jonnojohnson @dann We might very well end up with a lot of smaller general servers that distinguish themselves by their rules, vibe, sense of community and admin team.
You'd still have to be able to find them, though.
Another option is to pick based on geographical location e.g. your city or province (anything bigger may lose relevance).
Definitely not multiple accounts! You can follow hashtags, and on some apps you can actually follow entire servers, which I have found to be awesome. At least for me, that has helped me to zero in on exactly what I want to see.
The app I use is Fedilab. I'm not sure if all apps support it. Between that, and following hashtags (plus the local and federated and local timelines) there's more content than I can read!
@simeon I think there is a balance to be found - being able to follow hashtags will speed up adoption and make it easier for those used to Twitter.
However, I think once regulation kicks in and the logistics of complying with DCMS and GDPR when running a server becomes more apparent we will see fewer small scale thematic instances.
I imagine we’ll see universities and large companies running instances including large media companies so reporters can be name@publication
@ryanmorrison @simeon
The name@publisher pattern has limitations... journos may prefer IDs that span multiple concurrent publishers, and that will outlast any one contract.
The pattern I think we'll more likely see emerge: journos use most convenient host, publications authenticate them via rel="me" as employees, and users follow individuals and/or news@publication (which boosts their staff's material).
@danjhugo @ryanmorrison Yes, that's what my gut feeling tells me.
OTOH, it may not work for freelancers who write for a large number of orgs but are not fully affiliated with them.
In that case it may actually make sense to have a central entity (e.g. the national/regional/federal association of journo's) that handles the verification.
@ryanmorrison Good point.
I really hope that we'll, as a community, be able to keep smaller instances around.
I've seen discussions about finding ways to fund moderation. That might be a worthwhile effort to push in addition to the tech/hosting stuff.
@simeon I did a deep dive into distributed identity for Tech Monitor recently - focus was on the Metaverse but similar principles apply to the #FediVerse
There are solutions, such as using a company to verify but ownership of the token sits with the individual and they opt to share it.
https://techmonitor.ai/digital-identity/how-will-digital-identity-work-in-the-metaverse
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