midwayNov 20, 2022
@atomicpoet @Emiller42 Fair enough. I was just using an extreme example for effect. But the idea of picking an instance does cause people to stay away or just use mastodon.social. Telling people to look it up and learn will not lead to mainstream adoption. That’s just not how most people work. Until there’s a very normie friendly way to on-board people and get them familiar with how things work, this won’t go mainstream. I’m not suggesting you be that person by any means but someone who really cares about that will need to take that up and be the welcome wagon and answer all the newbie questions.
Show threadEric MillerNov 20, 2022

@midway @atomicpoet Therein lies the core problem, which isn't a technical problem really.

Encouraging people to go to small instances means expecting them to vet an increasingly large number of small instances for suitability. No amount of "welcome wagon" addresses that cognitive load, which will inevitably lead to consolidation into "big" instances. (When overwhelmed by options they don't understand, people will either follow consensus, or not choose at all. As you noted)

Show threadEric Miller

@midway @atomicpoet And the alternative (self-hosting) simply isn't viable for either scalability or accessibility.

It's objectively more difficult than "pick from a sea of instances run by who the fuck knows" for a vast majority of users, so it doesn't alleviate that cognitive load.

If somehow it *did* become easier, then you would have *too many* single-digit user instances, and the broader federated network would hit other scaling issues. (as others have called out in replies)

Nov 20, 2022 at 3:47amWeb
Show threadChris TrottierNov 20, 2022

@Emiller42 @midway You do realize that the instance you're on is moderated by one really overworked dude who is struggling to maintain it, right?

Right now, it has 200K users and one moderator.

At least a self-hosted instance has 1 user and 1 moderator.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 20, 2022
@Emiller42 @midway I mean, *as an expert*, I'd hope you'd be cognizant about the risks with mastodon.social.
Show threadEric MillerNov 20, 2022

@atomicpoet @midway Sorry, evacuation of an experimental social media account wasn't top priority between actual work, holiday preparations, and having one of my dogs pass away last week.

But I'm sure you feel very superior with your little "gotcha" moment.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 20, 2022
@Emiller42 @midway My intent isn't to be an asshole or make you feel bad, just pointing out the problem inherent in "trust the experts". Eugene is probably the biggest expert when it comes to Mastodon, and yet this situation is happening.
Show threadEric MillerNov 20, 2022
@atomicpoet @midway You need to seriously take a step back and reconsider your assumptions about others before continuing to give advice.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 20, 2022

@Emiller42 @midway I've read your bio long, long ago.

Now I know how Google will probably sell their own Fediverse services.

Show threadEric MillerNov 20, 2022
@atomicpoet @midway This is something I'm painfully aware of, and why I'm in the process of figuring out where to evacuate to. (I joined this instance in 2018 and promptly forgot about it until recent events)