Gwen Snyder is uncivilDec 20, 2022

So I really enjoy this site but the decentralization true believer guys very much need to develop some chill, lol.

We all need to take a breath and remember that change takes time.

Decentralized services are great, but services need to be accessible and intuitive for popular adoption to take off.

Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilDec 20, 2022

If we want people to move away from centralized platforms (and we should), the way we do that isn't preaching the technical superiority and expecting that to win hearts and minds.

Folks on social media aren't looking for the best tech, they're looking for tech that helps them access community with a minimum of friction.

Show threadQuiltyDawn
@gwensnyder it took me 3 weeks to even create an account because the whole "choose a server" was such a huge stumbling block. Even though I KNEW it didn't matter, you can follow people on other servers, you can change, etc. etc.--just making a choice was tough. And then I decided which one I'd join, and it was closed to new people. So another week delay before I finally just picked something.
Dec 20, 2022 at 3:51pmWeb
Show threadmalcriada_lala_Dec 20, 2022

@QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder I agree. I think it would help if there was a front door to mastodon that guided you through the set up process with a short video. You could choose to take a little poll about your interests, what languages you can read, etc. And then a list of relevant servers could pop up, with their description and rules listed.

People have gotten used to a very flat internet and opening up the perspective of the general population is going to be so hard

Show threadQuiltyDawnDec 20, 2022
@Malcriada @gwensnyder maybe even a few onboarding servers that are meant to be temporary. Sort of a "start here, and then we'll help you figure out where you want to go".
Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilDec 20, 2022
@QuiltyDawn @Malcriada this is SUCH a good idea. @BlackAzizAnansi what if we thought about something like this?
Show threadBach Club β™ͺDec 20, 2022
@Malcriada @QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder this is a bit like what you described (though not perfect): https://instances.social/
Mastodon instances

Show threadmalcriada_lala_Dec 20, 2022
@bachdotclub @QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder OOO, wasn't aware of this! I'm going to check it out later on. Thanks!
Show threadSasha Costanza-ChockDec 20, 2022
@Malcriada @QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder have you seen the instance wizard over here? https://instances.social/
Mastodon instances

Show threadQuiltyDawnDec 20, 2022

@schock @Malcriada @gwensnyder lol, yeah, I saw the wizard before I signed up.
"How big a server do you want?" I have no idea.

"Is nudity okay?" Uhhhh...

"What about advertising?" Me: close wizard and walk away for another 3 days.

I'm not a tech idiot, but that's a lot of questions to answer for something you know nothing about. It's much easier to figure some of that out once you are actually on.

Show threadmalcriada_lala_Dec 20, 2022
@QuiltyDawn @schock @gwensnyder yeah, and this is where a short intro video would help. Something that gives you the information you'll need later to understand why you are being asked those questions and whether you care or not. Empowering people with the info they need to know their preferred path to entry is what is needed. Some people will choose a big non-specific server for a while, others will want to use a wizard, whatever suits them.
Show threadSasha Costanza-ChockDec 20, 2022
@Malcriada @QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder makes sense! I love intro videos and also agree that a lot of people want to make no choices at the start and that should be FINE
Show threadAlan 🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆDec 20, 2022
@Malcriada @QuiltyDawn @gwensnyder And what happens when someone grabs control of that door? This is something that has happened often on the internet. From lessons learned ( one example: cddb / gracenote, there are many others) how would you suggest we make it not happen again?
Show threadKathryn TewsonDec 20, 2022
@QuiltyDawn Also, it does matter. I have friends who chose servers almost at random because they were told "it didn't matter" only to discover that they were on a problematic server . . . and many people blamed them for "not having done the research!" @gwensnyder
Show threadQuiltyDawnDec 20, 2022
@kathryntewson @gwensnyder Yeah, I think I know which server you are talking about. I almost joined that one because a few prominent people joined it. In the end I picked what I did because it was on the joinmastodon.org site and it was accepting new people right away. It looks like there are a lot more to choose from now than when I was looking (1st Twitter wave).