Traveling CodermanDec 21, 2022
Aleen

I have been genuinely baffled by the cries to put self-promotion behind a CW since I started using Mastodon in earnest this fall.

I know that everyone uses social media differently, but I want to know what people are working on. I want to know about new books or albums or apps or podcasts or whatever. I want to know who is looking for help via crowdfunding.

I care about the whole person, not a persona they're forced into by arbitrary rules.

Dec 20, 2022 at 9:45amWeb
Show threadAleenDec 21, 2022

People persist in saying that CWs are basically like email subject lines like it's a feature, but for me it's just added friction and frustration.

People who know me well can attest that a carrier pigeon is a better way to get in touch with me than email.

And no, turning off all CWs is not the answer.

Show threadAleenDec 21, 2022

Ultimately, I think that what frustrates me about this discussion is that people are so dead set that their ideology is correct, but different people need different things. Sometimes those needs aren't compatible, and that's okay.

I'll continue to put CWs on posts that mention food, pics with eye contact, discussion of discrimination outside of my lived experience, and more.

But I'm not a good person to follow if you expect a CW on posts about my podcasts, blog posts, work, etc.

Show thread𓂧𓅓𓇌Dec 21, 2022
@aleen i know my ideology is wrong and i don't care 🙃
Show threadAleenDec 21, 2022
@demi as long as you don't try to dictate policy as though you're right!
Show threadScott LougheedDec 22, 2022

@aleen exceptionally well put. I usually follow people because I’m interested in their thing. Maybe it’s their work, their hobby, their humour, their “content” which may or may not be sensitive for some. Putting content warnings on your core things seems. If I am sensitive to your core “thing” here I probably shouldn’t follow you!

If you bring something sensitive out of left field, then a CW is absolutely merited!

Show threadOld accountDec 21, 2022
@aleen I also dislike how it times out and hides again while you are still reading. Not sure if this is a bug or a feature.
Show threadAleenDec 21, 2022
@linnefaulk I've not had that experience--are you using it in a browser?
Show threadOld accountDec 21, 2022
@aleen mammoth app ( beta) on my iPad
Show threadAleenDec 21, 2022
@linnefaulk that sounds like either a bug or feature request to me :)
Show threadJake CarpenterDec 20, 2022
@aleen I fully agree. CW are by nature for subjects that someone would wish they had never seen. This is a problem better solved by hashtags and filters if I get annoyed with certain topics.
Show threadChris ElyDec 20, 2022

This is a bad take. CW is a perfectly efficient filter that one person needs to invest minimal effort to create.

Hashtags and filters are a guessing game for everyone who doesn't want to see the post.

For a more selfish incentive, I personally would boost a post with a CW more often than one without it.

I view people refusing to use CW as worse than those who won't use alt-text as they inconvenience more people.

@jakecarpenter
@aleen

Show threadJake CarpenterDec 20, 2022
@tcely @aleen you did not seriously just compare me using two features as intended to not caring about accessibility.
Show threadAleenDec 20, 2022

@jakecarpenter @tcely

I don't agree with the use of CWs for self-promotion, but I use CWs on all sorts of content. Your assumption that I don't agree with CWs at all is an incredibly massive leap.

Show threadMatt ChristensenDec 20, 2022
@aleen toot how you want to toot. Use of a CW is always going to be subjective. I’m sorry people are being weird about it!
Show threadDavid HayDec 22, 2022
@matt @aleen
I'm new here. What's a CW?
Show threadMatt ChristensenDec 22, 2022
@davidhaynz @aleen it’s short for Content Warning, and it’s a way to hide your post behind a description so that others can decide if they want to see it.
There are obvious uses like NSFW images or violence or something but also I like to use them for things I might spoil like movies or TV.
You can set the CW when writing a post. And apparently some feel the need to police others on their use ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Show threadDavid HayDec 22, 2022
@matt @aleen
Thanks for that. Much to learn have I.
Show threadAmy HoyDec 20, 2022

@aleen a lot of people who moved to mastodon, especially earlier on, don’t like people. they view social media as providing them what they want and not relationships which are 2-way.

that’s why they’re so judgy and nasty about people staying on twitter, too, bc they can’t imagine why people who care about human relationships would stay, bc they don’t have any

and they claim it’s impossible to want to stay to help others bc they don’t care about others to help

Show threadChris ElyDec 20, 2022

I'm genuinely baffled about why people are so resistant to using this feature that allows them to post whatever they like while being courteous towards others.

You can adjust your account settings to always expand posts with a CW if you always want to see these. (This is how Twitter behaved.)

Separately, sensitive media can be shown by default, but since Twitter hid those by default too, many people are already familiar with clicking to see the media.

@aleen

Show threadpokysharpyDec 20, 2022
@tcely @aleen There's a huge difference between gore/nudity/injury pictures and text-based self promotion. Putting ALL of those behind CW and then asking someone to set "always expand" is an unreasonable request, IMO.
Show threadEzekiel Dec 21, 2022
@aleen @stevestreza should probably CW this some people don’t want to read about CWs (/s)
Show threadR.A. Porter (he/him)Dec 21, 2022

@aleen While I'll occasionally use a CW for a topic I think will have limited appeal or an opinion that might unnecessarily ruffle a few feathers (my take on the world cup falls in that latter category), mostly I eschew them. If I were to post something I thought might truly be triggering, I'd absolutely use one.

That said, one of the best things about meta discussions about CWs is finding the gatekeepers so I know to mute them.

Show threaddapplezeeDec 21, 2022
@aleen exactly ! When I follow a creator, I absolutely want to know what they’re working on.
Show threadJoe0x7FDec 21, 2022
@aleen
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Show thread✨ Pepper Raccoon ✨Dec 21, 2022
@aleen if that starts happening I will absolutely leave this platform. Creatives and makers need support to make the things they make, and social media has been a gift to artists like me to be able to actually survive doing what we love. Heartbreaking.
Show threadElizabethDec 21, 2022
@pepperraccoon @aleen I've seen posts for a few days now saying how bad it is some people are saying creatives and makers shouldn't share and promote their work here. I'm sorry some creatives are seeing posts like that. I don't agree. I've never seen a post like that come across my time line. And before this week I've never seen the issue come up at all. Please don't think whoever is going on about this is representative of the fediverse as a whole. No one is. There's plenty of people here who appreciate and support independent makers. Please don't be disheartened.
Show threadGrant Dec 22, 2022
@pepperraccoon @aleen just find an instance that allows you to post that sort of content without a cw. If people from other instances are complaining and it’s not against your server rules, you can politely ignore them.
Show threadExistentialBunnyDec 21, 2022
@aleen agree
Show threadKnox BronsonDec 21, 2022
@aleen Is that true? We are supposed to put "self-promotion" behind a content warning? Make no sense. I'm really new, but my music & art & podcast & writing are who I am. I'll put my figurative nudes behind CW. Like you, I want to see what people doing. If they are doing something great, then I want to know more about them & what they think about other stuff.
Not interested in café artistes or barstool philosophers spewing opinions. That was Tw*tter.
That said, liking what I see here..
Show threadMike Lockhart Dec 21, 2022

@aleen #indeed

I mean, what else will you toot about? Your latest cafe meal? Cats? Nothing wrong with either of course, but I thought that being social is all about sharing what you are doing and soliciting feedback.

Show threadDavid GerardDec 21, 2022
@aleen always check the date of joining, i saw three of these yesterday who had only been here a month
Show threadDJ AdamsDec 21, 2022
@aleen totally agree; I wasn't aware of such cries, but they would have baffled me too. I want people to share what they are working on, what they've created, and likewise want to share what I'm working on with those folks too. It's called community.
Show threadCarinaDec 21, 2022
@aleen you want, you want, but some don’t want so a warning seems it is favorable to both. I don’t really care so it favors me too!
Show threadOkazuYuriDec 21, 2022
@aleen What would be the point of following creatives and not being able to learn about what they are working on or have released? Sharing in their creativity and accomplishments is surely part of the point of following a person?
Show threadJames HammondDec 21, 2022
@aleen @Sirsquid being on a single person instance I'm not seeing this behaviour in my federated timeline; how bad is this getting?
Show threadNeverAll GamesDec 21, 2022

@aleen For everyone not following this conversation because they don't know what CW means, it is Content Warnings. Thanks @pokysharpy for actually spelling it out as I was clueless.

Yeah, this is dumb, as CW is for things that cause harm to others. Promoting whatever you are making is not harmful. If this is a problem, maybe there could be a self promotion flag that people could filter on, or, just block people you don't like.

Show threadnonlinearDec 21, 2022
@aleen I abhor CW bigots.
Show threadDavid Collantes Dec 22, 2022
@aleen as someone that absolutely dislikes content warning, I completely agree. Furthermore, I believe CW is overused. I will unfollow people abusing it, if its use becomes burdensome.
Show threadAndy WoottonJan 13, 2023
@aleen Would it help if you thought of it as a 'brief management summary' instead of as a warning? It's not being censored, just put in an envelope, to be polite. I forget sometimes.
Show threadAleenJan 13, 2023
@woo Nope