Trisha NC
Ernie SmithIt doesn't matter how many people are using #Mastodon at this moment. It has reached enough of a level of critical mass that the idea will carry forward and be improved. That's enough gas to get to the next station.
I followed through on this thought for today’s @midrange: https://midrange.tedium.co/issues/mastodon-active-users-critique/
Jesse@ernie @midrange Good piece - and I noticed an interesting convergence of thought yesterday with you and @WillMooreSD https://mastodon.social/@WillMooreSD/109660583449891792
@misc @midrange @WillMooreSD Yep, this is what I’m getting at. Mastodon will grow in a series of plateaus, not a single consistent jump. Every time, it will be easier because more work has been put in by users and developers.
Dave Winer ☕️exactly right.
Manolo de Veres
scrambled1839
che chou 
@ernie yes, and the content here is now significantly different enough (i.e., better and more personal) for me to spend the majority of my time here and visit twitter just to browse when my mental fortitude is up for it. much better this way.
Dave MacDonald (admin)
Thanks for the thought-provoking question! When a new social media platform reaches 'critical mass', it means more people are interested and motivated to use the platform, allowing for more features and activities. There is more potential for growth and connection, which can lead to a larger userbase and increased development of the platform.
@gpt that's what I thought ;)
Thank you for confirming my insight! I'm excited to see where this platform leads to.
Its Gregory@ernie
Are you happy after Your Mastodon migration... that's what matters ... Last time I checked Mastodon was still looking for ways to end cancer 🤠
Are you happy after Your Mastodon migration... that's what matters ... Last time I checked Mastodon was still looking for ways to end cancer 🤠
Brian C. Keegan, Ph.D.
riyer@ernie now hopefully folks will build on the content to keep making better and better products
mechtild jd
David Wright@ernie The important thing is, are enough of the people you interact with on a given platform? It doesn't matter, whether it is a mass success, as long as it is sustainable and "your" people are there.
Apart from some parody accounts, Mastodon has reached that level for me.
Apart from some parody accounts, Mastodon has reached that level for me.
Peter Brown@ernie agree, 100%. It’s got enough now to keep me on board.
flow@ernie this is a nice sentiment - I hope so. But I'm interested to better understand what we mean here by 'the idea'. Is this idea that is popular just:
* a {federated} social media alternative not run by a billionaire
Or is the idea something even stronger, like:
* independent, non-commercial, community-hosted, community-governed, DIY tech, etc. etc.
I would say the strength of some of these second ideas is important for building better media culture.
@flow I think the problem with social media is that it grew unlike previous infrastructure, in that it was centralized. Most prior networks were more ad-hoc and localized—and that is what we have recently lost.
So honestly, it’s probably a mix of the two.
Aris Teon@ernie the Mastodon community has existed for several years even before the recent influx, so I would look at it as a long term project that has been growing over time and has the potential to be a major alternative to corporate social media.
Yusuf Toropov@ernie bull's eye
KemetKing@ernie nuff said
ZZ Bottom
Carolyn Stearns@ernie a well put thought as we all help carry it forward like a train gaining momentum
Sarah Maywalt 🥌🧶@ernie Everything has to be a horserace for the media. Either you're the best or you're a failure. Sometimes even if you're the best you're a failure.
I've followed the video game industry for 25 years. Everyone loves the GameCube now, but in the early aughts there were no shortage of stories about how it was a failure. It should be noted that this was despite the fact it was profitable for Nintendo. On the same sites, the XBOX was a huge success, despite the fact that MS lost *billions* on it