Chris TrottierMay 2, 2023

The re-brand of the Fediverse as "Mastodon" has created big problems -- problems that were both predictable and preventable.

For one thing, the honeymoon period for Mastodon is over.

People aren't willing to ignore its flaws anymore because it's the one alternative to Twitter that has traction.

Now people want creature comforts.

But guess what? Because the entirety of the Fediverse is branded as "Mastodon", people are more likely to migrate to Bluesky than elsewhere on the Fediverse.

Show threadMastodon MigrationMay 2, 2023

@atomicpoet It is not too late. Educating people takes time. #Bluesky is the new shiny object. It has the advantage that they can sell future promises while the Fediverse has to put up. But soon enough reality will bite and that will come down to earth.

To move beyond Mastodon the Fediverse needs a killer alternative application. Calckey is very cool, but honestly it is still a little rough, and has no edit capability (...yet), which has become a "must have" feature IMO.

Show threadChris TrottierMay 2, 2023

@mastodonmigration FYI, the edit feature is in beta on one server (blahaj.zone), and it will make its way onto all servers very soon.

This isn't a matter of waiting months for editing. It's imminent.

Show threadrubicon
@atomicpoet @mastodonmigration Just spit-balling... It might be a really good idea to develop and execute a real PR plan for a Calckey "launch". Right now it is in "Alpha" and you are gathering "Early Adopter" feedback. It still needs a few things: the default interface needs to be toned down (IMO) and tuned up, edit feature, bigger composition window, bugs stomped, and ready for influx of new users without stumbling. Pick a date about a month from now to announce the "Early Beta Release".... or something. Think of a way to spin as a Fediverse Mastodon alternative. Put out a real press release and contact all the tech media.

The ideal time to execute the plan would be as the bloom starts to go off of Bluesky which should take a month or so. "Bluesky fails to live up to the hype but new Fediverse alternatives emerge..."

In any case, good luck! Looking forward to seeing where this all goes!
May 2, 2023 at 9:38pmWeb
Show threadKainoa May 2, 2023
@rubicon @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration I'm not quite sure why you think that -- Calckey's been out for months, and it's definitely not alpha. Also, you're not even talking to the developers of Calckey in this thread.
Show threadrubiconMay 2, 2023
@kainoa @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration Understood, it's been out, but very few people actually know about it, or what it is. Also, quite honestly, it's amazing, but not yet ready for prime time. The suggestion was to think about a "marketing plan" way to generate buzz and interest. This is something that comes naturally for corporate product roll-out programs, but open systems generally struggle with because they focus on the technology and not on the marketing.
Show threadKainoa May 2, 2023
@rubicon @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration This isn't a corporate product. I don't know why you feel the need to state your subjective opinion as fact.
Show threadrubiconMay 2, 2023
@kainoa @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration Sorry, we seem to be getting off on the wrong foot. This is an amazing capability. Full stop. You guys are amazing. My thoughts were presented only in the spirit of trying to be helpful and based on a long history with product launches. You are right that this is not a corporate product, and I am sure you are inundated with "helpful suggestions". Wish you all the best.
Show threadChris TrottierMay 2, 2023
@rubicon @kainoa @mastodonmigration I catch what you’re saying. But let me give you conjecture. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes a *key app for institutions.
Show threadrubiconMay 2, 2023
@atomicpoet @[email protected] @mastodonmigration Was just thinking about how to promote the rollout of Fediverse microblogging alternatives. Sorry to have touched a nerve.
Show threadChris TrottierMay 2, 2023
@rubicon @kainoa @mastodonmigration I’m not bothered, and I appreciate your perspective.
Show threadrubiconMay 2, 2023
@kainoa @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration Dishing out thumbs down👎 emojis to new users who are excited about your application and just trying to help, however misdirected you think the suggestions, are is one way do it. Good luck to you guys.
Show threadacesJul 26, 2023
@rubicon @kainoa @atomicpoet @mastodonmigration
As both a dev & marketer - I will admit that Masto has done an excellent and organized job at marketing - both on their site and going all in on the branding. I'm glad Firefish is also going all in on the branding and stepping up to be a 'contender' in the eyes of the market - their site is really great and organized too, very good at pointing out the features - to people who are vaguely familiar to Fediverse. Onboarding to understand the Fedvierse and how to follow people could be improved, like @kainoa had mentioned to someone earlier, they need to actually follow someone to populate their feed - and people new to Fediverse don't understand how it really works but once explained the syntax difference without getting into the weeds of it, it clicks.

So yes, one of the biggest barriers to adoption is how Fediverse is presented and how each software is showcasing itself - it's just too much info and developers are (usually) not marketers - so the 'public' who isn't tech savvy say it's complicated. It's not as much as it seems to be - so OSS devs need to learn to speak in what problem they're solving rather than what the functionality is - which is what marketers are good at doing. Or work with marketers - but most charge and are unwilling to volunteer their time.

Corporations, like Threads, are and will have a much better time in adopting FOSS and just slapping their brand on it and put a really good marketing spin - because that's what they are essentially, marketing machines, leveraging the work of others (even in the case of selling data...), not developers who market. That's why corporations swoop up the market share - and where OSS devs can and ought to step up and learn how to market better - which is what Masto did.


/end semi-rant - thanks for coming to my ted talk