Draupnir

YSK how we can bring more users to Lemmy

https://lemmy.world/post/620345

YSK how we can bring more users to Lemmy - Lemmy.world

So this Lemmy place is pretty awesome, and I see it growing by the hour! Just like others link external sites for content here, we should really also share Lemmy content to external (e.g. Reddit, Twitter, etc.) to show others where the users are going now. Redditors will talk about Lemmy and moving communities here, but it is really best shown that the communities are rebuilding here. Thoughts? I’ve started with a few memes and am starting a new community here as well!

Jun 26, 2023 at 3:19amWeb
Show threadkalayoJun 26, 2023
An iOS and android app would be helpful in making lemmy more accessible
Show threadDerinJul 16, 2023
Voyager is amazing, and works on both iOS and Android
Voyager for Lemmy

Voyager is a beautiful mobile web client for Lemmy. Enjoy a seamless experience browsing the fediverse.

Show threadNightOwlJun 26, 2023
I don't think there should be a big push until more polished apps come out that make the whole process as dead simple as possible. No need to know what instances are. Right now this is how imagine the average person would react after trying it out.
Silicon Valley - Focus group - S03E09

YouTube
Show threadNepentheJun 26, 2023

Oh my god, lmao. Yes. How is there even a video so perfect for this situation. I joined kbin instead because having a websitedemand I pick an instance in order to join when I barely understood what that meant or how they worked was quite genuinely making me panic, and taking my time with it was not helping like it was supposed to.

It's so normal to me now that I almost forget until I have to explain any part of it to someone. "Oh, don't worry about joining this site, you're technically joining every site and also twitter and instagram. That button? It's the reblog button. It functions as an upvote but some people don't have it. Other people don't have a downvote, but it might still be visible on your screen anyway. If there's a site you hate, you can mute the whole thing, or maybe you can't. If there's a site you love, your admin might disappear them and you'll need a second account to see it again. Have fun!"

Horrible. Why do I love it.

Show threadNightOwlJun 26, 2023
There's even a scene talking about decentralized internet which is so perfect for this attempted push to the fediverse too.
Richard Hendricks Decentralized Internet

YouTube
Show threaddystopJun 26, 2023

It's never a good idea explaining the whole idea to someone right at the start unless they ask.

I've always just directed people straight to a big instance with lots of home communities, like lemmy.world or kbin.social. After they jump in and have questions, that's the right time to talk about instances, not before.

Show threadCoderKatJun 26, 2023

Myself, I had no problem with picking and instance. But the one I mostly randomly picked had approvals turned on. Once I realized I wasn't gonna get to use my account immediately, I abandoned it.

It's utterly critical that manual approval is not part of the sign up. I tried another site, but many users won't. Nor will they necessarily come back when their account gets approved in a week (that's how long mine took).

Show threadNepentheJun 26, 2023

Honestly shocked you were willing to wait that long. I guess if I saw the notification, I would, but my email is mostly a place to store spam. That is a solid issue, and it's not like any instance has the manpower atm to delegate approvals to a person/team as a full-time job (which it absolutely would be).

I have to admit, seeing the influx of bots on some lemmy instances makes me nervous about Ernest keeping ours open. It's really the best defense right now and despite the comparable lack of content I've been breathing pretty easy not having seen one single bot in two weeks now.

No astroturfing yet. No vote manipulation. That "vaccines cause autism" bot poster I used to see all the time is still on reddit. I think I've seen someone being a shithead twice. Any reposts are people crossposting to other instances or just trying to transfer content here.

But the only way to keep it this way for good is not the kind of culture the internet currently has, and having some open instances for the noobs and some walled gardens for anyone sick of it may be the best we can do.

Checking everyone's ID at the door would mostly solve the bot issue that made reddit an untrustworthy, insufferable plague, but in practice it'll make people look elsewhere. They haven't been raised to wait.

Show threadCoderKatJun 26, 2023
I didn't wait that long. I immediately tried kbin and it worked. A week later I did see the email though. I actually thought they had rejected me prior to that (I only did a short one line response to the lengthy question that was asked during sign up, as I wasn't sure if it was just to filter out bots or what).
Show threadaeternumJun 26, 2023
haha. I just got through watching Silicon Valley. Great show. Y'all should check it out
Show threadrooJun 26, 2023

Best marketing is the perfect use case that didn't exist in people's lives beforehand. The Reddit threads with nurses helping elderly people do AMAs were extremely endearing.

Young kids being able to shitpost nonsensically was also cool.

Make something original happen and it draws in people that recognise something new. Otherwise it's all cats and homies doing narrative subscription.

Show threadAtrejuJun 26, 2023

I am kinda missing my favorite communities from Reddit:

  • vinyljerk
  • blackmetalvinyl
  • lolgrindr
  • vinylreleases

I wish those will receive a counterpart one day or just move here.

Show threadDark_BladeJun 26, 2023
One of the few small communities I’ll be sad to lose is HyruleEngineering. Can’t believe Reddit decided to shit the bed right when I found it.
Show threadmiraclerandyJun 26, 2023
For what it’s worth, they also have an active discord server
Show threadDark_BladeJun 26, 2023
Wait, seriously?
Show threadsnailwizardJun 26, 2023
Someone recreated that community here!
Show threadbaconeaterJun 26, 2023
[email protected]
Show threadCodingAndCoffeeJun 26, 2023

What I'm missing are the fintech/trading subs that were pretty active. Not just meme-tier junkfood like wallstreetbets, but actual strategy/implementation stuff like ThetaGang and AlgoTrading.

The thing is, I haven't found that stuff on Mastodon either. AFAICT the Fediverse at large leaning hard leftist/progressive means there's a cultural bias against finance-adjacent topics. Bolstering this, I've encountered on various Discord servers that traders tend to be pretty largely right-wing, which has consistently put me in direct conflict with them.

Show threadmorgan423Jun 26, 2023
You can be the change you want to see in the world. if you search the communities and can't find the one you're looking for, make it.
Show threadAlkiderJun 26, 2023
It would probably be better to just let it ride and see how it goes.
Show threadMaxcoffeeJun 26, 2023
I'm happy with the amount of users and activity Lemmy currently has. It doesn't really need go grow though any means other than organically imo.
Show threadc0c0c0Jun 26, 2023
I dunno if "organic" is enough, but I don't think the fediverse could handle the entire Reddit use base today. I'm also not certain it will ever be as normy-friendly as Reddit has been. For better or worse.
Show threadCoderKatJun 26, 2023
Eh, it's still missing a ton of smaller and even medium sized communities. Pick video games and TV shows for example. A bunch don't have a community or only have a dead one with zero or one posts.
Show threadMaxcoffeeJun 28, 2023

It's debatable whether a lot of these smaller communities really provided much value outside the tiny userbase they have.

Besides, if someone wants to pick up the mantle on Lenny they are more than welcome to as well.

Show threadCoderKatJun 28, 2023

I don't follow what you're saying. I love the shit out of many of my smaller communities. Reading TV subs after a new episode dropped was my favourite (and required a lot of active people). I wanted to discuss the Horizon DLC when I beat it the other day, but the Horizon sub here is super tiny. I tried to post on a generic gaming sub instead and did not get the discussion I wanted.

Similarly, Pokemon Go subs on Reddit were super detailed places to discuss the game, including with detailed analysis of any change, data mining for upcoming stuff, etc. Here, there's two subs that have just the sub creator trying to populate the sub. No actual discussion.

It sucks and I miss those kinda communities.

Show threadMaxcoffeeJun 29, 2023
What I'm saying is that while tiny communities are great, the fact that they haven't moved to a federated platform yet doesn't really matter. Anybody, including yourself, can start up those communities on the Fediverse and curate them if there is enough of a reason to do so or just continue to engage them on Reddit too.
Show threadCoderKatJun 29, 2023
It's really hard to get them started though. Especially when I want a discussion on the topic now. I actually did try and start my local city sub and it was me shouting into the void as the only poster. It's not very fun posting stuff without ever getting replies.
Show threadMaxcoffeeJun 30, 2023
Yeah indeed, discoverability is lacking in Lemmy at the moment.
Show threaddaniskarmaJun 26, 2023

Yesterday I searched a question and for the first time google linked a Lemmy thread with the answer.

Asking and solving questions will bring users.

Show thread15liam20Jun 26, 2023
How does someone search Google?
Show threadDoctorTYVMJun 26, 2023

Using a browser, navigate to the following URL: www.google.com

In the search bar, type the query you would like to make and hit ENTER

Then you're done!

Show threadSir_mittens2Jun 26, 2023
You forgot the step where you have to scrolls to at least 2 pages of ads disguised as results
Show threadDoctorTYVMJun 26, 2023
Step 0: install an Adblock like UBlock Origin on your browser.
Show threadAltairJun 26, 2023
How do I install an adblock?
Show threadAltairJun 26, 2023
Thanks!
Show threadImotaliJun 26, 2023
This. The reason I originally joined Reddit was because it solved a problem I had (easily aggregating answers on various topics). That's how we get people on Lemmy.
Show thread_MoveSwiftlyJun 26, 2023
Could you please add a "Why YSK:"? It's rule #2. :)
Show threadrandon31415Jun 27, 2023
Do the google spiders know about lemmy?