✧ Charmi 🌟 TOTK ERA ☁️Jul 3, 2023
Ricki Yasha Tarr

I grew up in a very Conservative Fundamentalist Household. I remember my Dad giving these Apocalyptic style warnings about what would happen if Liberals, Queers, and Feminists were allowed to run things. Now I spend a lot of time in a space run by Liberals, Queers, and Feminists and I have to say, It's pretty freaking nice here.

That being said, no place is a Utopia, people are people. The cost of keeping safe spaces safe is vigilance.

I could make a list here, and tell you my opinion about what makes this place, a good place, but I would like to hear from all of you. What do you love about Fedi? What do we need to do to keep it a nice place? What could we do better? What do you think the future holds for the Fediverse?

Jul 3, 2023 at 1:00pmWeb
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
This isn't a place to go on a mean spirited rant. Remember that some people are ignorant of some things, some people are just having a bad day or a bad year even. Let's address everything in a spirit of kindness and mercy. Think about how you'd like to be treated.
Show threadHasta la vista, BenbyJul 7, 2023
@RickiTarr Sorry for what I said about Bruce Springsteen
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 8, 2023
@TheBreadmonkey LOL
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
Okay one small bit of me talking more. I see a lot of posts about People of Color struggling to find communities and connect here. This is very disheartening. I want to understand how to make it better, but I don't always know how. We don't need anymore White Saviors, but what do we need?
Show threadSteve WilliamsJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr
I know it sounds painfully obvious, but a good start is not hastagging things ‘Black Mastodon’, just because you like Prince.
(Holds hand up in utter shame)

The peeps I follow need absolutely no saviours, just people whose actions speak louder than their words.

Mastodon followers have taught me *alot* about their experiences on social media and the world in general. For that I’m grateful!

So I’d say listen more, and judge less.

Talking to you, Walruses!

Show threadEis Comics (Vic)Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr maybe people that cares about other people no matter the color of their skin?
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@eiscomics Indeed❤️
Show threadCassandrichJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr Telling fellow white ppl to fuck off when you see them policing how folks post. Filing abuse reports for this behavior.
Show threadMichael John SmithJul 4, 2023
@RickiTarr I think that a lot of people find it difficult to navigate social media in the best way that suits them and can bring them the best benefit. The only way to help anyone find their communities and help them get the most from any social media site, is to share (boost) posts which give advice about this (together with hashtags), as well as giving some people you feel may benefit from it a follow, boosting heir posts or at the very least giving them a like. I like to follow the introduction hashtag and give newbies a helping hand sometimes when I can.
Show threadLoukas (They/Them) 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr

The main thing I like about Fediverse is the main thing I like about the idea of democracy: that I can actually have a say and affect how my experience is going to be, just because I exist as a human.

So even though I think Fediverse has some problems, I am possessed with a fierce joy that the tools to address these problems do lie in my hands.

By comparison I have zero power to affect what happens to me on commercial social media.

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@Loukas I love the phrase fierce Joy. It is nice to feel like you matter, and your voice is being heard.
Show threadLoukas (They/Them) 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr Good. I've had to fight to be heard all my life, so for me this is a matter of survival :)
Show threadSearingTruthJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr

Increase the character limit to 5000 fellow citizen Ricki Tarr.
ST

"Simple answers rarely exist in a world of great complexity. We must sacrifice our instinctive desire for the quick and easy to instead embrace the enduring and efficacious, or we, as a species, will not survive."
SearingTruth

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@SearingTruth Your admin can make the character limit what they want, beige.party has an 11k character limit because we all talk too much lol. A lot of larger instances do keep it at a minimum for practical purposes.
Show threadStrugglingGuitaristJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I like the no ads feature. I also like the diversity of information and content that bends left vs right.

I also like the lack of algorithm for the most part. It encourages exploration and investigation.

However, I miss some of the more active and in depth engagement that I found elsewhere. A lot of times for me personally, exchanges with other users are short rather than conversational. That could just be a "me" thing though. 🤷🏻‍♂️
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@StrugglingGuitarist I go back and forth with this, I do miss the private dms that Twitter offered, but in many ways I feel like that kept me from meeting new people and certain people will make advances in DM that they wouldn't make in a more public forum. I probably miss the easy search function the most. Lol I'm sure at some point we will have them, and we'll find a way to make it work for everyone that is safe and inclusive.
Show threadStrugglingGuitaristJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I thought of another plus. Following you! 🫶
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@StrugglingGuitarist Well aren't you a sweetheart
Show threadStrugglingGuitaristJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr thanks for all your toots!
Show threadnickaposJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr @[email protected] pssst Calckey does have search 😎
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr What do I love about the #Fediverse? I think I love that it is a a true garden without walls or borders for ideas, thoughts, and community building. Whereas traditional social media is simply a walled garden where one must walk a fine line or risk being exiled, the fediverse doesn't have that. Control is in the hands of the many and not the few.
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@ablackcatstail There is something to be said about communities being held in check by the community itself, not the out of touch wealthy, politicians, or militarized police force
Show threadCrazyMyraJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I love the quirkiness, both in content and design, that comes with not having a centralised system. Also, the reduced hostility. I'm still likely to clapback at nasty replies, but there are far fewer of them. Mostly, I love the people. It's a more caring crowd.
I witter on endlessly about search and quote tweets, but the thing that's really worrying (for me) is that the fedi is falling into the algorithms trap. That's a very slippery slope, even if it's not about advertising.
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@OutOnTheMoors I think about that too, it just seems like a way for some people to game the system
Show threadSupergrobiJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr Posts like yours is what I like about Fedi :)

Looking forward to Fedi taking off in the EU public sector!

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@supergrobi You're sweet!
Show threadPatrick ChizeckJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr

I love that this place gives me all of the info and interaction I could crave while also making me feel like I'm the conservative and stodgy one (which for the record I am emphatically not).

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@chizeck I will say I've definitely learned so many new things, and that I still have much more to learn.
Show threadPatrick ChizeckJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr

Being surrounded by paleontologists and astrophysicists and trans furry software devs and shitposters is how life should be.

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@chizeck I remember on Twitter wondering where all the scientists and LGBTQ people were and when I got here I had a real AHA moment lol
Show threadLord Caramac the Clueless, KSCJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr The apocalypse is still coming, but it is not a Christian one, Jesus is not coming back, and those who will be spared will not be true believers but just a few people who got lucky - or maybe rather unlucky, since living in a post-apocalyptic world won't be much fun.
The apocalypse is coming because of the capitalist world economy in which only goods that can be sold on markets hold any value at all, and living things that are just there doing their thing are worthless. The world doesn't care about queers and sinners, it only cares about biomes and natural cycles.
Show threadParanoid FactoidJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr Answering seriously, I think the smartest thing for the fediverse would be a more open governing board. I'd like to see a policy requiring that node servers connecting to the network be run by organizations with registered official nonprofit status in their regions. Following accounting standards. And give freedom to charge nominal fees for operation rather than begging for money. The code of conduct in moderation should be better enforced too.
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@ParanoidFactoid I think the phrase governing board would have a lot of Mastodonians running for the hills, could you elaborate on what exactly that means to you?
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr @ParanoidFactoid Mastodon might see fit to have a governing board but the #fediverse is comprised of more than just #mastodon. If you fundamentally disagree with the decisions made by mastodon, you can find alternatives. Check out fediverse.observer.
Show threadParanoid FactoidJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr There already is a Mastodon governing board. The Fediverse is not ActivityPub, that's just a popular web protocol. What I propose is a governing board for the Fediverse made of top devs, instance admins, and reps for the user community. They could make non-binding suggestions to devs for features, and binding rules for inclusion in the Fediverse network. Just like rules exist in Mastodon for joining, such no hate speech. But one rule I'd like is to enforce legal nonprofit status.
Show threadSir David NielsenJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr I have heard so many times that if we pay workers what they are worth, do something meaningful about climate change or help each other when times are hard, such as in the face of a sudden medical problem, then the communists would come.

I keep thinking, these communists sound like they have some nice ideas, couldn’t we… college experiment with some hugs to welcome them?

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@DavidNielsen Oh my God lol as a kid people had me terrified at just the words Communism and Socialism.
Show threadIshan Velle 🎲🛸🍂Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I can completely relate to this. I, too, grew up in an ultra-Orthodox household, and did everything I was constantly told not to, which led to me being labelled as the 'freak-in-the-family'. It's really nice to finally be in a space with so many awesome people with shared/similar experiences. 😊
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@betwixt_5scen Good to meet a fellow survivor.
Show threadIshan Velle 🎲🛸🍂Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr Same here! 🤝
Show threadThe Munn DameJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr For me it's the absence of the corporate driven algorithm. I have yet to find another platform, including the more academic leaning ones like Goodreads and Quora, that give a space for a genuine conversation that is not manipulated by the owners of the levers of society and that does not play to our very worst selves.

As you say, there is no Utopique answer, but, for now, the Fedi is the best attempt at leaving us to talk freely and unguided by the puppet masters that I've found.

Show threadAlison MeeksJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr You don't get cut eye here for punch a Nazi stuff.
Show threadAlison MeeksJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr
Show threadSquidAceBoiJul 3, 2023
@alison @RickiTarr
Show threadGreg StolzeJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I like that there are no ads.
I like that there are far fewer bots tryin'a persuade me they're hot singles who need my credit card.
I like that there's no program behind it convinced I am desperate to know what Kanye thinks.
Show threadMartha HowellJul 3, 2023
@GregStolze @RickiTarr
I like that no one is making disturbing *jokes* targeting other people's identity. (OK, hardly anyone, and if they do, they get blocked.)
Show threadBeavarah  Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I like that (so far) I’ve been able to have intelligent discourse with people here even when we don’t agree on something. It seems that people are able to continue to humanize others on this platform during debate and the level of respect and community feels higher than other social media platforms.
Show threadDan ShickJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr no ads. no algorithm. I pay for my own access. I’m responsible for finding people, for having people find my content, maintaining my single-user instance, etc. just as I was tacitly promised in 1995.
Show threadtw1tchJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr I would like to see more idiots cracking jokes. I enjoy that there aren’t people cheering on the courts for stripping away the rights of the marginalized. Some of the IT people on this app need a lesson in manners. Almost everyone with whom I’ve interacted has been wonderful.
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@tw1tch 100% agree, I try to do a little of both
Show threadMichael ☕️Jul 3, 2023
@tw1tch @RickiTarr
To all those who hadn't discovered it yet, #dadjokes is a real hashtag that you can follow. 😄
Show thread✧ Charmi 🌟 TOTK ERA ☁️Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr hello !! i'm pretty new here, may I ask what's Fediverse ? 🥺
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023

@charmillya Hey, I'm pretty new myself, so I'll do my best explaining lol.

The Fediverse is a collection of thousands of independent social media servers that talk to each other seamlessly. This means that the millions of users on these servers can interact with each other as if they were on a single social network. Mastodon is just one aspect of the Fediverse. Anyone who has a better more thorough explanation, please chime in.

Show thread✧ Charmi 🌟 TOTK ERA ☁️Jul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr ohh I think I understood !! That means that no matter on which server someone is, you can still interact with them as if you two were on the same one :) thank you!
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@charmillya Yep
Show threadOlavJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr master of my own demise, I suppose. Within it's limitations I can control my feed by what and whom I follow, vs algorithm-fed "suggested posts" and ads.
Show threadcarrickdbJul 3, 2023
@RickiTarr lmao I'd be interested to hear what dystopia he thinks would result. Btw this reminds me of what inspired the movie "To Wong Foo thanks for everything, Julie Newmar.": "Beane was inspired by an anti-gay propaganda film called The Gay Agenda. Of that film, Beane said, 'There's a scene where they show drag queens going through a town, and the narrator is warning the viewers that these people will take over your town, and I thought, Well, that would be fun.'"
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@carrickdb Bahaha sounds delightful! Remember when some politician was making an argument against immigration, and said something like, Do you guys want taco stands on every corner?! And the world was just like, Yes, PLEASE! LOL
Show threadPat MadiganJul 3, 2023

@RickiTarr I would like it if there was an easier way to report flakey instances. Twitter had troll accounts; Fedi has troll accounts too, but also troll instances. DM to our friendly neighborhood admin is the only fix that I’m aware of.

Otherwise, I see Fedi as simply a framework, essentially perfect at what it does, where the magic is in the apps. So I would like to see additional helper apps, similar to what Twitter has, for things like managing follow backs. If that hasn’t happened by year end I might actually take that on as a fun iOS project.

Show threadRicki Yasha TarrJul 3, 2023
@patmadigan Follow back manager would be dope. I know there are several people who keep up lists of troll users and instances, but it would be cool if it were more accessible.