Robert W. GehlJan 12, 2024

@rra and I have a new, #OpenAccess article out: "Shifting your research from X to Mastodon? Here's what you need to know"

https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2666-3899%2823%2900323-9

This article is an opinion piece in which we argue that social scientists cannot simply port their work from X to #Mastodon or the rest of the #fediverse. There are key differences in culture, expectations of privacy, and of course topology to consider.

@commodon @academicchatter

Show threadErwin Ernst eest9 Steinhammer
@rwg I would refrain from calling fediverse (or mastodon) a "platform". It's not more or less a platform as is E-Mail (or gemail for that regard). Facebook and X are platforms because they are closed gardens without interoperability, and the term was specifically coined to describe such services. The fediverse is a network, ActivityPub is a protocol and mastodon is a service within this network. @rra @commodon @academicchatter
Jan 13, 2024 at 1:53pmWeb
Show threadCarwil Bjork-JamesJan 13, 2024

@eest9 @rwg
Please don't do this.

RWG wrote a wide-ranging introduction for a community of experts to contribute to the Fediverse. You seized on one word (platform, with multiple connotations) to criticize.

We should be WAY more welcoming than this to people working to bring new voices here.

And you apparently didn't get past the abstract because the linked article goes on to refer to "a larger
ecosystem of alternative social media
platforms known as the Fediverse."

#onboarding

Show threadErwin Ernst eest9 SteinhammerJan 13, 2024
@Carwil I said, I would refrain from using it. I didn't say the whole article was bad or something. And the term is used multiple times throughout the article, and actually the abstract didn't use "platform" in regard to the fediverse. So I don't get what you want to tell me. @rwg
Show threadCarwil Bjork-JamesJan 13, 2024

@eest9 @rwg
My message is that the replies to RWG's extended work largely seem to be about nitpicking. When they should be welcoming.

Everyone who wants a larger Fediverse should try to be more welcoming. Rather than make this platform a place of unwritten rules that are scolded about on first sight.

Even the Wikipedia principle of Assume Good Faith would be an improvement.

See also, https://erinkissane.com/mastodon-is-easy-and-fun-except-when-it-isnt

Show threadErwin Ernst eest9 SteinhammerJan 13, 2024

@Carwil The reason why I mentioned my approach is, that I think it's one of the biggest problems in onboarding new people (especially researchers). A lot of them do not understand that this isn't a platform and get frustrated in its structure and that their theories, which assume gated platforms, do not hold here, hence getting null results. So I think it's more than a nitpick.

I never assumed bad faith! I was just confused by your comment. @rwg

Show threadErwin Ernst eest9 SteinhammerJan 13, 2024
@Carwil PS: thanks for the article, this is very informative for my research team! @rwg
Show threadRobert W. GehlJan 13, 2024

@eest9 @rra @commodon @academicchatter

Thanks for the feedback! To be honest, I don't mind using another term. I think "platform" as a term is borderline meaningless, given how many different ways it's used:
* to describe operating systems
* in reference to gaming systems
* as a means for someone to speak
* as a set of political doctrines
* as a reference to specific corporate social media

So feel free to mentally substitute "service" if you like.