JcrabappleJan 15

#Pixelfed is getting talked about on TikTok as an alternative to #Instagram.

Almost every video about it has people in the comments saying "Why do I have to pick a server? What does that mean?"

Either people are just dumb beyond help, or we need to do better at onboarding people to the #fediverse.

Edit: I love the ideas and discussions this post is stirring up!

Show threadMarijke LuttekesJan 15

@jcrabapple People are generally dumb (yes, even us), but I don’t think that label warrants in this case.

It is important to realize that only a select group of people “live” in this tech bubble and are comfortable in there.

For most people, tech is hard, and federated services are not as straightforward as centralized ones.

So yes, better docs and onboarding are needed.

Show threadStefan BohacekJan 15

Yeah, sorry @jcrabapple, but I agree with @mahryekuh, and others saying this.

After Musk took over Twitter, I wanted to give Mastodon another try, but with a different username. And since you can't change it, and mastodon.social was closed to new registrations at the time, I decided to run my own server instead of having to pick a different one.

And seeing some of the inter-instance "drama", I don't know, I'm pretty happy with my choice.

Show threadJcrabappleJan 15
@stefan @mahryekuh No need to apologize to me, I agree. My comment about people being beyond help was hyperbole. I really do think we need better onboarding.
Show threadStefan BohacekJan 15

@jcrabapple @mahryekuh Yeah, I think it might make more sense to switch to promoting specific communities (and stop calling them servers). I've seen a few people talk about this already, and it's definitely an easier sell.

"Hey, join DMV.community! You'll be able to talk to anyone on Mastodon, Pixelfed, and many others!"

Show threadJust BobyJan 15
@stefan @jcrabapple Mastodon “official” iOS app still won’t tell you if you got unread/new notifications inside the app unless you enable push notifications.
Show threadStefan BohacekJan 15
@boby_biq @jcrabapple I assume someone already reported this? Either way, that stinks, but it's a good thing there's plenty of alternatives!
Show threadJust BobyJan 15
@stefan @jcrabapple Oh I was beating this drum for long now, I also not a tech person, so GitHub is Chinese for me. I stayed on mastodon thanks to Ivory and then Mona App. I would have left without them making the interface enjoyable.
Show threadJust BobyJan 15
@stefan @jcrabapple But how does this sound like: join mastodon but do not use the official app bc it doesn’t have the same functionality as the web browser access. Also changing the profile settings is..fun. You lend on a page for changing password
Show threadStefan BohacekJan 15

@boby_biq Yeah, the experience could still use some polishing. But honestly, I've tried Bluesky, and for post translation they just link you to Google Translate?? Where is all that money going?

@jcrabapple

Show threadJust BobyJan 15
@stefan @jcrabapple I HATE BSKY’s app it’s a big 💩
Until recently, and until I bought a new phone (!) it looked like this:
Show threadJcrabapple
@boby_biq @stefan the BlueSky app is trash.
Jan 15 at 2:10pmWeb
Show threadJust BobyJan 15
@jcrabapple @stefan Sorry for hijacking your thread, I buzz off. But this is one of those pet issues of mine.
Show threadStefan BohacekJan 15
@boby_biq @jcrabapple Hah, no worries, always enjoy a lively conversation!
Show threadJust BobyJan 15

@stefan @jcrabapple It’s just frustrating. All I needed is to enjoy using the platform.
when ivory finally came it was like the sun started shining and little birds chirping, gifs flying high..

My remaining wish is to get latest first when show replies under a post -or something like that so I won’t have to scroll through 100s of the same to see the newest comments.

Ps: and proper functioning QT.