The Seven Deadly UX Sins of the Fediverse Web Experience (To Fix) - Tim Chambers

So, confession time: I was recently helping a new client get set up on the Fediverse—guiding them through their first steps into our glorious decentralized …

Tim Chambers

@tchambers

I look forward to part 2. In the meantime, I have two comments that someone might find useful.

First is that I was part of the November 2022 fuck Elon migration. That was before ExTwitter locked down their API, so someone had written a little bot that would search your follows there for anyone who had a fediverse handle in their profile (the odd double-@ format, I'm guessing). You could download that as a .CSV and upload it to Mastodon and have an instant large group of familiar people to follow.

Very different than starting from scratch or trying to guess what someone's handle might be and finding them here, even if you know they are in fact here.

I think that's huge for many people because unless you join a very active location-based or interest-based server, it'll feel really lonely for quite a while.

@tchambers

The way I explain the fediverse is to compare it to virtually any non-prepackaged social relationship.

Want to try a worker-owned business? A communal household? Co-housing community? Nonmonogamy or other non-traditional romance or relationship forms? CSA or other direct farm-to-consumer food production? Any organization or group that runs by consensus?

Virtually all of my lefty friends have some experience with one or more of these things, so they understand that any time you step outside of the frictionless, pre-made capitalist box to create the life you want, it will be more difficult and often awkward, time consuming and confusing. And probably require a bunch of meetings. But maybe worth it in the end.

That's how I explain the fediverse. Because it's been built by and for users and not fashy billionaires, it requires more direct participation, more tolerance for all the rough edges, longer to make changes and improvements. They usually get that, even if they ultimately decide, "nah."

@Mikal The #Fediverse "been built by and for users and not fashy billionaires, it requires more direct participation, more tolerance for all the rough edges" True, true.

I agree with everything in the article, https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/18/113327.html, and many of the comments, but that phrase can't be stressed enough.

Would also like to mention, regarding the article by @tchambers, of all the critiques of the Fediverse, Mastodon, etc, it's nice to see one coming from love instead of a tech journalist that is not willing to understand, at this point of development, the Fediverse, esp Mastodon, has "been built by and for users and not fashy billionaires, it requires more direct participation, more tolerance for all the rough edges"

I think that is why the community is taking this critique to heart in the comments.

The Seven Deadly UX Sins of the Fediverse Web Experience (To Fix) - Tim Chambers

So, confession time: I was recently helping a new client get set up on the Fediverse—guiding them through their first steps into our glorious decentralized …

Tim Chambers

@paul @Mikal @tchambers

I wish the post was natively AP and allowed reply sorting ala lemmy.

Mastodon is for old-school neophiles

It’s not for everyone. Not everyone makes it. The few, the proud, the nerdy.

Inani Ludibrio
@Mikal Love the very descriptive phrase of the "fuck elon migration." And agree there were two different (at least two) tools that did what you say, and yes, those deeply helped....Am about 3/4th done with my second article and will add that bit of tech history to it. Thanks!

@tchambers

You know what's so cool about the fediverse?

*Someone built those tools and gave them away for free!*