"If the Social Web isn't just for nerds, why are we saying stuff like this to newcomers:
Okay, so the fediverse[2] is like, a bunch of interconnected servers, all talking to each other. They all use the same open protocol, so the whole network is interoperable, and anybody can self-host their own new server whenever they want. You can get on the fediverse through any server. We call these servers "instances". If you wanna join fedi, you can just go to this website and pick an instance to sign up through. All the instances are referred to by names like "mastodon.social" because we like to use domain names for some reason.
(...)
We must keep this in mind when trying to sell the Social Web to people. Normal people don't know what "federated" means — they didn't watch Star Trek, they just think you're a cop. Normal people really don't know what a protocol is, or what interoperability means. Stop talking like this. I also don't know why we're using the word "instance" to refer to servers. "Server" is literally easier to understand even for tech people. Even better than "server" would be "site," which is the terminology that I tend to use. Here's a better explanation of the Social Web that actually communicates the idea to a normal person:
The Social Web is like social media away from Big Tech. Instead of being a walled garden where you're trapped, the Social Web is like a bunch of different social media websites connected together. You can pick any site to sign up with, and then you can follow people who signed up on other sites too, so it kind of forms one big network, or online space. If you wanna sign up, you can make a Mastodon account (Mastodon is like, one of the categories/types of sites on the Social Web) at this website. You can use the default option, or pick a different "instance" (site) if you want, too. It doesn't really matter which site you decide to sign up with, since you can always change your mind and move to a different one later."
Interesting text, via @WeirdWriter
https://riverseeber.net/blog/post/a-reasonable-analysis-of-the-social-web/
#Fediverse #OpenSocialWeb #NonTechies
Okay, so the fediverse[2] is like, a bunch of interconnected servers, all talking to each other. They all use the same open protocol, so the whole network is interoperable, and anybody can self-host their own new server whenever they want. You can get on the fediverse through any server. We call these servers "instances". If you wanna join fedi, you can just go to this website and pick an instance to sign up through. All the instances are referred to by names like "mastodon.social" because we like to use domain names for some reason.
(...)
We must keep this in mind when trying to sell the Social Web to people. Normal people don't know what "federated" means — they didn't watch Star Trek, they just think you're a cop. Normal people really don't know what a protocol is, or what interoperability means. Stop talking like this. I also don't know why we're using the word "instance" to refer to servers. "Server" is literally easier to understand even for tech people. Even better than "server" would be "site," which is the terminology that I tend to use. Here's a better explanation of the Social Web that actually communicates the idea to a normal person:
The Social Web is like social media away from Big Tech. Instead of being a walled garden where you're trapped, the Social Web is like a bunch of different social media websites connected together. You can pick any site to sign up with, and then you can follow people who signed up on other sites too, so it kind of forms one big network, or online space. If you wanna sign up, you can make a Mastodon account (Mastodon is like, one of the categories/types of sites on the Social Web) at this website. You can use the default option, or pick a different "instance" (site) if you want, too. It doesn't really matter which site you decide to sign up with, since you can always change your mind and move to a different one later."
Interesting text, via @WeirdWriter
https://riverseeber.net/blog/post/a-reasonable-analysis-of-the-social-web/
#Fediverse #OpenSocialWeb #NonTechies
Kai Ash
