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   Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Thursday, 18-May-2023 23:24:33 JST Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣

   I think one area we need to start re-shaping is how to explain things about the fediverse.

   Example, we say:
   * Pixelfed is “Instagram-like”
   * Mastodon is “Tweetdeck-like” or “Twitter-like”
   * Friendica and Hubzilla as “Facebook-like”
   * BookWyrm as “Goodreads-like”
   * PeerTube as “YouTube-like”

   By the way, I'm one of those who explain it this way. ^_~

   The way I see it is we are anchoring these different fediverse services to those silo services, when we shouldn't. This, I assume, leads to unfair expectations against the fediverse software.

   When Instagram first showed up, I don't recall we called it “Flickr-like”. Or, when Facebook launched, I don't recall it was ever referenced as “Friendster-like” or “MySpace-like”. We treated them as-is, a new service. The lack of an anchor prevented us from having a set of expectations, instead we explored these new services.

   However, let's also admit that it makes it easier to explain by using existing services. So, the question is this:

   What's the best way to explain Instagram-like, Twitter-like, Facebook-like, and so on, without using more tech words like “microblogging”, “macroblogging“, etc.?

   Share your ideas in this thread. Maybe, just maybe, by re-anchoring things to the fediverse, things can be better here and there. It won't be perfect, but it should at least make some difference, right?

   ---

   #Fediverse #MycelialNetwork #Pixelfed #Friendica #Hubzilla #Mastodon #CalcKey #Misskey #PeerTube #BookWyrm #SocialWeb #SocialMedia #SNS

   • Embed this notice
     Hänzi Pōtter (hszakher@mastodon.world)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 00:18:47 JST Hänzi Pōtter

     in reply to

     @youronlyone for me it's fine to describe something new by referencing something known to the audience. What is not fine is forgetting to add the "but..." part of the reference 🙃. For example, #pixelfed is like #Instagram *but...* (decentralized, ad-free ...etc). #Mastodon is like #Twitter but without the fascists and so on. Until there's enough awareness/recognition of those products/platforms on their own.

   • Embed this notice
     maegul@calckey.social's status on Friday, 19-May-2023 00:18:59 JST maegul

     in reply to

     @youronlyone@c.im I agree, but I also think the fediverse deserves this reductionism because it feels very much like it itself struggles to see itself as more than a series of clones with an additional "feature" in non-profit OSS decentralisation.
     
     The whole time there's been scope to really organically create platforms that are very distinct from the latest wave of big-social apps, and that interconnect and interoperate with each other in interesting user-driven ways. But that just hasn't happened (yet?). Instead, all of the platforms are fairly isolated and vertically siloed projects where the servers are the only first-class citizens and the users are left to "manage" all on their own the restrictions and difficulties of being stuck on servers.
     
     And so the "feature" of federated decentralisation isn't necessarily that much to write home about. It's something, for sure, but when all of the platforms are clearly clones and the very dominant platform is an unashamedly hard twitter clone, I'm going to happily continue calling these platforms the clones they are until something new happens.
     
     For instance, #calckey is not a twitter clone. I don't know what it resembles. It's been described as wordpress + twitter, which works. Apart from #friendica, it's the only platform I've seen trying to forge something new and richer.

   • Embed this notice
     sblack (sblack@masto.ai)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 01:02:32 JST sblack

     in reply to

     @youronlyone I'd say you can just roughly describe what it is people do on, say, Mastodon, mention one or two core features, and then you can use some comparisons like "it works kinda like Twitter" and mby add some differences between the 2.

     I think that focusing on what the platform is and what its strengths and features are upfront, instead of e.g. introducing it as a Twitter clone and THEN talking about its features, establishes a different set of expectations for the newcomers.

   • Embed this notice
     Panos Damelos (panos@calckey.social)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 01:03:06 JST Panos Damelos

     in reply to

     @youronlyone@c.im Well, to be fair, I think that a lot of this is a conscious choice. For example, here's how the creator of Pixelfed announced it: https://calckey.social/notes/7d7vndjcts =)
     Friendica, last time I checked, looked a lot like facebook 15 years ago, and Mastodon is also obviously a different take on Twitter's concept. They are all doing their own thing, one way or another, but I think it's fair to say they were heavily influenced by already established centralized platforms.
     I think *key differ to some extent because Misskey started as a non-federated community software. I guess today we has more in common with Twitter (or Mastodon), but there are some features that make it a little more familiar to facebook users as well.

   • Embed this notice
     Mesa Keith (mesakeith@mastodon.ph)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 01:04:42 JST Mesa Keith

     in reply to

     @youronlyone Just a nitpick, but I do remember Facebook being described as "Friendster-like" to me. If I'd describe it, I would say, (for Mastodon) "it's the same type of website such as Twitter or Tumblr" which is just a longer way of saying microblogging. In other words, I'd use multiple examples so they would expect that Mastodon is as similar/different to Twitter as is different to Tumblr.

   • Embed this notice
     Massaging the Medium (santim@social.vivaldi.net)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 01:04:43 JST Massaging the Medium

     in reply to

     @youronlyone I think it’s good to explain Fediverse apps/services like this.

     Even though there will always be a “before version” of something, the companies used as descriptions have had a truly never before seen level of global adoption.

     Any quick and easy to understand description or explanation is a good way to introduce the new.

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 01:07:03 JST Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣

     in reply to

     I love the replies in the thread!

     Great points were shared.

     Please keep them coming.

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 14:59:46 JST Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣

     in reply to

     • mike

     @mike Ooh. I like that approach. It gives the impression of what kind of community and features one should (and should not) expect.

   • Embed this notice
     mike (mike@macgirvin.com)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 14:59:47 JST mike

     in reply to
     Mark himself explained it to me as "like MySpace but for college students". Obviously this was a while ago.
   • Embed this notice
     Kristian L. Thomassen (kristian@calckey.social)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:02:03 JST Kristian L. Thomassen

     in reply to

     @youronlyone@c.im
     You're so damn right! This is something different, something better. I like microblogging. Short, small and meaningful conversations.
     
     Think of the internet as a city. Big social media? They're like the bustling main street with fancy coffee shops and restaurants. But the fediverse? It's the rest of the city, with unique local coffee shops. Niche at first, but it'll go mainstream.
     
     I believe the fediverse will house countless niche communities, surpassing big social media in total. It's a whole new world, connecting people based on shared interests. Exciting times ahead!

   • Embed this notice
     Fedo ¶ (fdrc_ck@calckey.social)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:02:11 JST Fedo ¶

     in reply to

     @youronlyone@c.im
     Fediverse is a social network managed directly by normal users
     
     There are many admin providing servers you can join. They are all different, they have different rules, some are better for text posts and some are better for photos, some are more silly, some are better if want to talk to people from where you live and so on.
     
     But all servers are connected together, so you can still talk to everybody no matter the server you choose. However, you can change server if you want without losing your followers and followed.
     
     You can even open your own server if you are really willing to

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:05:16 JST Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣

     in reply to

     • Max Pearl

     @pearlbear Ahh! Short and direct. A good approach. A potential user can make their own reference based on what other services they are already familiar. Then have them explore themselves.

   • Embed this notice
     Max Pearl (pearlbear@social.overlappingmagisteria.org)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:05:18 JST Max Pearl

     in reply to

     @youronlyone #Pixelfed: Share pictures. #Friendica: create community. #Mastodon: have conversations. #Bookwyrm: share your love of books. #WriteFreely: Blog with friends.

   • Embed this notice
     JJ 🌱 (jjf@mas.to)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:06:55 JST JJ 🌱

     in reply to

     @youronlyone Agreed! Private social competitors like Tumblr and 500px tout their differentiating features without explicitly naming the competition.

     In that vein, Pixelfed might be "Photo feeds and portfolios for everyone." Mastodon might be "All the latest tweets and topics without the ads." (I'm left wondering what a better vernacular might be for short text-based posts than "tweets.")

   • Embed this notice
     Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣 (youronlyone@c.im)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:13:06 JST Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣

     in reply to

     • JJ 🌱

     @jjf

     > (I'm left wondering what a better vernacular might be for short text-based posts than "tweets.")

     I'm not sure either. I've seen:

     1. Status updates (I think identica was the one who used this a lot)

     2. Post (one I personally use, although I think this came from Facebook)

     3. Toot (how Mastodon started)

     4. And of course, tweets for Twitter

     Hmm… maybe “content” fits? Say: micro-content, or something cooler. ^^;;

     But a good thing to raise. Things are becoming more and more generic instead of cool.

   • Embed this notice
     Anedroid (anedroid@calckey.pl)'s status on Friday, 19-May-2023 15:13:45 JST Anedroid

     in reply to

     @youronlyone@c.im I think we often make the same mistake about GNU/Linux too, by comparing it to Windows, though it's a completely different operating system. Consequently users have some expectations that GNU/Linux is Windows-like, while it isn't. And that expectations influences look and feel of desktop environments, sometimes causing repeating bad design practices, because people are used to it and expect similar experience.
     
     I also see some of the fediverse projects have ambition to replace existing large, centralized social media services. Mastodon's goal for example, is to be Twitter-killer. They advertise themselves as federated alternatives. I also would like all that awesome projects we create were recognized as something truly unique, not only an alternatives. That way, Mastodon should not be a competition to Twitter, Pixelfed a competition to Instagram and Friendica a competition to Facebook - these are a totally different things with different ideas and values. So we are not compared to our corporate "competition" and classified as "better" or "worse", rather as-is.
     
     In my opinion this change require rejecting some of the classical paradigms we're used to and inventing something new. I personally use and like GNU/Linux not because it's Windows-like, but because it's different. Otherwise, why just don't use Windows instead? Let's try to imagine something, which is cool and no one done it before, and do it.

   • Embed this notice
     FeralRobots (feralrobots@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 26-May-2023 18:11:30 JST FeralRobots

     in reply to

     @youronlyone I agree with your larger point; however, I do remember a lot fo explicit comparisons. E.g. Facebook was almost invariably checked against MySpace (which is bizarre, to a modern eye they were nothing alike), Instagram was very much & often compared with Flickr (often to the mystification of new Insta users).

     Also one of the things that strikes me with most of the fediverse stacks is that the similarities seem MUCH greater than the differences. The diffs do matter, though.