Notices by Robert Boler (rcbo@mastodon.social)

@Gargron @rvcx Not by you, to my knowledge. Generally, the sentiment of replies from folks here when I mention the need for it to be easy for non-techies to join, is a reaction of fear. Like it’s best as exclusive club.

That, and a few other UX barriers to “normie” usage (e.g. easy cross-server interactions & global-ish search) still make it a hard sell to friends. #UX was mentioned as a big barrier in a “Fedi House” event at SXSW.

@rvcx Thanks for the respectful & thorough notes. I absolutely love what the federated web is trying to do, and Mastodon is my only “guilt-free” social site.

But as a UX designer (and a guy who wants his non-techie friends to feel comfortable enough with the federated web to move over from Insta / X), it’s hard seeing concerns about usability (and your other points) dismissed in order to keep the club small.

I hope this inspires change, either at here or a new site.

@dansup Stellar! ✨ What’s the best way to jump in?

Just start by asking a couple quick recs here?
Is there a group chat/backlog I should peek at first so I’m not sharing existing ideas/duplicating work?

@dansup I love that you’re working to make joining Pixelfed easier for non-techies! I’m a senior UX designer, can I provide support on this to help strike the balance between newbies and federation?

re: https://mastodon.social/@dansup/113887449806026585

@_elena I’m so invested in your mission!

From a lowercase-a accessibility standpoint, would you consider reducing/eliminating jargon from your pieces? “Fediverse” and even “federated” alienate and exclude people who are just trying to find an ethical, respectful social network, but they’re used liberally here.

Some alternatives like “social web” or “compatible” or even like “these sites all share the same plumbing” would go a long way to welcoming non-techies here. 💙

@dansup Bravo! Just remember pace / take care of yourself, and team up with others. 💙 Building products is the fun part. Maintaining can be a drag if done alone. Would love to see these grow and live on for a long time.

@dansup Fantastic, man, thanks for sharing those deets! 🙌

I know some folks on here don’t want any kind of algorithm, but an optional one that’s transparent (or even user-editable someday) can be a welcome noise filter.

Thanks for working to build out the social web. 💙

@dansup I love that you’re building this!

But the vertical video format is the smallest part of the TikTok platform.
- How do you intend to handle moderation?
- How will you handle discovery, since people will quickly runout of posts by those they follow? An algorithm that the user controls? A universal feed? Randomly selected videos?

Not trying to troll; genuinely want this to succeed and these concerns come to mind.

@lzg I see you and am a fellow walker/transit rider, as well as cyclist! Car-dominant infrastructure is our common enemy. 🤝💥

@dansup @pixelfed @Gargron
Cheers to this!

Although it’s not the point of a social web, having a default/general instance to join significantly lowers the barrier for non-techies to join the social web at all.

Y’all who complain might consider some empathy for good people who don’t happen to also be a dang Linux admin.

Smoothing the onboarding process is worth doing. But m.s is a great initial solution.

@Gargron Love to see @ivory reppin’ north Texas (and Canada), yeehaw! 🤘

@dansup @kyva Thank you for having the humility and wisdom to accept feedback— particularly when it comes to inviting new folks to the federated web. 💙

@dansup @pixelfed That last line— That’s what sets you & the federated folks apart from business-as-usual. Feels like what the internet was made for. Keep slaying and sharing 🖖

@adamconover Totally agreed. But it’s not just your preference: the “a” they use causes such legibility issues, since everywhere else has the other style. A thousand little cuts.