Notices by Mastodon Migration (mastodonmigration@mastodon.online), page 2

2. Who curates the list and what are the criteria?

Packs floating around without any accountability should not be tolerated. The creator of the pack should stay attached to it via a recourse address, and be responsible for curing any problems that may come up. The criteria they employed in selecting the members of the pack should be clearly specified when announcing the pack and again in any directory along with the recourse address.

5/n

1. Opt-In vs. Opt-Out vs. Tough Luck

This is a tough one. Clearly Opt-In is safest, but would it be such an impediment that it would kill the feature before it can even get going? Opt-Out seems to be a minimum requirement and it is the technique that #FollowPacks has adopted. Tough Luck should simple not be OK.

Would suggest when a pack is published, and again in any directory, users should be advised that they can ask to be removed and given a clear means to request removal.

4/n

So what are the concerns? And shout out to @thenexusofprivacy for flagging some of these:

1. Opt-In vs. Opt-Out vs. Tough Luck
2. Who curates the list and what are the criteria?
3. If the pack includes bridged accounts to Threads and/or Bluesky does following it expose users data to these companies?
4. Can the pack list be used as a vector for abuse?
5. Can packs themselves include 'hidden' toxic accounts so people are fooled into following them.

3/n

#FollowPack #StarterPack

First the positives. People really like them. Particularly due to the absence of an algorithm (thankfully!), packs help newcomers get going and veterans find people in they may have missed. So all good, right?

Not so fast. Like any new thing that has promise, there is also the need to be careful. Dynamite is a wonderful tool for road building, but...

One of the good things about Mastodon is we try to be deliberate about dangers, and this an area we should pay attention.

2/n

Starter Packs, Follow Packs and all that...

So, let's talk about #StarterPacks, or as this account has implement in a kind of Mastodon fiddly way #FollowPacks (https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/113498826844243920) Directory here >>> @mastodonmigration.wordpress.com

Apparently, there are a number of other efforts here that promise to make a cleaner more integrated solution for following groups of accounts.

What are some lessons learned so far and what should we be thinking about?

1/n

NOTICE - Follow Pack Directory Published

The first Mastodon Follow Pack Directory is now published on the Mastodon Migration Blog.

Click >>> @mastodonmigration.wordpress.com

Note this Mastodon view provides local (followable!) access to listed Follow Pack accounts.

Follow the Mastodon Migration Blog profile to receive future directory updates directly to your feed.

To view on Wordpress click here >>> https://mastodonmigration.wordpress.com/2024/11/18/mastodon-follow-packs/

#FollowPack #MMFP

@clive @lednaBM @kookster @pluralistic

Just would like to point out how effective from a marketing POV the Threads promise to interface with the Fediverse was, what a year and a half ago, and how difficult a time the largest social media engineering company on the planet is having pulling this technical miracle off, sarcasm intended. It is not hard to promise things you never intend to do, and gain all the PR benefit up front for them. Until reporters become less credulous that will be the MO.

@clive @lednaBM @kookster @pluralistic

Sorry, but this does not make sense, or maybe misunderstanding you. The fact that Cory has raised this point does not mean Bluesky will do anything about it. They will just ignore it, or give some tech mumbo jumbo ostensible explanation about how it will someday be possible. These guys are consummate vaporware salesmen when it comes to anything that would secure against enshittification, like a real distributed network or taking your followers with you.

🔥 Introducing Follow Packs 🔥

So, maybe you've heard about Bluesky's popular 'Starter Packs'. BS users can create lists of accounts that others can follow with one-click.

Well, we don't have this capability, but here is a way to follow entire lists of accounts. Not quite as convenient 🤷, but you can import lists of accounts, and you can add them directly into lists! 👀

Five packs are now available covering Astronomy & Space, Climate, and US Politics.

read on...

1/n

#FollowPack #MMFP

@davetroy

So, here's the question. Is anyone in our illustrious Tech Media going to do some reporting on the ownership of Bluesky and these ties ☝️, or is it just going to continue to be a parade of puff pieces?

It would seem that they have a duty to inform their audience, but of course, that hasn't worked too well in the past.

@davetroy

It's like a bad teen horror movie, where you're yelling and the screen, "Don't go into the basement," and you just know they are going to go into the basement.

#Bluesky

ASTRONOMY & SPACE Follow Pack

See reply below to click & follow any of these 35 great accounts.

To follow all accounts to an "Astro" list download and import this file:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRA5Aef7KPIlw6unflo2V1DairG-4B7SNgko3Rs3WScj-2BXSqVeksf_-_qmhWdly69jOm8oju6a6Co/pub?output=csv

Download the .csv file (click above) >>> Preferences >>> Import and Export >>> Import >>> Import type dropdown: "Lists" (NOT "Following list") >>> Browse to select "Astronomy - list.csv" >>> Upload >>> Confirm

#FollowPack #MMFP #Astronomy

ASTRONOMY & SPACE Follow Pack

@65dBnoise
@AkaSci
@ansate
@apod
@astrobin_iotd
@astrocamp
@AstroHyde
@astroland
@Astromeg
@astronomerstel
@astroptere
@badastro
@coreyspowell
@CosmicRami
@cosmos4u
@ec_euclid
@elizabethtasker
@evilscientistca
@franco_vazza
@iangriffin
@JohnBarentine
@kellylepo
@markmccaughrean
@nasa
@NSFVoyager2
@OJ_Astro
@PhilStooke
@pomarede
@rubymoonbeams
@setiinstitute
@skrishna
@starstryder
@sundogplanets
@VRubinObs
@world_beauty

#FollowPack #MMFP #Astronomy

@mekkaokereke

So, the point seems to be we all need to care about building and protecting communities other than our own. Black women need to be welcome and safe here so that we all are safe here. And, if we are successful, it will benefit all communities, because together in aggregate we will be stronger. When the new shiny object comes along, we will be motivated to stay improve things here, not go off in search of safety, which may be an illusion or transient.

@mekkaokereke @RustyRing @james

Have you any thoughts on the discussions concerning the ownership of Bluesky and the risks associated with setting up shop in another corporate garden? Particularly one with it's founding history and recent investment by Blockchain Capital?

Definitely understand the concerns about Mastodon, but would say that it is worth working together to improve because it has the one thing corporate platforms will never have, it's defensible.

@mekkaokereke @RustyRing @james

Admittedly fiddly, but one of the really nice things about these is that they import directly into a list. Not sure if Bluesky has this capability, but actually for organizing your follows it is great!

Very interested in getting feedback from the community and coordinating with others to generate and promote Follow Pack lists.

Understand that it would be better to have these things integrated into the UI, but it is what we can do now. 🤷

2/n

@mekkaokereke @RustyRing @james

You might be interested in this "Follow Pack" effort: https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/113493020744016567

Currently there are five "Follow Packs": https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/113493020744016567

Intend to keep adding them if they are popular and also encourage others to do roll their own: https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/113493121467974927

The design of these things is basically to get around the limitations of Mastodon, and still offer the capability to load chunks of topical accounts...

1/n

Folks please welcome back and consider following this awesome account:

Street Art Utopia @streetartutopia

https://mastodon.online/@streetartutopia/113481527802475127

"Time to rebuild my follower base from Twitter on Mastodon!"

Let's do this! Pass it on.

Big News

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) has just launched its own dedicated Mastodon server, social.freedom.press: https://freedom.press/about/announcements/our-new-home-on-the-fediverse/

Now all FPF-related activity on Mastodon is now accessible from a single Fediverse server: @securedrop @dangerzone @foiafeed

Hopefully this move will be an example to other organizations. "The Fediverse is nonalgorithmic and community-driven, without the potential algorithmic distortions or content suppression imposed by centralized platforms."

@mekkaokereke @digitalrodent @wonkothesane @BrentToderian

100%. And it is about to get a lot bigger. And corporations turning over information from people's use of social media is going to be a big issue. Sorry, again for the confusing post above. The point was not about the relative incarceration regimes, but rather the risks associated with rushing to embrace the new shiny corporate social media alternative.