Notices by Richard MacManus (ricmac@mastodon.social), page 4

Must-read post about #search on Mastodon. Has made me adjust my own take on this issue. -> "Mastodon is not Google or any other full-text engine, nor should it be. It is a platform for community and conversation. Just as conversations do not echo in an enclosed space forever, conversation search should be somewhat ephemeral."
https://researchbuzz.masto.host/@researchbuzz/112649725372562847

I’ve just discovered the most 2024 app yet. This is the Worldcoin of this year, I’m calling it now!

@evan @wjmaggos I followed a Bluesky bridgy account here on Mastodon, but not sure if anything happened. Is that what you meant?

@wjmaggos @evan I’m the same, I can’t decide! Eg I want people to quit X and join Mastodon, but I’d also be thrilled if Bluesky federated with Mastodon.

There is a case to be made that we are due a ‘Napster moment’ very soon, and Perplexity may well be the Napster. In that scenario, Google especially will be compelled by legal pressures to find a way to compensate the humans who create the content that the open web relies on to continue. I guess I am hoping for that to happen, but I also don’t want to be a Lars Ulrich about it. I just want to be able to survive (and if I’m fortunate, thrive) on the open web!

It worries me when I see “end of the open web” commentary, especially when the fediverse is trying to provide a moral solution to open web tech going forward. I can’t disagree with this guy’s pov… but from an indie publisher pov, I DO NOT want to hide away my work (eg for Cybercultural), I want it to be freely available. My current strategy is to make my posts as human-centered as possible, based on my own experiences and perspectives. Will that be enough to get click-thrus from AI search tho?

Let Perplexity do the blogging for you? No thanks, but I suppose an AI blogging tool was inevitable. “Perplexity Pages”: yet another reason to support indie publishers and the human-focused fediverse. https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/perplexity-pages

:underheart: “This is the mission of the Wayback Machine – be the dependable, accessible connection to web history, and therefore all history. Give the Internet its Memory, which would otherwise be lost.” https://mastodon.archive.org/@textfiles/112539360634774522

With frontend development, is it better to start simple and build on top of standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript? Or do you need a swiss army knife framework, like Next.js or Angular? I looked at recent Vue developments and found a lot to like about its "progressive framework" approach. https://thenewstack.io/want-out-of-react-complexity-try-vues-progressive-framework/ #vue #vuejs #javascript #frontend

Jason Fried from 37Signals announces a “web-based books” product, which I must admit does sound intriguing, even though I already made my own custom book serialization site with Eleventy + Buttondown. Sounds like business books is their main use case, but still, good idea. -> “Workbook […] They have covers, they can have title pages, they can have picture pages, and they can have text pages. Each book gets its own URL, and navigating and keeping track of your progress is all built right in.”

I listened to these two podcasts today, and interesting to compare the takes. On one hand we have an in-depth (and beautifully nuanced) discussion of fediverse tech by @mike and @snarfed.org. On the other, 3 media dudes talking about if fediverse will ever be mainstream. I know Troy and Alex from SAY Media days and I like them both. Also know Brian from web 2.0. I found both podcast discussions interesting, but from different angles. Btw Mike, they mentioned you.

Well, some good news: the new ReadWrite editor replied to me on X (and yes, I was forced to use *that* app again!) and he's now removed my name from the About page of this version of RW. It's a small win, really, but the idea of them using my name to promote the gambling content they're now running was too much to bear. Now I need to wash my hands after visiting both ReadWrite and X in the same session...

These are the two people behind ClickOut Media, which just bought ReadWrite (I assume from the company formally known as Wearable World, which previously acquired RW from SAY Media). I am working on a post about ClickOut and companies like it, that are buying up established tech media brands for their nefarious means. If anyone has advice or tips for me, please reach out. https://www.warning-trading.com/enquetes-et-decryptages/cryptonews-finixio/

Fascinating look at how #ActivityPub is being used by the SFO art museum to help encourage revisiting its cultural objects. Still early days, but you can see the potential here -> “The reason I am telling you all of this is that SFO Museum has written it's own limited ActivityPub server implementation and we have, in fact, created an ActivityPub account – a social media, account – for every object in our collection.” https://orthis.social/@thisisaaronland/112339899293624779

I love writing about the #fediverse, and I'm passionate about the open web, but this is what it's like covering this beat as a journalist. Sadly, it doesn't get the eyeballs, as they used to say. Also, I have nearly as many 'likes' on Mastodon and Threads for the fedi post as people who have actually read it! On the bright side, I know from the comments here that the people who did read it are super-smart ;)

While content is federated currently, #identity isn’t. And while that doesn’t diminish the decentralized nature of the #fediverse, having a single identity — that a user fully controls — would make it easier to sign up for multiple apps. My analysis of recent discussions here featuring @evanprodromou, @rabble, @deadsuperhero, @timbray, @osma & others. https://thenewstack.io/one-login-towards-a-single-fediverse-identity-on-activitypub/

Giving @Flipboard another spin, since it’s a big supporter of the #Fediverse. It’s also a survivor…I remember covering it on ReadWriteWeb when it launched (or maybe that was a post by @jon?). Either way, here’s my #InternetHistory mag, if you’re a Flipboard user: https://flipboard.com/@ricmac/internet-history-e041t55qz

1/2 The problem with social media and the web today: you blink and your words are gone, forgotten immediately by the corporate feed. With blogs back in my heyday, your posts at least stuck around in someone’s RSS Reader for a little while, or were stumbled upon on the open web. True indie.

Perhaps this is where a technology like Tim Berners-Lee's Solid project would help; where you have a single identity and agree to 'share' that with fediverse apps like Mastodon, Pixelfed, etc. I don't know if that's the answer, but I feel like more work on making it possible to fully own your identity on the fediverse would be good.

Post from @rabble on why he's chosen to use #Nostr and not #ActivityPub and the #Fediverse. He makes some compelling points. Personally I am not too worried about the server admin parts of his argument (I have enough control, even if I don't control the server), but I agree that this isn't ideal:

"You can’t use a single fediverse identity with your profile and followers in Peertube, Mobilizon, WriteFreely, and Pixelfed. You need a totally separate account in each one."
https://njump.me/nevent1qqsfqlx6wpl5267tmnmmjk7v9tzunjvhzav9unc2tjn6k0w82vghprsppamhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5qjxamnwvaz7tmswfhhs7fdv4u8qetjd9kk2mn59ehkuun9dejx2u3wvdhk6qg5waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxgctdw4eju6t0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqgkwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejqzxrhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7umhdpjhyefwvdhk6q3qwmr34t36fy03m8hvgl96zl3znndyzyaqhwmwdtshwmtkg03fetaqxczx4f