Notices by Richard MacManus (ricmac@mastodon.social), page 9

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

I'm looking into the "Threadiverse Working Group", as I'm curious about how forum software is evolving in the #fediverse. At first I thought this was a new WG for Threads compatibility(!), but no this looks to be a really useful group re forum software for fediverse (as opposed to the microblogging federation that Mastodon and Threads are doing). https://fosstodon.org/@julian@community.nodebb.org/112216208232809734

I was listening to a 2016 episode of @zeldman’s The Big Web Show, in which he talked with Glenn Davis. This led me to search Mastodon for his name, and @tchambers’s post came up. I checked verevolf.com, but it’s offline. Browsed some posts via Wayback and enjoyed his personal take on web history. But the last posts seemed troubled and the site is now offline. Anyone know if Glenn is doing ok? https://web.archive.org/web/20230325011328/https://verevolf.com/archives/2128 #InternetHistory https://indieweb.social/@tchambers/108351882704129712

At the end of 2007, ReadWriteWeb unveils our new design — featuring a slash of vibrant red in the header! Also, we co-host the first Crunchies and I meet Mashable’s founder. (part 026 of my Web 2.0 memoir) https://cybercultural.com/p/026-rww-redesign-2007-crunchies/ #InternetHistory

It seems it’s now a trend to disable webmentions. Now, I admit I am late to the webmentions party, but I just enabled them on Cybercultural and the main reason why: it promotes Mastodon to anyone who reads a post on my site as the “write” part of the read/write equation. I.e. I’m promoting the fediverse. The webmentions (hopefully) encourages readers to comment or even just engage (like, repost) with my post via Mastodon. https://mastodon.design/@mikehaynes/112152279963650929

Also, re privacy, if people post publicly on Mastodon, they really have no right to protest about webmentions. If you want total control over what you post on social media, then make your posts private. Also just contact the publisher if you want your comment deleted.

@andypiper It may’ve been your post earlier this week that I’m thinking of. I interviewed @Amir just before Musk swooped in…ironically about the Twitter Dev platform, which was attempting to make a comeback at the time :( https://thenewstack.io/developers-twitter-wants-your-bots-and-other-read-write-apps/