ScrumblesPAbernathy

I agree completely. We really need to make onboarding to the fediverse as painless as possible. If there’s a barrier to entry the general audience will gravitate towards tech savvy folks. That’s cool and all but what made Twitter and Reddit so good was the diversity of voices.

There were tech folks but also senior citizens, people who don’t usually use social networks and those with marginalized voices. Both platforms started with mostly tech folks, Twitter didn’t really blow up until the color revolutions, reddit really came into its own after the digg exodus.

The fediverse is making big gains because of both platforms thoroughly shitting the bed but we’re not the only game in town. Threads has an extremely low barrier to entry but it’s an entry into a Max Headroom style blipvert hellscape. Making our barrier to entry as low as possible could really help us “rescue” those users.

I feel like those were somewhat easy to find (but not explicitly stated).

• Lemmy.world for Lemmy
• Kbin.social for Kbin
• Mastodon.social for Mastodon

Once people are in there then we start talking up moving to and instance that fits their style. Kind of like picking a fighter character then picking a specialization at level 2. That’s still a hard sell on Lemmy and Kbin where we don’t have the account export/import/redirect tools that Mastodon has. I could see them coming pretty soon though.

Bluesky and Threads are perfect examples of “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” I’ve got no sympathy for folks who will be blindsided when those platforms start squeezing them almost immediately.

Tech bros big mad when they can’t continue to exploit a workforce and have to play by the rules. “How can we disrupt if we can’t cheat and steal from our workers and customers?”

Those shit acre silicon carpetbaggers can get infini-fucked.

Stockton Rush is a killer and should be charged posthumously with four counts of negligent homicide. He’s just as culpable, if not more, that someone who gets behind the wheel drink and kills their passengers.

u c4nt b3 l33t w1th0ut fru1tb00t5 0n yr f33t

It’s well known but usually taught in the later years of high school (15-17 year olds). I don’t think they’re teaching things like the Tulsa massacre, the Wilmington massacre, Rosewood or the MOVE bombing in schools. Maybe in AP classes which are advanced placement for college credit.

Everything we learn about the Civil Rights movement is shown in black and white and taught as if it solved the problem. We definitely aren’t taught that some of the legal reforms put forth in response the the nationwide riots after MLK’s assassination.

IRC is so rad. I learned to touch type by hanging out in IRC channels in the dark on a stolen shell account in 93. I felt like a hacker, really I was a goofball talking about rollerblading on a shell account that no one cared about because they got it for free with their SLIP account.

Even that Atlantic ocean couldn’t stop Jim Crow. Fascinating story, hope it can still be taught in history classes in the coming years.

Numbers matter because activity is directly proportional to user count. A lot of mainstream users won’t join a platform until it already has a critical mass. They don’t want to be early adopters or trail blazers. They want to go where their friends and good conversations are.

We’ve got to set the table for them. With a lot of users there will be more buzz and more social gravity to pull people here. We’re the first drunk uncle on the dance floor at the wedding that gets the party started. A dance floor with a few drunk uncles is fun for the uncles but until a couple nieces and a grandma join in then there’s not a party.

People have been burned by so many hot new social networks that they’re wary. They don’t believe that they can have a good network that’s not full of ads and selling their info.

But the time is now, the DJ has put on Montel Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and it’s up to us, the drunk uncles of the fediverse, to get everyone onto the dance floor.

That’s interesting. The last two episodes were way more horror than Black Mirror’s typical sci fi. A red mirror spin off would be cool.

Demon 79 was my favorite. I feel like they really nailed the style of 70s horror movies, especially when she’s first driving to work and all the shots are panning from static cameras.

It really had me guessing if the demon was lying or not right up to the very end. It was brilliant to do it that way. Everyone expects a twist in Black Mirror and it didn’t twist.

Think of the saving of cutting off your nose! Sure, it may spite your face but you have to understand the shareholder value of a leaner face!

Everybody packed?
All of you stay behind me. I’m gonna take ‘em out to the sand.

I’ve got to second TTRPGs. You have to be somewhat vulnerable to play. You’re basically playing make believe, you have to be unselfconscious. It forces you to be somewhat open and accepting.

If you’re more analytically minded look for board game cafes or groups. Playing a cooperative board game is almost as good of a friend finding hack as TTRPGs.

If your hobbies are more solitary then look for or create groups. Crocheting or knitting? Find a group where everyone is doing it together. It’s like parallel play. This could also work for neurodivergent folks.

One thing to keep in mind is that adults are more discerning about friendships. We know what we want now so it might have to be a bit of a numbers game. But one you have a core group the momentum seems to build. Best of luck and don’t give up! Everyone deserves solid homies.