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While trying to wrap my head around the concept of the Fediverse, I made this map. How did I do?
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this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2023
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Fediverse
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This magazine is dedicated to discussions on the federated social networking ecosystem, which includes decentralized and open-source social media platforms. Whether you are a user, developer, or simply interested in the concept of decentralized social media, this is the place for you. Here you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage in discussions on topics such as the benefits and challenges of decentralized social media, new and existing federated platforms, and more. From the latest developments and trends to ethical considerations and the future of federated social media, this category covers a wide range of topics related to the Fediverse.
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The absolute best way to explain the fediverse is to not.
When I wrote a short guide to getting started on Mastodon I made deliberate efforts to completely ignore the technical side. The instance stuff does not need explaining. Nobody cares about that. They want to know how to find people to talk to on this Mastodon thing they heard about.
Nobody will tell you to try some chocolate by explaining the entire supply chain for all the ingredients that went into it. They say "try this delicious chocolate bar!" or words to that effect.
If you can't think of a USP for fedi that doesn't revolve around obscure technical details that most people do not and will never give a shit about, and that honestlly are kind of awkward to explain and sometimes even defend, well... I'd suggest going away and trying again.
And people showed up on Mastodon, ignored how it all worked, complained that they couldn't find what they were looking for, refused to listen about how they could find it, and then fucked off.
Some rally basic level of understanding is helpful. Like the idea that "Mastodon" or "kbin" is not a single place, and that there are consequences to that that make things different here from centralized services.
Hmm, you are right with that. Maybe the focus shouldn't be on describing the underlying infrastructure before people join, but right after? So they have at least seen the building from inside before leaving again?
This is a good idea. I joined Mastadon with the influx last November, got confused and didn't return until the current Reddit debacle. I'm trying harder now to understand, but what would have helped was 1) a simple guide to getting logged in and 2) finding content and 3) being able to view it and reply (including understanding if I was supposed to use hashtags, etc.). Get someone started with a short list of popular communities/magazines, THEN show them how to branch out. #trainingwheels