What can we learn from all this, as we brace for another influx of confused, excitable newbies from Titter? How can we make it a positive experience, both for newbies, and for the old hands (that's probably you by now)?
The most important things IMHO;
1) We're all in this together. Literally. Be excellent to each other.
2) Old hands, don't overwork yourselves. There are millions of us to share the load. Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.
3) Less is more.
(7/?)
Now that Ghost have opened up their fediverse integration to everyone on their Pro service, we've been getting an influx of people publishing from there into the verse (and the ATmosphere, via BridgyFed). Let's welcome Ghost publishers and give them a positive federated comments experience.
(1/2)
I haven't yet seen the huge influx of new fedizens I predicted after the US election though;
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@strypey/113518032575906032
There's a few possible reasons. Maybe my account (or server) has ended up on a blocklist that's populars with newbies, so I'm just not encountering them. Maybe people leaving DataFarming platforms are mostly going to BlueSky or Nostr, or Threads, where they still can't see posts from the fediverse. Or maybe people have gone off social media altogether for a while.
(2/2)
I feel like point need 3 needs a bit of unpacking. What do I mean, in this context, by less is more?
Keep in mind that newbies have a huge amount of new stuff to grok, to understand even the basics of how the fediverse works. They're learning new apps, and trying to figure out how to find fellow émigrés, and figure out who to follow for juicy posts.
(8/?)
They're also dealing with the grief of being chased off a platform they felt a part of, by crypto-fascist corporatist trolls. If they're USAmericans - and most of them probably will be - they're also dealing with the shock and grief of having the government of their country totally controlled by the same sort of trolls. Many will be really hurting.
You don't turn up to a funeral underslept and grumpy, and expect it to go well. Which is why points 1 and 2 will be so important.
(9/?)
Beyond that, try to focus on the collective power we have to organise together for a better world.
Reorganising our communications into channels we have more control over is one part of that, small but measurable. With a potential amplifier effect, if those channels help people organise more effectively in other areas.
Take the Power Back!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yMlW9YkpmA
(this video is a Brass Against cover, and is literally the coolest thing I've seen on the internet!)
(10/10)
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=vb8_iOOvJ0k
The brass section leaning into those grooves, the singer's voice!?! 😳🤯
(10b/10)
As an example, tell us about your vision for the evolution of the fediverse. What would you love to see it looking like in a decade?
This could be vague impressions of a broad landscape, dimly glimpsed through the mists or the future. Or detailed descriptions of the UX or technical details of your dream unborn feature. Or anything in between.
(Feel free to post an edited version of the latter kind of vision in #FediverseIdeas; https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fediverse-ideas/)
This is a bonfire demo instance for testing purposes
