A new fediverse iOS app called fedicat @technicat (TestFlight) has a feature I’m calling “bloosts” which is a boost and a like in one button. I love it.
Now I want a “bloostmark” that boosts, likes and bookmaks a post at the same time. 😅
One principal of the decentralized Fediverse is: users can choose the software project/UI/UX that meets their needs and still communicate with others who choose a different software project/UI/UX.
One principal of open source is: anyone can participate in improving existing software projects/UI/UX, fork when priorities differ, or make new ones from scratch.
What matters most in an open source decentralized Fediverse are: the needs of the community of users and its subcommunities.
There is no other area of Internet technologies that incorporate (by design) these principals and promote (by design) safety, diversity, and inclusion by giving the community of users and its subcommunities the power to selectively exclude those who cause harm or create social chaos and division in various ways.
One area of struggle for admins are the costs associated with the Fediverse given the content is 100% the property of its users. Many of the funding efforts in the Fediverse are driven by co-ops or individuals who want to support positive social impact projects. Ad driven algorithms do not exist and are likely not wanted by most users based on comments.
Users can emulate topic driven algorithms at present on their own using hashtag follows, searches, lists, groups, etc. but some find this cumbersome. Topic driven algorithms, controlled by users not admins, might be welcomed to improve onboarding and usability and by design could help sustain the Fediverse.
Independent artists, writers, non-profits, and other indie efforts are embraced by the community. IMO Socially and environmentally responsible brands aka organizations, non-profits or commercial efforts, have the option to be a part of the community and/or supporters of software development but may need to alter their business models regarding social media strategies. Smart brands will do both and host/moderate their own instances (or fund existing instances and development).
Like indie efforts, there is no reason fair market efforts via brands, b corps, and social impact investors cannot also become a profitable part of the Fediverse - but they will be subject to scrutiny, by the federating/silencing/moderating powers of the community of users and its subcommunities, which limits their profits and growth by design. If they spam, they will get moderated.
For my family, we support brands with positive social impacts as at least part of their business model and engage in economic boycotts of brands engaging in or supporting negative social impacts. It makes sense I would support them in the Fediverse as long as they do not impose on the community.
Topic-driven algorithm as a default for Fediverse projects seems like something that is doable and a big improvement for onboarding where users are asked their topics of interest upon registration and can later add more hashtags. In turn, it can create a mechanism by which funding via brands can sustain the Fediverse and promote growth on the community's terms.
Is anyone working on this or have interest? What are your thoughts on how best to implement this perhaps at an app or instance level?