One way to promote the #Fediverse is by making the different fediverse software support custom profile skins and themes. This can potentially create an ecosystem of skin and theme creators, which in turn will make more people talk about it.
I differentiate between a skin and a theme because:
A “skin” is like changing the CSS of the default layout. Adding an image here and there, new icons, and colours and gradients.
While a “theme” can change the layout itself. The widgets available, or shuffle them around. Possible even a way to add custom ones (careful with this though).
You can add, remove, and move widgets around. Use custom ones easily. Change colours easily. Change the widths, the columns, and so on. That is a “theme”. There were even third-party frontend packages a developer can use so they don't have to worry much about it.
Skinning is the simplest method; and this was what made #Plurk popular when it launched in May 2008 (yes, Plurk is as old as the Fediverse network). There was a Plurk skin ecosystem, which in turn increased the number of people talking about Plurk.
Apply the theming feature from the early CMS brands with Plurk's user-level skinning feature, and we create a playground for the users.
#Misskey and forks already had a good start with their user-level skinning feature (and user-level plugins at that). We just need to see it in the other popular fediverse software.
Make it easier to understand. Write guidelines in layman's terms, not dev terms, and maybe, just maybe, we can spark the interest of new users. Who doesn't want a customisable user profile?
From 2010 to 2017, there was a thing called #AseanCitizen that we Aseans started as a grassroots movement. We were all bloggers from across, well, #ASEAN or South-East Asia.
Some of us joined together to produce one of the best multi-authored regional blogs. We talked about our cultures, write about what makes the region awesome. As well as, try to address the oftentimes silly and sometimes heated debates.
It's all gone now. Forgotten. The blogs dead or offline. We all grew up, got busy with our personal lives, and moved on separately. And the important reason? We lost interest in it as we started to see ASEAN was, is, and will never be for the grassroots.
That was the end of what was once a vibrant grassroot ASEAN Citizens effort. We did it all voluntarily. Without a single recognition from the top-down organisation that is ASEAN.
But today? ASEAN is still a top-down organisation. They kept trying to get the grassroots involved, but they are always failing. Why? Because it is a top-down organisation, as simple as that. They will never understand until they shift their mindset and approach to bottom-up.
(P.S I want to restart this grassroots movement, but I just no longer have the spark. Give me a very good reason why I should give it another chance. Or, at least, guide the new generation.)
@ubi Haha, true! It is 99% impossible to get ASEANs to use the fediverse. We can forget the fediverse, just Threads itself is being ignored even though Instagram is very popular in the region.
It's only Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Plurk, in that particular order. ^_^
The reasons for this are (at least based from experience and observation):
Family connections.
Fandoms + official accounts of their idols
Government accounts.
I am hoping that Threads can make fandoms and those official accounts to create Threads with Fediverse. Theoretically, it can be helpful in getting a huge chunk to move to the Fediverse
(Unfortunately, there is an anti-fandom vocal minority in the Fediverse, who's trying to gatekeep the network. /facepalm)
Another one that's good are government accounts with fediverse enabled.
But, until those happen, those 5 SNS platforms will remain.
As for language, except for the #Philippines and #Singapore, English is not an official language in the 8 member Nations (even though English is the official language of the organisation itself). Many can speak English, but it's more natural for them to speak in their local languages.
There are ASEANs in the fediverse network, but in the grand scheme of things… we're still few and a minority.