One of the cool things about the #redditmigration & the rise of #Kbin & #Lemmy is it is a big positive to both the #threadiverse and the existing users on the Fedi:
On the Threadiverse side: Lots of brand new blood from fleeing Reddit new users now discovering the Fediverse for the first time. New blood. New ideas.
On the Masto/Fedi side:
I think many are seeing REAL federation from/to an entirely other type of Fedi platform for the first time in the wild.
It really works. Opening eyes.
I notice on a lot of mags, there is one or two people posting, and either 0, a handful, or quite a bit of upvotes, but no one is really engaging, most the time there are 0 comments....
Many people are asking me, "How will #ActivityPub ultimately be #Meta's own undoing?"
Meta's current business model is not built for an open protocol like ActivityPub. It's very much dependent on them owning and controlling the network effect of services like Facebook and Instagram.
Not only does Meta want to collect all your personal data -- they want to control it too. They enforce this control through proprietary APIs. In this sense, they're not different from Twitter and Reddit.
The point of ActivityPub is that services, such as #Mastodon, #Kbin, and #Calckey, can depend on an open protocol instead of a proprietary API.
What if I, the admin of calckey.social, don't like what a dev is doing? Well, too bad. The protocol is open. I might be able to twiddle with my own server, but I can't do jack with anyone else's.
And what if I'm a greedy asshole who wants to monetize the user data on my server? Too bad for me, everyone on my server can migrate elsewhere.
This is not how Meta does business. In almost all ways, ActivityPub is counter to their business. Yet, here they are -- wanting to join the Fediverse.
The tech industry is awash in stories of big corporations that own proprietary tech that become undone by open standards.
Remember IBM's dominance of PCs? It was undone by the EISA standard.
Remember Novell's dominance of networking? It was undone by the bundling of TCP/IP in operating systems.
Remember AOL's dominance of online services? It was undone by the World Wide Web.
ActivityPub is yet another standard that pierces the opaque walled gardens that largely depend on proprietary technology owned by one company. And Meta happens to be one company that owns an opaque walled garden.
If history is to be repeated -- and usually it's worth learning from history -- then Meta opening the door to ActivityPub is company suicide. It's the first domino to fall before everything else in their catalogue of walled gardens also falls. Contrary to popular opinion, creating an ActivityPub enabled social network does not "kill" ActivityPub -- it validates it.
As it happens, I've known quite a few people who work at Meta. I have a little insight into what they're thinking.
Most folks at Meta know very well that Facebook will eventually die. But not just Facebook, Instagram too. Social networks, by their nature, are generational and transient. They have a shelf life.
Meta very much wants to build the app that kills Facebook and Instagram.
They have to build it because they can't acquire competition. That will raise the ire of regulators.
Likewise, Meta have already tried to leverage their own proprietary APIs to build compelling platforms. We've already seen this with the likes of Portal and Oculus.
What's apparent is that, even for a Big Social company like Meta, it is extremely hard to build a network effect from scratch. Sure, billions of people use Facebook and Instagram, but it was a whole lot of work for Meta to do that themselves.
And what was the end result of building Facebook and Instagram's network effect? More regulation by governments.
Thus, ActivityPub gives Meta two things it craves: the ability to piggyback on the network effect of an open protocol, and the ability to head off regulators by saying, "Hey, we don't own this protocol -- we're no different from Mastodon and Calckey."
Again, open protocols usually mean the demise of big corporations who leverage success through proprietary APIs. And ActivityPub will be no different.
Meta joining the Fediverse means that Automattic was right to build ActivityPub plugin for WordPress. It also means competitors, such as Apple and Microsoft, should probably start investing in ActivityPub.
What else does it mean? That small developers should start building apps that appeal to people who use Meta services. They should build these apps based on garden-variety ActivityPub -- because Meta can't own or control ActivityPub.
I really loved @FixedFun 's idea for the kbin mascot, so I decided to refine it a bit and make some color alternatives. All credit to them for this wonderful idea! I merely refined it. Note, the circles beside the logo are just a color pallete swatch, not actually meant to be apart of the logo....
Today, I began testing a new instance deployment process, which is an absolute must-have before the release. I also initiated preparations for new test environments that I will be using for developing the federation. The first iteration of comment wrapping has been introduced on the instance as well.
Today, a test version of the aggregate view has been introduced on the instance. It's a mix of threadiverse and microblog formats, applying all filters, blacklists, sub filters, languages etc. After selecting *, the links to sub, mod, fav change, and navigation works within the aggregate view....
Yet another question people are asking me: "How can I, a common person, help hasten the demise of #Meta through #ActivityPub?"
Again, I want to re-emphasize this. #Fediblock is not an all-purpose tool. It's useful as a hammer. But in this scenario, we don't just need a hammer. We need drills, pliers, saws, and blowtorches.
That said, we must protect communities that choose to defederate from Meta. Which means that if those servers don't want to receive messages from any Meta-owned services, we must not only be respectful of that, we should make damn sure that those servers are quarantined from Meta. So much of the success of fighting Meta will require safe spaces from Meta.
The next thing we need is lots and lots of nodes. Currently, we only have ~25,000 nodes on the Fediverse but we need more. Preferably, these nodes should be small, agile, and well-moderated. If you have the finances and/or skill to run a node, it's important that you do so. To compete with Meta, we need to build scale -- and the easiest way to build scale is by adding more nodes to the Fediverse.
What will also be key is lobby servers. These will be servers specifically set up for migrants from Meta-owned services to help onboard them towards the rest of the Fediverse. To run such a lobby server, they need to be welcoming, moderated well, and free of the elitists and gatekeepers that poison so much of the Fediverse currently.
How to get people from Meta to try out the rest of the Fediverse? We need people willing to be ambassadors on #P92 who are ready and willing to evangelize the rest of the Fediverse. Folks like @tchambers are very good at this on Twitter, and I have no doubt that we can do the same with P92. Except this time we'll have the benefit of federation already happening 😉
Now if there's one thing I've learned about the growth of the Fediverse it's that bad corporate decisions pay dividends. We've already experienced waves of migration from Tumblr, Twitter, and Reddit. And I have no doubt that it's only a matter of time before Meta makes another corporate mistake -- as they tend to do.
In which case, we need to strike fast. When another Cambridge Analytica happens, we need to remind everyone on Meta about the lobby servers that are on standby, and ready to take them on. Unlike previous migrations, let's not be unprepared for this. Let's be especially prepared since Meta plans to join the Fediverse.
Finally, we need more devs. Specifically, we need devs willing to build innovative server and client software that takes aim at Meta. And to do that, we need to support the devs that currently exist -- show evergreen devs pondering whether they should invest here that we, as a community, are appreciative of our current devs.
If you like #Mastodon, #Calckey, #Kbin, #Friendica, etc., it's important that you open up your hearts as well as your wallets and fund the next stage of Fediverse development.
This will take a lot of work. But if you want to fight Meta, challenge their dominance of social media, this is what must be done.
Personally, I'm hyped about the future of the Fediverse -- regardless of whether Meta eventually lives to tell the tale.
It took 4 months and 50 code commits, but my federated version of reddit (written in #python) can now follow and be followed by instances of #kbin and #lemmy!
Getting #ActivityPub working has been ... a journey.
On KBin we have the ability to add tags to posts. These can either be directly added using the “pound” sign octothorpe, as in #KbinMeta. You can also add tags using the “Tags” field when creating an article, link, or photo. The second method will append the tags to the end of the post when the post is federated....
On desktop, click "Settings > show top bar (on)" to get a navbar at the top of the page that lets you easily sort between the default home feed, magazines you are subscribed to, and a list of random magazines to check out :)
If you are looking for assistance in trying to interact with pages found on instances other than the one on which you have an account, here is what I believe is available so far....
Today, I added the subscription channel filtering option, allowing users to individually select content from subscribed users, magazines, and domains. This feature will be further improved over time. In addition to the sidebar, this option can also be changed in the user settings, which have also been slightly redesigned....
Hi, new test instances are now available. The previous frontend changes were mostly cosmetic. But now I would like to take a closer look at a few bigger things, like this. However, maintaining compatibility with your styles is very important to me. I also invite you to discuss and review in pull requests :) Cheers!...
For those who are unaware, lemmy and kbin to a lesser extent are in the early stages of a rapid growth in users, similar to the one Mastodon experienced in November last year.
In a move similar to Twitter, Reddit has all but confirmed that 3rd party apps will be locked out with their new API pricing, effectively forcing people to use the official app or nothing.
That has driven a lot of people to look for alternatives. I expect the wave in new users will ebb, but it will surge back again even larger once the 3rd party reddit apps are officially unusable.
Today marks the 40th day of the devlog, and the new federation module is expanding on the whiteboard. In Poland, the flu season is in full swing, and due to reasons beyond our control, we had to slightly postpone the launch of the API on kbin.social. Fortunately, @jwr1 reminded me that I had previously launched it on another...
Today, I continue with code refactoring, getting closer to finishing the most tedious part. I've also improved tools to prevent spam on the instance, which will take effect in a few days, addressing the issue of overloading other instances that have been reported. After today's wave of spam, I've also started working on...
I predict that what will happen to #Reddit is the same thing that is happening to Twitter and has already happened to Facebook and frankly, actual shopping malls. The business side of things will churn along divorced from the content which will become ever more generic and culturally irrelevant.
Today I got rid of a lot of dead code, Szymon upgraded doctrine/annotations, which will be a prelude to a larger refactor soon. Additionally, I restored the experimental platform navigation mode. Threads, posts, and comments will have improved score counting, which will be useful not only in spam protection but also improve...
Today, I fixed some visual shortcomings. It is now possible to change images during post editing. The rules of the magazine have been included in the description on Fediverse to avoid misunderstandings with Lemmy users. Some changes are already on the instance, and the rest will be pushed by morning....
We need to be more active about commenting!
I notice on a lot of mags, there is one or two people posting, and either 0, a handful, or quite a bit of upvotes, but no one is really engaging, most the time there are 0 comments....
I refined FixedFun's mascot design for Kbin. Thoughts? Feedback? (More pics/alts in post!)
I really loved @FixedFun 's idea for the kbin mascot, so I decided to refine it a bit and make some color alternatives. All credit to them for this wonderful idea! I merely refined it. Note, the circles beside the logo are just a color pallete swatch, not actually meant to be apart of the logo....
RTR#24 Setting up test environments for federation development, comment wrapping
Today, I began testing a new instance deployment process, which is an absolute must-have before the release. I also initiated preparations for new test environments that I will be using for developing the federation. The first iteration of comment wrapping has been introduced on the instance as well.
RTR#27 Aggregate view, work on federation
Today, a test version of the aggregate view has been introduced on the instance. It's a mix of threadiverse and microblog formats, applying all filters, blacklists, sub filters, languages etc. After selecting *, the links to sub, mod, fav change, and navigation works within the aggregate view....
OC PSA: Lemmy Explorer now supports proper linking for non-kbin federated Communities!
You can now use Lemmy Explorer to easily look up Communities and generate kbin-friendly links!...
/m/MagHub. I made a mag dedicated to promoting yours (or others) magazines! (kbin.social)
@MagHub...
YSK adding tags will make your posts more discoverable on the wider Fediverse
On KBin we have the ability to add tags to posts. These can either be directly added using the “pound” sign octothorpe, as in #KbinMeta. You can also add tags using the “Tags” field when creating an article, link, or photo. The second method will append the tags to the end of the post when the post is federated....
The best thing about Kbin is that we aren't reliant on the Lemmy devs
...
Handy UI tip for former Reddit users
On desktop, click "Settings > show top bar (on)" to get a navbar at the top of the page that lets you easily sort between the default home feed, magazines you are subscribed to, and a list of random magazines to check out :)
OC firefox (and chrome) addons that help navigating instances
If you are looking for assistance in trying to interact with pages found on instances other than the one on which you have an account, here is what I believe is available so far....
RTR#21 Sub channel filters, spoiler tag
Today, I added the subscription channel filtering option, allowing users to individually select content from subscribed users, magazines, and domains. This feature will be further improved over time. In addition to the sidebar, this option can also be changed in the user settings, which have also been slightly redesigned....
/kbin test environments
Hi, new test instances are now available. The previous frontend changes were mostly cosmetic. But now I would like to take a closer look at a few bigger things, like this. However, maintaining compatibility with your styles is very important to me. I also invite you to discuss and review in pull requests :) Cheers!...
r/Place 2023: The Good Ending (peertube.io)
RTR#40 Further planning of the ActivityPub module, something is happening regarding mobile apps
Today marks the 40th day of the devlog, and the new federation module is expanding on the whiteboard. In Poland, the flu season is in full swing, and due to reasons beyond our control, we had to slightly postpone the launch of the API on kbin.social. Fortunately, @jwr1 reminded me that I had previously launched it on another...
RTR#32 Further refactoring, debugging voting errors
Today, I continue with code refactoring, getting closer to finishing the most tedious part. I've also improved tools to prevent spam on the instance, which will take effect in a few days, addressing the issue of overloading other instances that have been reported. After today's wave of spam, I've also started working on...
/kbin RTR#10 Remove unused code, revert user mode, comments score, some fixes
Today I got rid of a lot of dead code, Szymon upgraded doctrine/annotations, which will be a prelude to a larger refactor soon. Additionally, I restored the experimental platform navigation mode. Threads, posts, and comments will have improved score counting, which will be useful not only in spam protection but also improve...
RTR#22 Further improvements interspersed with code refactoring
Today, I fixed some visual shortcomings. It is now possible to change images during post editing. The rules of the magazine have been included in the description on Fediverse to avoid misunderstandings with Lemmy users. Some changes are already on the instance, and the rest will be pushed by morning....