Is there a standard we should follow, or some basic guidelines? I feel like I write really clumsy, basic tags for whatever photos I post. What’s helpful and whats not?
Important reading for old-school #netizens who want to restore the full functionality of the internet and more recent users who are concerned about #privacy, #portability, and #digitalfreedom. @pluralistic, thank you for fighting the good fight.
Posted to FB: What these two images & my preference for the #Fediverse have in common is the idea that The Internet is the network that's connecting us. #Email is the messaging service. It all works because of URLs, DNS, http, html, the W3 & ICANN, & so much more that is beyond my understanding. It's confusing to most of us so we eased into the comfort zone of being consumers rather than #netizens. The most individually empowering communications tool has gone the way of our natural world, #ruined to make very few very rich. It's never too late to take agency. It can feel scary & lonely to venture away from what is known. For me it's worth it. The familiar is sad-making & seems ever-worsening. The unfamiliar places where I spend my online time are confusing but inspiring. During the time since I've joined the Fediverse I am choosing ad-free browsers & search engines that respect #privacy instead of Chrome or Google. I'm reforming my relationship to email instead of continuing to feel miserable about the 12.7 GB dumpster that is my #Gmail.
RANT: It's yet another aspect in which I'm personally deficient, that I'm not actively on top of my life's responsibilities. The Democratic Party last fall is what drove the final nail into my Gmail's coffin, but it was a looong time coming. One big factor that makes my online experience worse is that I'm "a creator" & therefore I've attempted numerous methods of sharing my work with others. Companies that provide these services have ZERO interest in my success & EVERY interest in sucking my time & data. It boggles the mind that any organization thinks it's ok to send more emails than days in the week! And all the options that they present you are not about you fine-tuning exactly what you want to receive. You opt out of [#spam category 1 & they keep sending you spam categories 2-∞. It hardly matters because they do not honor your preferences & there's nothing you can do about it. It feels so small to have proof, but after asking Patreon to stop all marketing emails I finally gave up & changed the email address on my account to a disposable address. They STILL spam the old address that should now be discontinued! It never ends. & of course I've been reluctant to block Patreon because it's a provider I currently depend on for a few monthly donations. I'm sure everyone can relate to some version of this story. I can't block X completely because 1% of what they send me is important! UGH. These issues are NOT OUR FAULTS. The system is frankly evil. I honestly do not understand why more people aren't crazy like me. Then I look at the state of the world & say, "Oh right."]
If you email me you may receive this automated message & you may receive an eventual reply with a new specialized address to use. I for one would love to return to the ability to send & receive correspondence in a zone designated for that purpose rather than shouting across these many billboard & trash-strewn freeways where we keep meeting.
I will continue updating the article every now and then, but after adding the series of opening posts, this introduction to the fediverse now feels very complete.