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Just checked out Mastodon and I didn't feel compelled to sign up. I am sure it is fine but the network effect is lacking, it is not as if I need to go on there

Just checked out Mastodon and I didn't feel compelled to sign up. I am sure it is fine but the network effect is lacking, it is not as if I need to go on there for any reason, don't know anyone on there. What I was surprised at was that there was no blockchain nonsense going on with it, lurking away in the footer. That really would have turned me off it.

ForHackernews 8y ago
Unless I'm mistaken, I think Mastodon predates the recent blockchain fad.
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  Mastodon dates from 2016. Depending on which aspects of blockchain, it lon postdates Bitcoin, and came up roughly in parallel with the blockchain-all-the-things idiocy. Mastodon itself has no reliance on blockchain.
  - erikb 8y ago
    If one thinks about it, a properly used social network also doesn't need proof-of-work, because it has social proof. If three people you trust have spent 2 years regularly liking posts from a fourth account you can be quite sure that fourth account is no fake.
    - dredmorbius 8y ago
      Reasonably. Sybil attacks still happen with frequency. I've also noted that creating a new account with little visible connection to another can also re-establish social connections fairly quickly. After getting booted off G+ at one point, (accessing the site via Tor), I decided to tweak the entire notion of a trusted identity (having already gone pseudonymous) by naming my new account "The Real Slim Shady". I managed to re-acquire most of my core 20-40 followers over a few days. (Being able to corroborate the connection from other sites helped, though many people twigged on who TRSS was even before checking.) I've also seen known users turn hostile in bad ways over time. Much as I've had the experience of knowing people who've ended up committing murder, or serious financial crimes. Vetting is a hard problem.
51lver 8y ago
I signed up for mastodon to use for posting electronics projects and getting feedback. It's... more of a platform to talk at people rather than with people. I do not mind that my friends are not on it, and I'm almost glad my family and coworkers are not on it.

ForHackernews 8y ago

Unless I'm mistaken, I think Mastodon predates the recent blockchain fad.

dredmorbius 8y ago
Mastodon dates from 2016. Depending on which aspects of blockchain, it lon postdates Bitcoin, and came up roughly in parallel with the blockchain-all-the-things idiocy. Mastodon itself has no reliance on blockchain.
- erikb 8y ago
  If one thinks about it, a properly used social network also doesn't need proof-of-work, because it has social proof. If three people you trust have spent 2 years regularly liking posts from a fourth account you can be quite sure that fourth account is no fake.
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    Reasonably. Sybil attacks still happen with frequency. I've also noted that creating a new account with little visible connection to another can also re-establish social connections fairly quickly. After getting booted off G+ at one point, (accessing the site via Tor), I decided to tweak the entire notion of a trusted identity (having already gone pseudonymous) by naming my new account "The Real Slim Shady". I managed to re-acquire most of my core 20-40 followers over a few days. (Being able to corroborate the connection from other sites helped, though many people twigged on who TRSS was even before checking.) I've also seen known users turn hostile in bad ways over time. Much as I've had the experience of knowing people who've ended up committing murder, or serious financial crimes. Vetting is a hard problem.

51lver 8y ago

I signed up for mastodon to use for posting electronics projects and getting feedback. It's... more of a platform to talk at people rather than with people. I do not mind that my friends are not on it, and I'm almost glad my family and coworkers are not on it.