4 ms·

I think you're missing something: nearly 100% of people who are online are already on the platform called the Web. The Web allows you to operate a community se

I think you're missing something: nearly 100% of people who are online are already on the platform called the Web. The Web allows you to operate a community service which is compatible with nearly 25 years worth of devices and browsers without being required to use anyone else's platform.

KronisLV 5y ago
No, i don't think i am. When i talked about "platforms", i wasn't talking about the types of devices, but rather the types of social networks (or, say, marketplaces, professional networks etc.). Allow me to clarify, because the term "platform" is indeed ambiguous! As an example, compare Facebook with Mastodon. The former has somewhere around 2.9 billion monthly active users: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly... Mastodon has around 4.4 million users: https://joinmastodon.org/d https://joinmastodon.org/d That means that Facebook has 659 times more users than Mastodon. So, assuming that you want to target an audience that's a general representation of society, not just technology geeks and privacy enthusiasts (who'd make up a larger part of Mastodon, presumably), for every 1'000'000 impressions on Facebook, you would get ~1'500 on Mastodon. With a conversion rate of 1%, Facebook would earn you about 10'000 sales, whereas Mastodon would earn you 15. Let's suppose that whatever you're selling costs 25$. Facebook gets you 250'000$, whereas Mastodon gets you 375$, just because you chose a different platform. The former doesn't respect your privacy, whereas the latter does. But that doesn't matter in a meaningful way for a business, if your goal is to reach more people to engage with to advertise or even just represent your product. In a non-commercial sense, consider being able to chat with only one out of every 659 of your friends. In other words, it's unlikely that any of your friends (unless it's a niche group of people with shared interests) or family use Mastodon, whereas many of them most certainly use Facebook. Which of those is better for keeping in touch, then? This is the network effect, something that every new platform out there has to deal with.
- forgotmypw17 5y ago
  On the other hand, I started my own blog and Facebook-like forum for less than $10/month, and all my friends are able to access it and connect with me from any of their multitude of devices. And included in the same fee is the ability to spin up more sites for each friend who wants one too. And they can all inter-operate and copy posts between each other. Mastodon is pretty much just another Facebook, split into pieces. The Web is a real, viable, free platform, today.
  - KronisLV 5y ago
    > The Web is a real, viable, free platform, today. As long as you have friends who are willing/happy to use these alternate platforms? Sure! I'm not saying that platforms like Mastodon shouldn't exist, them being there in the first place is promising and a good thing. If they work for you, keep using them! However, we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that they're a viable alternative for certain use cases, such as maximizing your outreach.

KronisLV 5y ago

No, i don't think i am. When i talked about "platforms", i wasn't talking about the types of devices, but rather the types of social networks (or, say, marketplaces, professional networks etc.). Allow me to clarify, because the term "platform" is indeed ambiguous! As an example, compare Facebook with Mastodon. The former has somewhere around 2.9 billion monthly active users: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly... Mastodon has around 4.4 million users: https://joinmastodon.org/d https://joinmastodon.org/d That means that Facebook has 659 times more users than Mastodon. So, assuming that you want to target an audience that's a general representation of society, not just technology geeks and privacy enthusiasts (who'd make up a larger part of Mastodon, presumably), for every 1'000'000 impressions on Facebook, you would get ~1'500 on Mastodon. With a conversion rate of 1%, Facebook would earn you about 10'000 sales, whereas Mastodon would earn you 15. Let's suppose that whatever you're selling costs 25$. Facebook gets you 250'000$, whereas Mastodon gets you 375$, just because you chose a different platform. The former doesn't respect your privacy, whereas the latter does. But that doesn't matter in a meaningful way for a business, if your goal is to reach more people to engage with to advertise or even just represent your product. In a non-commercial sense, consider being able to chat with only one out of every 659 of your friends. In other words, it's unlikely that any of your friends (unless it's a niche group of people with shared interests) or family use Mastodon, whereas many of them most certainly use Facebook. Which of those is better for keeping in touch, then? This is the network effect, something that every new platform out there has to deal with.

forgotmypw17 5y ago
On the other hand, I started my own blog and Facebook-like forum for less than $10/month, and all my friends are able to access it and connect with me from any of their multitude of devices. And included in the same fee is the ability to spin up more sites for each friend who wants one too. And they can all inter-operate and copy posts between each other. Mastodon is pretty much just another Facebook, split into pieces. The Web is a real, viable, free platform, today.
- KronisLV 5y ago
  > The Web is a real, viable, free platform, today. As long as you have friends who are willing/happy to use these alternate platforms? Sure! I'm not saying that platforms like Mastodon shouldn't exist, them being there in the first place is promising and a good thing. If they work for you, keep using them! However, we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that they're a viable alternative for certain use cases, such as maximizing your outreach.