4 ms·

"because a good website is the only way to push back to Big Tech and it's practices" I agree with this. But what really spins my beanie is the amount of power

"because a good website is the only way to push back to Big Tech and it's practices" I agree with this. But what really spins my beanie is the amount of power a website gives a single person, small business or non-profit. It's really amazing.

rambambram 5y ago
So true! I hear small businesses and freelancers complain about being kicked of Twitter, OnlyFans, Youtube, Facebook, etc. One might not immediately make money with a website (although you sure can!), but the moment you are kicked of some platform, you have a safe haven to fall back on. A place where you can share the same textual or visual media with your visitors(/followers/friends/fans/connections). But instead of organizing a party and renting some space, you make it a house party, where you are the host. The only moderators on your website are you, your webhosting provider, and the government (I call it GovMod). Thanks for your reply!
- lemonberry 5y ago
  My biggest concern is for the people relying on the big platforms you mentioned but not using them to build their own lists and lines of communication with their clients.
  - rambambram 5y ago
    Agree. The big platforms make it all way too comfortable for everybody. And I get it completely. Over the course of years, Google and the likes probably have more phone numbers of my contacts than I have. Only three weeks ago I made a text file with every name and number in it, so I have a safe copy for myself.
    - shuntress 5y ago
      This is the type of thing people mean when they bring up regulations for big tech companies. You shouldn't have to worry about suddenly losing your list of contacts. Google should be required by law to provide your data to you in cases such as account termination.
  - rchaud 5y ago
    I recently heard a podcast by the comedian Kevin Hart. In the early 2000s, when he was an unknown and social media didn't exist, he would have a sign-up sheet at his shows, where people could enter their names and email addresses. This way, he'd maintain an email list for each city. Each time he scheduled a return appearance in that city, he'd send out an email letting people know the date and time of the show and a link to buy tickets. Today, people build their followings on social networks that barely let you even post links to your own site (Instagram). Had Twitter/IG/FB existed back then, people would have no way to maintain independent contact lists.
    - shuntress 5y ago
      Now, I would probably never seen his email because it would be filtered out with or lost in the thousands of other promotions. Spam is a huge problem.
- hbn 5y ago
  > One might not immediately make money with a website (although you sure can!) Not if you get banned from payment processors. Which is a thing that certainly happens
  - rambambram 5y ago
    True. This might be less problematic for freelancers or small businesses in Europe though. Paying by regular bank transfer is easily possible between all member states (and even more countries!). All you need is - and everybody has - an IBAN bank account. Not even your administration has to be adapted for international business (as long as you don't grow that big). The only downside is waiting one meager business day for your money, so it's not really instant payment. I don't know about the US, South America, Asia or Russia, but I guess people have good old bank accounts, have an internetbanking app installed on their smartphone, and sometimes have to pay money to a neighboring country? It might not be as easy as here, or just completely different, but I guess there are ways to skip payment processors, as the fee-stealing middle man that a lot of people take for granted.

rambambram 5y ago

So true! I hear small businesses and freelancers complain about being kicked of Twitter, OnlyFans, Youtube, Facebook, etc. One might not immediately make money with a website (although you sure can!), but the moment you are kicked of some platform, you have a safe haven to fall back on. A place where you can share the same textual or visual media with your visitors(/followers/friends/fans/connections). But instead of organizing a party and renting some space, you make it a house party, where you are the host. The only moderators on your website are you, your webhosting provider, and the government (I call it GovMod). Thanks for your reply!

lemonberry 5y ago
My biggest concern is for the people relying on the big platforms you mentioned but not using them to build their own lists and lines of communication with their clients.
- rambambram 5y ago
  Agree. The big platforms make it all way too comfortable for everybody. And I get it completely. Over the course of years, Google and the likes probably have more phone numbers of my contacts than I have. Only three weeks ago I made a text file with every name and number in it, so I have a safe copy for myself.
  - shuntress 5y ago
    This is the type of thing people mean when they bring up regulations for big tech companies. You shouldn't have to worry about suddenly losing your list of contacts. Google should be required by law to provide your data to you in cases such as account termination.
- rchaud 5y ago
  I recently heard a podcast by the comedian Kevin Hart. In the early 2000s, when he was an unknown and social media didn't exist, he would have a sign-up sheet at his shows, where people could enter their names and email addresses. This way, he'd maintain an email list for each city. Each time he scheduled a return appearance in that city, he'd send out an email letting people know the date and time of the show and a link to buy tickets. Today, people build their followings on social networks that barely let you even post links to your own site (Instagram). Had Twitter/IG/FB existed back then, people would have no way to maintain independent contact lists.
  - shuntress 5y ago
    Now, I would probably never seen his email because it would be filtered out with or lost in the thousands of other promotions. Spam is a huge problem.
hbn 5y ago
> One might not immediately make money with a website (although you sure can!) Not if you get banned from payment processors. Which is a thing that certainly happens
- rambambram 5y ago
  True. This might be less problematic for freelancers or small businesses in Europe though. Paying by regular bank transfer is easily possible between all member states (and even more countries!). All you need is - and everybody has - an IBAN bank account. Not even your administration has to be adapted for international business (as long as you don't grow that big). The only downside is waiting one meager business day for your money, so it's not really instant payment. I don't know about the US, South America, Asia or Russia, but I guess people have good old bank accounts, have an internetbanking app installed on their smartphone, and sometimes have to pay money to a neighboring country? It might not be as easy as here, or just completely different, but I guess there are ways to skip payment processors, as the fee-stealing middle man that a lot of people take for granted.