4 ms·

I remember constant discussions in the last few years that went like this: "If you don't like Twitter, why don't you start your own?" And many people tried, but

I remember constant discussions in the last few years that went like this: "If you don't like Twitter, why don't you start your own?" And many people tried, but no one is succeeding so far. I think the reason for that is that Twitter really has no functionality, except for (and that's a BIG one) the Network Effect itself. This Network Effect works the other way as well: if you don't have it, you can't compete with Twitter. The new "microblogging services" will not have network effect by definition, and they can't get traction. Now that Elon Musk is making changes, we are again into the "If you hate Twitter, please you start your own." But I think these new efforts will go the same way as the old ones. You simply do not have the network effect to compete effectively.

whateveracct 4y ago
I think you vastly overstate the size a network effect has to be before you hit critical mass. Especially for interest-related things. For instance, the Haskell subreddit has 73k members. But members on Reddit isn't a good metric (I don't even think I'm one). There's typically a hundred or so users at a time. It's not huge but it works. I'm on chat servers and forums with less than 100 active users and it's plenty to spend years participating and following along.
- PaulHoule 4y ago
  Look at the success of Discord where people pay for modest size chat servers.
PaulHoule 4y ago
Maybe smaller platforms are healthier. It may be more meaningful for people to participate in smaller systems such as topic-specific forums for, say, Java programmers, or photographers, fans of some book, etc. I deleted my Twitter in 2017 as I felt it was not healthy. People mostly seem to be asserting membership in this tribe or that tribe and confuse having access to a megaphone with having something to say. If you express your whole identity consistently and everywhere with everyone online of course you are going to have conflicts with people who will sometimes be offended by something your said. (I have really frightened people in the past, for instance, by singing Frank Zappa songs) This compartmentalization (put on the hat that "I am a photographer" on the photography site) will get you much better service and help you be focused on helping other members no matter who they are. Insofar as you have a context you will work that in the context of how your attributes affect you as a photographer, how you get hassled as a photographer, what it is you see in the world as a photographer, etc. On some other forum there is a different presentation of self.
ThatPlayer 4y ago
Unlike the old ones, the network effect is the combined network of all ActivityPub instances, so if one of them has it, they all have it. With Tumblr having announced upcoming ActivityPub support, I think the market will soon become the "combined network of all ActivityPub" versus the "network of Twitter".
rolenthedeep 4y ago
For perspective, I have exactly 200 followers and 108 follows on mastodon. Interaction and engagement with my posts is higher than it ever was on Twitter, even when I had a couple thousand followers. The variety of posts in my home timeline is on par with Twitter, except the quality is higher due to a lack of algorithms promoting and hiding posts for unknowable reasons. This is a point reiterated by almost everyone who actually spends some time to understand and get involved with the platform. There are enough users on mastodon to comfortably capture new users. It's self-sufficient at this point. Whether or not any new users come from Twitter, mastodon is a success, and will likely be around for a long time. It's stable and there's enough network for anyone to jump in, given they spend a week or two to give it an honest try.

whateveracct 4y ago

I think you vastly overstate the size a network effect has to be before you hit critical mass. Especially for interest-related things. For instance, the Haskell subreddit has 73k members. But members on Reddit isn't a good metric (I don't even think I'm one). There's typically a hundred or so users at a time. It's not huge but it works. I'm on chat servers and forums with less than 100 active users and it's plenty to spend years participating and following along.

PaulHoule 4y ago
Look at the success of Discord where people pay for modest size chat servers.

PaulHoule 4y ago

Maybe smaller platforms are healthier. It may be more meaningful for people to participate in smaller systems such as topic-specific forums for, say, Java programmers, or photographers, fans of some book, etc. I deleted my Twitter in 2017 as I felt it was not healthy. People mostly seem to be asserting membership in this tribe or that tribe and confuse having access to a megaphone with having something to say. If you express your whole identity consistently and everywhere with everyone online of course you are going to have conflicts with people who will sometimes be offended by something your said. (I have really frightened people in the past, for instance, by singing Frank Zappa songs) This compartmentalization (put on the hat that "I am a photographer" on the photography site) will get you much better service and help you be focused on helping other members no matter who they are. Insofar as you have a context you will work that in the context of how your attributes affect you as a photographer, how you get hassled as a photographer, what it is you see in the world as a photographer, etc. On some other forum there is a different presentation of self.

ThatPlayer 4y ago

Unlike the old ones, the network effect is the combined network of all ActivityPub instances, so if one of them has it, they all have it. With Tumblr having announced upcoming ActivityPub support, I think the market will soon become the "combined network of all ActivityPub" versus the "network of Twitter".

rolenthedeep 4y ago

For perspective, I have exactly 200 followers and 108 follows on mastodon. Interaction and engagement with my posts is higher than it ever was on Twitter, even when I had a couple thousand followers. The variety of posts in my home timeline is on par with Twitter, except the quality is higher due to a lack of algorithms promoting and hiding posts for unknowable reasons. This is a point reiterated by almost everyone who actually spends some time to understand and get involved with the platform. There are enough users on mastodon to comfortably capture new users. It's self-sufficient at this point. Whether or not any new users come from Twitter, mastodon is a success, and will likely be around for a long time. It's stable and there's enough network for anyone to jump in, given they spend a week or two to give it an honest try.