4 ms·

I see your point and identify with the frustration, but at the end of the day that's kind of the entire point of Mastodon and the main distinction that makes it

by xtagon 4y ago

I see your point and identify with the frustration, but at the end of the day that's kind of the entire point of Mastodon and the main distinction that makes it stand out from Twitter. It's decentralized. There is no one server, and there can never be a complete and up to date list of all servers. Discord isn't a perfect comparison because even though they separate communities and sign-ups, it's still all hosted and operated by Discord. The most frictionless way to join Mastodon is when a friend or group of friends invites you personally to theirs, or if you discover a community online that really jives with you and you want to join.

alkonaut 4y ago
I think the argument still stans: mastodon as a relevant technology is one that attracts Twitter users which it does by emulating Twitter. Users are joining Mastodon now despite the federation ideas underpinning it, not because of it.
- xtagon 4y ago
  Some users are doing that for those reasons, sure. But a decentralized app doesn't need to measure it's relevance or success by user base unless it's part of the design goal. Twitter is a business, so of course its success is tied to popularity and user engagement. Decentralized apps' value proposition is that it gives you control over your data, no opaque feed algorithm, no corporate censorship, etc. Why does Mastadon need to attract Twitter users? All it needs to do is exist for the types of people who value the difference.
  - alkonaut 4y ago
    Mastodon doesn’t need to do anything. But a mastodon that deserves the attention it gets in the Twitter turmoil is one that can - and actively tries - to be that Twitter alternative. If it doesn’t do that in a hurry now, then it’s still a good project it’s just not one that will be worth any broad attention because it’s so small and niche.

4 ms·

I see your point and identify with the frustration, but at the end of the day that's kind of the entire point of Mastodon and the main distinction that makes it

by xtagon 4y ago

alkonaut 4y ago
I think the argument still stans: mastodon as a relevant technology is one that attracts Twitter users which it does by emulating Twitter. Users are joining Mastodon now despite the federation ideas underpinning it, not because of it.
- xtagon 4y ago
  Some users are doing that for those reasons, sure. But a decentralized app doesn't need to measure it's relevance or success by user base unless it's part of the design goal. Twitter is a business, so of course its success is tied to popularity and user engagement. Decentralized apps' value proposition is that it gives you control over your data, no opaque feed algorithm, no corporate censorship, etc. Why does Mastadon need to attract Twitter users? All it needs to do is exist for the types of people who value the difference.
  - alkonaut 4y ago
    Mastodon doesn’t need to do anything. But a mastodon that deserves the attention it gets in the Twitter turmoil is one that can - and actively tries - to be that Twitter alternative. If it doesn’t do that in a hurry now, then it’s still a good project it’s just not one that will be worth any broad attention because it’s so small and niche.