Read on Twitter
Nearly two weeks since Twitter decided to ban all my corporate accounts with zero explanation. If this were 2015, I& #39;d have no options. Just take it on the chin.
But as it happens, I do have options.
But as it happens, I do have options.
Centralized social networks like Twitter are going the way of the Dodo bird. Even Twitter knows this. It& #39;s why they& #39;re sponsoring @bluesky.
Problem is, bluesky is already behind the curve. The W3C already standardized ActivityPub. The Fediverse has 4 million users.
Problem is, bluesky is already behind the curve. The W3C already standardized ActivityPub. The Fediverse has 4 million users.
You know what Twitter was like 10 years ago when people had civil discussions? That& #39;s Mastodon right now. Less people, sure. The network effect isn& #39;t as large -- but the relationships are more tangible.
Mastodon also does a better job of moderation.
Twitter is opaque. If they ban you, they don& #39;t say exactly why. If there& #39;s a mistake, they ignore and don& #39;t heed emails.
On Mastodon, instance administrators do the moderation and they& #39;re more active.
Twitter is opaque. If they ban you, they don& #39;t say exactly why. If there& #39;s a mistake, they ignore and don& #39;t heed emails.
On Mastodon, instance administrators do the moderation and they& #39;re more active.
If I were to release a new social network tomorrow, would I build a new suite of APIs? Or would I just implement open source protocols?
I know what& #39;s easier and more scalable.
I know what& #39;s easier and more scalable.
At this point, building a social network with entirely proprietary APIs is like building a website without HTML, CSS, and XML. Theoretically, it can be done. But why?
Sure, social networks like Facebook will continue to build proprietary APIs because they& #39;ve spent 16 years developing them. That& #39;s a sunk cost. But all sunk costs eventually become fallacious.
If I were to compare Twitter to the Fediverse right now, it& #39;s like comparing Windows NT to Linux back in 1995. Sure, Twitter is big, but it can& #39;t stop the power of open source and grassroots development efforts.
And comparing social networks to operating systems is apt. At the end of the day, a social network is an operating system. This isn& #39;t an analogy. Social networks are literal operating systems.
