Erik I

Messaging and social networks is a topic that has interested me for a few years, probably since around the time when I started using WhatsApp.

I'll plan to make this post a sticky one and come back and write a few words about a few topics. As a start and as a reminder to myself I've also written a few lines below on some of the topics I want to write about: (and if you have feedback or have already written about this and wants me to link, message me at @eitland@mstdn.io )

• WhatsApp: I was a huge WhatsApp fan until Facebook bought them, in fact I even gave them the benefit of doubt even after that. I later moved. I'll try to write a bit about why I was so enthusiastic for it early on and why I moved.
• Telegram: After WhatsApp I went to Telegram. I'll try to write a bit about what they got right, what I don't like about it and why I'm still staying, that possibly includes a bit about alternatives as well.
• Google+: Compared to Facebook and Twitter Google+ seemed to be a nobody. I'll try (edit: done, link here) to write a bit about what I think made it great, possibly a bit on the biggest reason I see for why it failed as well as why that might be a good thing.
• Me We: The only thing I've seen that currently compares to Google+. I'll try to compare them and look at similarities as well as differences.
• ~At some time I might want to write something about federated networks but I'm not yet familiar enough with them to start writing about it.~
• I might start writing something about federated networks at some point. Many interesting things going on:
  • Mastodon still works
  • Pixelfed still works
  • Write.as now mentions a user if I add their address in a post it seems.
  • Plume looks really nice and might very well be a good alternative to write.as
    • repo here: https://github.com/Plume-org/Plume
  • Lemmy, an open source, federated reddit alternative, was release the other day
    • test instance here: https://dev.lemmy.ml/
    • repo here: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy
  • btw: someone should make a stackoverflow alternative that federates
  • Matrix is developing nicely:
    • There now seems like a healthy plan to fund development without compromising the open source aspect: https://modular.im/

Notably missing from the list above: Twitter and Facebook. I really never “got” any of those. In fact I seem to have the opposite problem of everyone else: I figure I should try to read more on Facebook to keep up to date with friends and family and then I forget about it. Days, weeks or even months may pass between each time the combination of these two happen: I want to check Facebook and I have time for it.

For Twitter I've tried repeatedly: it is supposed to be great but all I can see it spam and shouting and it kind of makes sense, who wants to talk reasonable in a place where everything is visible to everyone?

Looking at this, here is a few more things I'd probably want to write about as well:

• ecosystems (bots, integrations, stickers and what not)
• encryption, what it helps for and not
• threat models and reasons for wanting to hide (many people have good reason to be much more afraid for close friends than for three letter agencies)
• what could have been the biggest advantage for closed networks like Facebook and how they messed it up
• a bit about why I'm both very positive to local police and at the same time don't want to increase their or others rights to monitor people online.

Filed under #socialnetworking and #messaging