Hashtags do not replace groups.
No one moderates them. They’re easy to hijack and spam. And there’s simply no permanence to them.
Which is why, if you actually want to discuss something, it’s better to tag a group. For example, if you want to be part of an actual PC gaming community on the Fediverse, it’s better to tag @pcgaming@lemmy.ca than #pcgaming.
This needs to be common knowledge because people new to the Fediverse do not know about groups. Hell, I’d say people who have had Mastodon accounts for years still don’t know. And that’s a shame.
@jwcph @fediverse @Coolmccool The best way to understand the Fediverse is not as a collection of servers but instead as actors that implement activities.
You are an actor. A Lemmy community is an actor. A bot is an actor. An app is an actor.
All these things do certain activities. One activity is to like a post. Another activity is to repost.
And all these apps like Mastodon are just presenting these actors/activities in a certain format.
Hope that explains things.
@atomicpoet @fediverse @Coolmccool It doesn’t, not even close. It’s way too abstract, even for me - I absoutely guarantee you, nobody looking for an alternative to keeping up with friends on Insta or Facebook will be able to connect what you just said to that need / desire, let alone make a decision based on it.
@jwcph @fediverse @Coolmccool No, those concepts aren’t for everyday users. It’s for developers. For the same reason a homeowner doesn’t need to know the ins and out of architecture, an everyday user does not need to know about the architecture of the Fediverse.
Nevertheless, it’s how ActivityPub works—and I will go more in depth in a future thread for those who want to know.
@atomicpoet @fediverse @Coolmccool That’s what I mean - I think you’re missing the point. I don’t think anyone is expecting every developer to also be able to explain the usefulness of the fediverse to casual users, but some of us do feel, I think, that there’s a lack of fundamental recognition that developer explanations are beside the point as far as most regular people are concerned, which can cause the unwelcoming impression for non-devs that we hear people talk about fairly regularly.
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] To be blunt, “it’s like email” is probably good enough for 95% of casual users in terms of an explanation for how the Fediverse works.
It’s all just email. Mastodon, Pixelfed, and Lemmy are really all just email.
But the moment you ask, “Well, actually, how does it all work? How is it possible to use Lemmy with Mastodon?”
The answer is: actors.
And maybe that is abstract, but I assure you that’s the practical reason you’re able to do it. Once you understand that the Fediverse is made up of actors/activities, a whole new world of possibilities opens up—even for regular users. It’s why you’re participating on Lemmy right now, even though it still looks like “Mastodon” to you.
Now I’m sorry that you may perceive this as “beside the point,” but people ask how it works and I’m telling you. However, if this is too abstract, remember: it’s all “email”.
@atomicpoet @fediverse @Coolmccool That’s not what people are asking - they’re asking “How does it work *for me*?”.
“Like email or phones” again still only explains in the abstract, that you can connect with anyone in the same way as those things. It still doesn’t explain how to use it or how it solves the things people would like to solve.
People are asking for a driver’s license & you’re telling them how a combustion engine turns gasoline into mechanical motion.
If you’re a content creator:
If you’re a content consumer:
A. Use whichever software, platform, server, community, service, and/or app you prefer
B. Follow the people you want to follow regardless of which software, platform, etc. they are on
C. You don’t have to create-yet-another-account
Of course, for content creators, they prefer to use different platforms for specific purposes and features. So, they still will end up with multiple accounts. However, №2 and №3 still applies to them.
And for the content consumers, it won’t matter, just follow all the other accounts of the content creator they like using one account.
That’s how it works for most.
If we put it into context.
In #Instagram, many “influencers” report and ban followers who:
These “influencers” assume their followers are inactive, useless, or accounts meant for scamming and spamming them later. They don’t care if your are a legitimate fan, even a donator, who created-yet-another-account just to follow them.
With the Fediverse, and any #OpenSocial / #OpenSocialWeb / #SocialWeb network for that matter, it solves that problem. “Influencers” can have silly criteria all they want without risking kicking out legitimate fans because their fans are more likely using an account regularly because it’s their “main” account, not yet-another-account.
@atomicpoet @fediverse @Coolmccool @jwcph
@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] I’ve explained how to use it: you submit to a group from Mastodon by tagging. In fact, you’re using it right now. Look at one of the accounts you’re mentioning.
Did you not read the original post?
@atomicpoet @fediverse @Coolmccool Yes, I did - did you not read the rest of the thread? At no point did I say “explain it to me” & neither did Cool, your answer to whom I originally responded to - in fact, I said specifically that I don’t expect you to explain it to laypeople if you’re on the dev side. All I’m asking is for you - and just as importantly, other readers of this thread - to recognize the explanation gap, that we may become a welcoming place for everyone, not just developers.