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Tweetbot Maker Tapbots Working on 'Ivory' Mastodon App
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That's one of the cool aspects of Mastodon actually
You can join a server of very like minded, but still sub and see things from elsewhere
You can follow people who are on different servers. That's the beauty of it.
Actually mastodon is great so we do not have to bend over to any corporate and gives options. Its FOSS and works pretty well. But it has caveats:-
Mastodon is a Twitter like software that is free to use and free to change the code. Each person/organization can install it on a server and let people join up on their server.
From there you get 2 time lines, one for people registered on the server you are registered on called an "instance" then there is a universal timeline that shows all "tweets" from every other instance out there on the internet.
Depending on the Mastodon mobile app/client you use, or server you registered on, they can block out there. So if you are on the American patriots server they can block people tweeting from a "Russian patriots" server or "Communist Server".
Mastodon is extremely left wing, and when a group called gab.com (extreme right) made a mastodon server Mastodon official server literally blocked them and censored them. Gab.com now broke off into their own thing.
check out how it looks like: https://freeatlantis.com/explore
- You are at the mercy of who ever is running the server your account is registered to. They literally can just delete you.
- Mastodon app developers and server mods literally block users or other servers they do not agree with.
- Its FOSS , so there is no guarantee of any thing, and development is made by guys in their free time.
- The user base is so weak its worthless to join currently. Chicken and egg problem
- Mod hell
- clean interface + no ads . You do not have be tracked by corporates.
- You can host your own Mastodon server.
- It might be nice option to close down the "twitter" service to a specific group of people and block everyone else out. So you can have UK residents only, or architects only, or just a corporate employees or some club fans. There are dedicated Mastodon servers for sports or tech.
Mastodon is a Twitter like software that is free to use and free to change the code. Each person/organization can install it on a server and let people join up on their server.
From there you get 2 time lines, one for people registered on the server you are registered on called an "instance" then there is a universal timeline that shows all "tweets" from every other instance out there on the internet.
Depending on the Mastodon mobile app/client you use, or server you registered on, they can block out there. So if you are on the American patriots server they can block people tweeting from a "Russian patriots" server or "Communist Server".
Mastodon is extremely left wing, and when a group called gab.com (extreme right) made a mastodon server Mastodon official server literally blocked them and censored them. Gab.com now broke off into their own thing.
check out how it looks like: https://freeatlantis.com/explore
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Not necessarily. I think the server you are on can censor another server so you won't be able to see it. Even app developers can block what they do not like.
behold, each server has its own block list of other servers they do not like:-
Personally, I like that. If one is on an instance that wants no part of a certain other instance, they should be able to lock that out.
The answer there is change instances (as a user) if needed/desired
They'd report me on Twitter too, only that Twitter no longer cares for crocodile tears.
Yes but my point is who runs those servers and how is that better than Twitter running them. It's just a different set of moderators pushing their viewpoints. The only reason Mastodon exists is because they weren't satisfied with the way Twitter was moderating.
Seems to me this is just kicking that can down the road.
This is exactly my point. They left Twitter because Twitter wasn't silencing the people they wanted silenced. And I'm not talking about the obvious extremists. This is just a different set of moderators silencing who they want silenced. It's not an improvement, just different.
A federated system does have the potential to be better. Even if we ended up in a system like email where a few companies control most of it, they work together to keep worst parts in check. It's certainly not perfect, but users have some choice.
Moderation is hard. Full stop. Everyone thinks they are the ones being moderated. I'm sure people will not believe it, but Twitters research showed that conservative viewpoints were favored by its algorithm [1], not the other way around. Finally, and to your point, 'free speech' is a joke. Musk has simply been banning accounts he or his people do not like [2]. That's his right with a platform he owns, but for him and is sycophants to cry free speech all the time is laughable.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/22/22740703/twitter-algorithm-right-wing-amplification-study
[2] https://theintercept.com/2022/11/29/elon-musk-twitter-andy-ngo-antifascist/
I'm looking forward to throwing money at Tapbots again. I really liked their apps before twitter made it basically unusable, seeing what they can do with an open system like mastadon will be awesome
It's not kicking the can down the road at all. Communities self-moderating is totally different, and much closer to how people socialize irl.
Free speech is not a joke, it’s one of many phrases that have been abused beyond recognition in the last ten years or so.
I agree moderation is hard. But it’s even harder when one is trying to adhere to a moving target of ultra morality.
This is why I criticize extremism. Thought crime has become a real thing.
Where?
You can go on any street corner and espouse basically anything you want
Same for online -- fire up your own blog and say anything you want -- accessible from the entire world (save for dystopias like Russia/China/etc). Link to it .. draw folks in .. create a community around it...on and on
Nobody has a "right" to say whatever they want on private platforms, however.
Additionally, nobody has a right to force anyone else to listen to them. Being moderated for such things on private platforms, according to ToS on said platforms, is not restricting any rights.
I have no idea why this is so hard for folks to get.
You can say anything you want -- we don't have to listen to it, nor do private platforms have to tolerate it.
Have you seriously not heard of cancel culture? This is beyond people having a right to speak but not to be heard. It's become about virtue signaling the current party line or being ostracized. I have no problem with the actual definition of free speech but it's become so twisted somehow.
Maybe I wasn't clear, but Musk's usage of free speech is a joke. He's not for free speech at all, and has continued banning different accounts.
And you're right the term has been abused beyond recognition. It supposed to be the gov. can't limit speech, which allows Twitter to do whatever it wants. As I said above, Musk is just banning different accounts at his whim and that's his right on a platform he owns.
Tweetbot is a monthly (or yearly) subscription; I am not waiting around for Ivory to become another one.
How are the same people who piss on pics of Elon ok with this?
A subscription is fair for an App like this
They have to continually pay attention to API changes and service interaction tweaks, as their Apps existence is all about interacting with a real time service
Neither side sees the irony of their actions. This is how we've gotten so extreme as a country. Once the other side is demonized then it's deemed ok to abuse them.
The right acts like everyone else is a crazy liberal commie and the left acts like everyone else is a nazi.
People acting like that doesn't help.
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Cancel culture isn't a serious problem for regular people. Don't publicly engage in anti-social behavior and you will be fine. Nothing even happens to most people who are virally "canceled" anyways, because they weren't part of the tribe that rejected them to begin with. People judging each other privately has always been a thing and it really feels like a lot of this cancel culture hysteria boils down to people noticingfor the first time there are consequences to their actions.
I am going to sign up for Mastodon so I can take a real look at it instead of assuming things, what should my username be? Serious suggestions only please!