I blocked infosec.exchange, in line with Scholar's no-cops policy (I know, strictly speaking not cops, but DHS is close enough for us)
A user on Scholar wanted to migrate there, asked me to un-suspend them while they did that
It took ~ 35 mins for users on infosec.exchange to start sending us harassing messages
Not cool
@ifixcoinops I'm trying to find #theowlhouse people
PLEASE!
No one seems to have moved from the bird app. I don't think they learnt how to fly yet....or they're all penguins in which case i'm in big trouble because I was only on there for the artists 😭
For other instance admins
It's okay to say "we don't allow police on our instance"
Scholar has had that in our About for at least a year:
We also had a "no institutions, only individuals" policy for even longer
This has done us well
I just want to remind you that you don't have to provide volunteer tech support and hosting for agents of the government, for-profit companies, or other institutions
You can just, not
And it's bad for your community if you do
Results of today's #StreetComplete trip:
- The optician was closed due to an eye surgery
- The social housing corporation's office is up for rent
- There are now two branches of the same flower shop within the same shopping area. In addition to the two supermarkets of the same chain we already had.
I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
I have mixed feelings about the Tumblr ActivityPub thing. On one hand, that's a lot of users that will now be able to interact with our open community here, and I feel like that can be a good thing. I always felt like fedi culture and Tumblr culture were very similar too. However, a major company becoming part of the ecosystem is an entry point for companies to take over the ecosystem. I think the current owners of Tumblr are decent people, but if Automattic or Tumblr get acquired again we may end up in a situation where a company wants to take over fedi for the benefit of its shareholders.
subtoot, infosec
"If these people don't want the feds to read things, they shouldn't use the internet."
That isn't the fucking point, you goddamned wet noodle.
No one is sitting here thinking that intelligence agencies can't read shit. It's that we don't want to *welcome them into our spaces*. We know where that gets us. And it's never been anywhere good.
subtoot, infosec
Fucking dorks sitting there like THEN DON'T USE THE INTERNET.
Idk, jackass. Why don't you try to think about how we use OUR spaces? How we build things with intentionality?
Why not use your skills for actual safety and getting these fuckers *out of our lives* instead of supporting them? Unless, of course, you want the same power they have and you're working your way into that.
Genuinely, if someone wanders past some sources on Wren (the #CarbonOffset thing) that aren't coming *from* Wren and are looking at the work they do?
Please send them to me. (Boosts and DMs are okay.)
Something about them keeps bugging me, and I really want to look into it with more depth than just "Their website says!"
(Am not thinking of putting money into it, but am highly cynical.)
I've created a small, incomplete, list of instances with moderators of color.
The list and suggestions became to much to keep up on my own, so here is a Google document, https://docs.google.com/document/d/12pTmSMpq8lMYyYlHT25DgTmdMmE6ysUyRHGiq-E4XdQ/edit?usp=sharingp
Here's how to move accounts and take your followers with you https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/
#BlackMastodon #BlackTwitter #BlackFedi #FediTips #TwitterMigration #MastoAdmin
Are you the admin of a new instance? Can we chat for a minute? (maybe two; this is kinda long)
Running a new Fediverse instance is pretty wild, right? You own a social media site! You own it! You can invite your friends away from poorly-run corporate sites and try to give them an experience that's warmer, that's more fun, that isn't clogged with ads. It can be a pretty excellent feeling – and I know! I ran an instance for five years, and I loved so much about it.
There were parts I didn't love. Let's – [shakes head] let's talk about them for a second, because they're coming. There's always something out there, ready to pop a tire on the shiny new car you and your friends are packed inside, and I – we – want you to know how to fix a flat. We all benefit when you're aware of these things and know how to handle them.
Oh, I'm probably gonna swear. Fortify y'self. 🤷
You need to think about your instance rules/terms/code of conduct. The rules need to be clear, and they need to be explicit, and they need to be linked somewhere on (almost) every page.
The days of "don't be a dick" have come and gone. The assholes out here now have learned how to argue, and wheedle, and pick, without being obvious aggressors. They know that if they can portray themselves as confused, maybe a little hurt, they can dive through the smallest of loopholes at least once. It takes more time and energy, but you need to build that wall with brick, not chain link, because these mugs are coming with wire cutters.
Yeah. That's an extremely tall order, but this is the Fediverse: by design, we're all in this together. Check out some of the older instances like wandering.shop or mastodon.art, anywhere you feel like the cool kids hang out, and go to their /about/more page. They have that shit locked. down., rule after rule. Take a little time, actually read the things that experience taught them are important to say. Or I can do you one better: start with Annalee Flower Horne's Sample Slack Code of Conduct. It's a detailed, thoughtful, living document, from an author that expressly doesn't mind your lifting it in whole or in part. (…with attribution. Give Mx. Flower Horne their flowers.) Give it a massage where needed so it makes sense on your Not A Slack, Actually server & slap it right down.
Cool. Rules are set; even if you don't remember every one of them all the time, you've made sure your /about/more page is easy to find when you need a refresher. Now,
Learn, in detail, how reports work so you can check them regularly.
The new car you and your friends are packed inside has a lot of knobs and buttons, and their function is not always obvious. You need to know how to report a problem. You need to know where that report goes. You need to know how to explain the process to your users so you can encourage them to do it, and you need to check that shit so all the folks you encouraged to speak up will feel there's a point to doing so.
My suggestion? Learn by doing. Ask one of your users to report one of your posts; ask them if you can report one of their posts – with the express, stated intent of learning how reports work. Direct message a moderator or admin on another instance; ask if they mind your filing a clearly marked test report on something from one of their users. (Take "no" for an answer & ask someone else. 🤷) Familiarize yourself with the process. Take screenshots. Do whatever you need to do to keep it clear in your head.
Commit a little time to moderating on a regular, frequent schedule.
If your buddies think you're an unobservant driver, they won't ride with you again. You've got your rules; you know how to use the tools; now, it's important to use them. Some days, it'll be a 30-second check-in; others, it might be a half-hour of figuring out what response is going to be appropriate and consistent. In either case, it's what you signed on for when you got behind the wheel and told other people you could drive them around safely.
Find any little trick you need to make it happen regularly. Bookmark your moderation page(s) in your browser so you don't have to click or tap your way through each time. Pick a time of day when you know you're usually in a good mood. (Some of this shit will get under your skin, and your passengers get just as nervous when you're always honking and yelling at other drivers as they do when you just sit there & let things happen.) It's going to be stressful eventually; come to the task aware and ready to manage that stress.
Check the fediblock tag regularly.
CaribenxMarciaX@scholar.social and gingerrroot@kitty.town are smart people who did us all a favor by starting that tag rolling. It's there so responsible people can help each other out. When you see a fediblock post come through your timeline, throw a bookmark on it so you can give it a look during your scheduled moderation time. Search it; pin it to its own column in the Advanced Web View if it helps.
Pay attention to some of the folks that use it regularly, and to how they use it; it'll help you know when you need to do a little sleuthing or when you can be reasonably confident that some bad shit went down. Use it yourself! It's one of the ways we work together to keep trash off the roads.
Fuckin' Christ. I've been writing this all morning, and I'm sorry if you spent all this time reading to find out I didn't say a damn thing you didn't already know. I'm gonna end on this:
We older folks here on Fedi really are happy you're here and excited about the place. We know this is a lot, and we recognize it's a high standard. Hell, it's a higher standard than most corporate-run spaces seem to set.
That's what makes it exciting: the fact that, as imperfect as our attempts are, they're genuine efforts to Do Better, Together.
Last week I discovered that Akko - the mechanical keyboard manufacturer - had many Pepe stickers in their official Discord. I politely suggested this was an oversight and asked them to address this. I was banned from the Discord a few seconds later.
At that point I emailed support. No answer. I emailed again 2 days ago, asking why I was banned for bringing up their fascist-aligned images in their Discord and still haven't heard back. They were very responsive when I bought their switches a month ago.
At this point I'm not buying any more Akko products.
In the process of moving to @joepie91. This account will stay active for the foreseeable future! But please also follow the other one.
Technical debt collector and general hype-hater. Early 30s, non-binary, ND, poly, relationship anarchist, generally queer.
- No alt text (request) = no boost.
- Boosts OK for all boostable posts.
- DMs are open.
- Flirting welcome, but be explicit if you want something out of it!
- The devil doesn't need an advocate; no combative arguing in my mentions.
Sometimes horny on main (behind CW), very much into kink (bondage, freeuse, CNC, and other stuff), and believe it or not, very much a submissive bottom :p
My spoons are limited, so I may not always have the energy to respond to messages.
Strong views about abolishing oppression, hierarchy, agency, and self-governance - but I also trust people by default and give them room to grow, unless they give me reason not to. That all also applies to technology and how it's built.