@signal9 hi there! How've you been? :)
caps
@Astroexeter THIS IS NOT BORING
I'll be at the star-wars-themed night at #GroundZeroNightclub tonight! If you see me, come say 'hi'! :)
Why will I be there? A local circus arts group hosts a #kink -friendly community #event with fire stuff, #aerial performances, and music. It's in #Minneapoils. It's a cash-only venue, cover is around $15, and the bar has non alcoholic options. The space is #WheelchairAccessible. Costumes highly recommend. 🖤✨
switter (the sex worker instance) was closed because of literal actual government interference from numerous nations. please do the reading before painting fedi with a swerf or other reactionary brush. i want sex workers to be SAFE dammit and that means knowing when we can't responsibly be a part of your work. and sex work is work.
please read https://switter.at/ - their own words - before developing a Take.
For those who don't know, Bookwyrm is basically a better, federated Goodreads. Because it speaks ActivityPub, you can subscribe to someone's Bookwyrm feed from directly in Mastodon and see the book reviews they post!
Also there are 2 spots remaining in the Bookwyrm patreon to pay $40/mo and support the project in a huge way *and* have @tripofmice run a server for you and 50 of your bookwormiest friends: https://www.patreon.com/bookwyrm
changing times, long and rambling probably
Well, we’ve been saying Over Here for a long time "no, we’re not trying to kill Twitter, we don’t need Twitter to die for us to be successful, because our definition of success is drastically different than theirs."
(I use "we" as if we’re homogeneous and we are so not - give me a pass on this please, it’s easier to write with we)
and now that people are starting to file for the exits and light incense for the coming last rites, we can say we didn’t kill it; if anything, we find ourselves doing our best to save the best bits of it we see.
That’s you new neighbors. You’re the best bits.
It’s people. It’s always been people and it always will be people.
The technology is so secondary it’s barely worth considering. We’ve excelled at building community with so much less technology than we currently have. It’s ancillary to the task at hand.
Make connections. Listen. Think. Feel. People things.
If the tools don’t work exactly how we like, we’ll work together to change or replace them. That bit can be long and tedious and tiring and that can get frustrating, but we can work through that, too.
For far too long we’ve allowed corporate entities to define the shape of our social spaces, to turn them into places of competition.
May we continue to strive to make this piece of the void we’re carving out cooperative and people-centered.
I’ll be seeing you around, folks. I hope you find a cozy bit to call yours here and some folk that make it feel like home.
@NMaDayton I uh. I don't hear normally, but I didn't know Twitter's disability community. So I might not say "the whole disability community". But I entirely agree with the sentiment. I hope the influx will be good for the disability folks that have been here for a minute.
What kinds of tech things do you enjoy working with/doing? I usually program in c# for work these days, but I enjoy making little python projects that print things. :)
@kf sometimes, stuff is just complicated! At least writing it down can help it feel like you're learning. At least, that's what I tell myself. 😅
@NMaDayton that does sound really stressful.
I migrated over here about a year or two ago, back when more things weren't really happening. At the time, leaving traditional social media felt like I wasn't really missing out on as much, since I wasn't going to events in person.
When I switched to an account here, it was via an invite from a netfriend who I'd known off a chat tech called Matrix. It's a bit like a federated "Discord" kind of an experience.
Lately, it's been fun, but kind of stressful to see so much more activity and vibrancy in the "netborhood" so to speak. I'm happy to see more local instances spinning up.
I used Twitter occasionally professionally, but honestly, it was pretty rare. Part of me is glad for an increase in the ephemerality of online socialization that comes with all this, but another part of me feels like there is a real need for a "reasonably stable phone book", and I am sad that something vaguely reassembling that got looted.
@Luvvie I like using Tusky! It has a great "delete and re-draft" feature.
You can migrate accounts between servers if you really want, but it can be a bit tricky technologically.
Different groups use CWs differently. If someone doesn't like how you use yours (or vice versa), you can always just block them. Lots of people use them like "subject lines" instead of only to hide only really shocking stuff. There's some drama/asshole stuff happening a little around this discussion. I wouldn't really sweat it.
Lots of people describe their images on here. If pictures load slowly, I usually read the description to see if I care enough to wait. It's a nice thing to do because I talk with some people who use screen readers, so I like to make sure they at least know what kind of picture I've posted when people are reacting to it.
Mastodon is not actually just one technology! It is an implementation of the activity pub protocol. There are lots of other little sites that implement this protocol, which means that they can all talk to each other. So, not only can you talk to people on other mastodon servers, you can also use your normal mastodon situation to talk to people who aren't using mastodon at all! This might be a little confusing, but you can think of it like being able to follow someone on Instagram from Tumblr. If you could do that. I don't remember the names of all of them, but Pixelfed is a federated "Instagram" style experience.
See more by looking at #feditips.
Also, hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Starless. :)
@NMaDayton hey there! I tick a buncha those boxes! :)
How's your day been?
Kinda lewd
@fack my feed is full of #MastoTop25FatNutsHaversAwards2022 idk what "lack of thirst traps" you're seeing here
how to open an instance if you're not tech-inclined
I saw a post about this not being easy and got inspired to put this together since my non-programmer self has been able to do it on/off for the 4 years I've been here. If you're interested in opening your own instance, there are some cool options out that make it far more accessible to do so.
Side notes: Before you get started, you'll need to purchase a domain name (your instance URL) through the registrar of your choice, unless you use Masto.host's subdomain hosting (i.e. [yourchoice].masto.host). A virtual server or hosting plan will also require paying a monthly or yearly fee.
Managed Hosting
These hosts will do all the legwork for you - they manage the server and installation, so any technical issues will be handled by them. It's a great option for those who don't know or don't want to deal with the technology side.
- Spacebear.ee: They have hosting plans for Mastodon, Hometown, Pleroma, Peertube, and Pixelfed.
- Masto.host: They have hosting plans for Mastodon, but new subscriptions are currently on hold.
Self-Host with Easy Installation:
These options have easy to use interfaces that require minimal command line usage to get started. The downside is that if there are any issues, you will not have someone to handle that, but there are resources and forums for both solutions with people who can help troubleshoot (I've used the associated GitHub pages for help with apps on YunoHost many times).
- DigitalOcean Droplet: DigitalOcean offers "droplets," which are virtual servers. You can install Mastodon as a 1-click app in their system. There is minimal command line usage needed after the install and is contained in the linked page.
- YunoHost: YunoHost, or "y u no host?," is an application that you can install on a virtual server. It is filled with many different 1-click applications that you can install across domain names. They have a lot of fedi software on there: Mastodon, Glitch-Soc, Misskey, Pleroma, Pixelfed, WriteFreely, Plume, and more. Command line usage is needed to install it, but their guides make it very easy to follow and copy/paste.
Hosting your own instance can be really fun; not only can make a clever domain name to go with your username (loves.pizza is one of the existing ones that comes to mind), you can also have all the custom emoji you can dream of :ablobcatrave:
Project Include is working on a blogpost/articles on nonbinary workers and on transgender workers in tech. We are looking for resources we can highlight, and experts and workers we can interview. We're eager to get many perspectives of people from a diverse set of backgrounds. We are willing to pay people for their time, too. Please reach out if you have ideas or can otherwise help!
@timnitGebru@dair-community.social I was invited to do a panel a few months ago by Blue Sky concerning moderation and harassment in online communities. One of the few comments I was allowed to make was about the lack of will to build these spaces around community versus engagement. The problem is not technology.
Not only was I ignored for the rest of the panel, but the moderator quite rudely told me I should be quiet and not bring it up again until the panel was over.
In my experience, you will be ignored and marginalized if you don't regurgitate the same drivel as to why communities online aren't safe.
i like kind machines. pro-people-not-dying. anti-nazi. anti-colonizer. pagan, but lazy about it.
I am #HardOfHearing, #nonbinary, polyamourous, into ttrpgs and #tech. Hobbyist #leatherworker, hobbyist scifi author, community builder, and artist.
I like to build #whimsical things that help people to #dream better and form meaningful connections. If you wanna hang out with friendly computer weirdos in Minneapolis, lemme know.
Profile image description: a watercolor painting of a person with pale skin and brown and blue hair laughing. They have a side cut and an audio processor is visible behind their ear. The art style is loose and the eyes are squinched into little crescents.