It's a bit of a pity so many of us are choosing different sites to suit our needs.
It's also quite apparent there's any number of new offerings popping up enticing us to join.
As many of us can't join them all, I'll ask if anyone can: to create a short list of features of a particular site they are familiar with, maybe a couple pros/cons etc. Nothing too long, and in layman's terms.
It's not that I'm lazy with my own research, it's more about getting an unbiased synopsis of a social site from members already there using it.
Do note: I will share this thread after a few days if I get some feedback.
Thanks for any help you can lend.
It's also quite apparent there's any number of new offerings popping up enticing us to join.
As many of us can't join them all, I'll ask if anyone can: to create a short list of features of a particular site they are familiar with, maybe a couple pros/cons etc. Nothing too long, and in layman's terms.
It's not that I'm lazy with my own research, it's more about getting an unbiased synopsis of a social site from members already there using it.
Do note: I will share this thread after a few days if I get some feedback.
Thanks for any help you can lend.
Facebook: Free, stable, backed by sufficient resources that it will likely be around for a long time. Photos display relatively well. Easy to connect with and create special sub-communities for friends and affinity groups. Cons: Noisy. A lot fof people seem to think Mark Zuckerberg is the devil.
ReplyDeleteFor photographers: Flickr. Excellent photo display, ability to build communities (groups) around photo themes and projects. Cons: Not suitable for non-photography discourse.
al m - First, I totally agree "it's a pity", and many others would agree. You're also right that "you can't join them all" (which I know some will try to disprove!), and I'm sure many of our accustomed faces and friends will not go the same way we might (another pity!), as G-plussers disperse after a shared 8-year rock festival. Peace. Love. +
ReplyDeleteI'll be quick. Others have read tons of this and as you can see, several very dense threads are happening, with developers, bloggers, casual users, photographers, community admins/owners, all trying to find new homes, hopefully welcoming to other "refugees".
That said, and my disclaimer. Context! Mostly I share and enjoy photography, arts, music vids, science, Internet, psychology.
So I make some public posts, professional articles and photography, and they get indexed and seen via G+. I have some personal "circles" too, we all have many options; That's all good. So we're being evicted. What now?
I've been focused - almost a month now, on MeWe & Pluspora / diaspora* (joined both with no preconceptions). Again, your own situation will vary, and goals (some are promoting, seeking followers, etc.) But I'm not invested in any platform or taking sides with "centralized" vs. "garden/walled", other than demanding privacy, respect, and lack of doing evil (e.g., FB, Google).
Results:. (YMMV)
First, I think no one big alternative neatly integrates all G+ does/did. That said:
PLUSPORA - You open an account, it's quiet, looks graphically like a BBS, not exciting until you see things with photos/graphics. You start by signing up and giving 5 # tags of your interests. That will be your main feed. From that, you may choose some people to put in "aspects", like G+ circles, and when posting, you target "friends" or "music" or "politics" or any combination. Or post publicly.... No collections like here, but hash tags rule.... No ads, little spam, some very interesting people, long-time settlers and many new immigrants. But: No chat (email notification works well, and online), and on Pluspora at least, no ability to (post) edit a post, or +/emoji a comment to a post.A big plus: You can post publicly and your hash-tags will work to get your post displayed to others interested in your topic area, be it astrophysics, nature photography, Beatles or gaming, etc.
Note that this is part of diaspora*, the original "anti-facebook", a Federation of pods (think Star-trek). If you don't know about pods and Fediverse, that's a separate and easily-found topic. Debates rage over "the best" of those, with features for publishers, more networks, etc. But it's not G+ !!
MeWe: FIrst off, it seems 1000% more attuned to a device-in-hand lifestyle, with fun and easy chat layouts, lots of emojis, and also lots of #gplusrefugees. (It does look "pretty" big-screen too.) The groups are a big draw to many, including me, as several large G+ photography communities have migrated and are at this moment just really expanding and organizing settlements in MeWeLand. Admins seem happy with the combination of chat, which can happen within group or private or modes. Some disappear too. Some active bursts of chat I've seen. Again, I think it's all new to many, with lots of buzz and building. Now... MeWe does offer privacy (to a high degree) and chat - AND a phone interface/app which makes it as simple as say, Messenger. So for many, I am thinking, many of my G+ buddies would be very happy with the MeWe app replacing the G+. (Some of them are fine with FB too)
So MeWe, as opposed to Pluspora etc. , is not at all similar to G+ for those who spent years building communities and collections, thoughtfully displayed, curated, moderated, etc. thinking they'd be around for a while. (Google evil?) Anyway, forward.
Many of us curated or built G+ collections, of art, photography, poems, memes, blogs, whatever. These were/are public, and easily found by Google searching, indexed immediately. But off the ranch, in MeWeLand, what you post, be it a blog or a photo, or bunch of photos, is NOT public. Though you are given a cloud space to keep what you post, no posts are EVER public. Chats disappear. For some that's perfect, maybe the whole idea. But MeWe is not everything to all people. Big on chat, IMHO. The hash-tags and contacts are what you see, and who sees you - inside the "walled garden".
ReplyDeleteNobody outside MeWe sees "public" posts, so it's not where you want to go posting to the general public, it seems to me. So what do I really like about MeWe? The groups. The big G+ "communities" are now "groups" of closed and open membership. I am involved in some invitation/approval groups (photography) which seem (to me) quite active!. I think some things have been / are being reborn, with the energy of a new homeland. There are "events" in some groups, so there are special "collections" (well, albums) the various groups have.
But its not public, for better or worse.
OTOH - it's a Huge community, growing fast. "Be mindful".
So that's my take after a month of study on exactly the question you ask. And that's why I'm responding! Good luck. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) as they say. So many options. As the sky is falling here. #cyberpsychology #gplus
al m That is the effective goal of this #PlexodusWiki page:
ReplyDeletesocial.antefriguserat.de - Platforms and Sites - PlexodusWiki
As an alternative, posting substantive site reviews to the #PlexodusReddit gives a searchable archive for others (and material to be abstracted into the Wiki). I've provided a few examples of those and a basic reporting template.
Examples:
Reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/plexodus/comments/acg9zf/alternative_platform_assessments_reddit/
Diaspora: https://old.reddit.com/r/plexodus/comments/abpnh7/alternative_platform_assessments_diaspora/
Assessment search:
https://old.reddit.com/r/plexodus/search?q=title%3Aassessment+self%3Atrue&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all
Template:
https://old.reddit.com/r/plexodus/wiki/alternatives-template
Michael Fenichel Pat Kight Thanks so much :)
ReplyDeleteEdward Morbius There you go again, taking my ideas before I think them and creating something useful and permanent ;)
ReplyDeleteal m Keep commenting here, though help hiving off the good bits elsewhere is appreciated. ;-)
ReplyDeleteal m If the walled gardens supported ActivityPub, it wouldn't matter as much where you called home.
ReplyDeleteMike Noyes Would make easier for everyone.
ReplyDelete