I’ve seen a number of posts stating that they are worried that multiple instances will have overlapping magazines, like “Technology“. It’s true this will happen. But I don’t think it is a problem.

One thing I’ve learned from Mastodon, and I think it will apply to kbin as well, is that you don’t need to post for EVERYBODY on the internet. At some point, there’s a number — 1000 people, 10,000 people, or 100,000 people — where there are enough users where you can have an effective community and a nice conversation, without being so big that everything goes to sh*t.

In real life, we don’t expect to know everybody. We interact with people close to us. Maybe, this is fine in a federated community as well.

And, of course, there is still the chance that post will get really popular and percolate through the fediverse, for example, into the multiple “Technology” magazines.

In sum, I think the fediverse model will build multiple, interlinked, smaller but sustainable communities. If all you want is “reach”, it won’t be for you. But I think it will be good if you want community.

  • CadeJohnson@kbin.social
    3·
    2 years ago

    The demise of reddit marks my third foray into the fediverse - first after Google+ shut down and Mastodon was a squalling infant. I made accounts in numerous fediverse instances to try them out, and most withered from disuse. Then Musk began the death of Twitter and I moved solidly into fediverse and our distant cousin, Diaspora. I did not think of reddit as social, but as a news source - my bad. But now that it is effectively gone, I am all in with the fediverse. I again have multiple accounts, and they work remarkably differently for being so connected. Like if someone comments on Lemmy in direct reply, and I commented from Mastodon, I get the notification on Lemmy AND Mastodon (because the first @ is the same on both accounts I suppose). Anyway, hard to say how the platforms will evolve, but I love having a front row seat for these things and participating.

    I created magazines, not to stake out space, but to make a “bus stop” for fellow explorers. I have no long-term desire to own a piece of the fediverse. When a more robust space arises for a group’s topical interests, we’ll subscribe there too, and let the weeds take the old bus stop where we first gathered.