OK, so... after almost six months here I still don't get it...
This is #Mastodon, right? OK, got that part. There are other #ActivityPub-powered realms, and together, they all make up the #fediverse, right? Kind-of? No?
Are we supposed to be able to follow each other across these realms, is that right? And if so, does this require an account on each realm, or no?
Guys, I'm really trying, but if we want better social online spaces, people have to be able to understand what the fuck is there.
@jwcph Fediverse is "public email that sticks".
Mastodon then is a mail server (like apache/nginx is a web server).
There's also mastodon.social, that runs its namesake server.
The three get confused when people are "moving to mastodon". They can be:
1) Moving to mastodon.social (arguably, a lame move. still better than remaining in a corporate silo).
2) Moving to some instance running Mastodon.
3) Moving to some instance running some other fediverse-capable server (e.g. Pleroma).
4) Moving a different social format provided by a fediverse-capable server (e.g. PixFed).
Basically, everyone should instead say "I'm moving to Fediverse" and will be correct in all of the cases above.
And ActivityPub is the "SMTP" part of it, yes.
So...
Yes, you can communicate with people on other servers.
No, you don't have to register each time (🙏).
But it is even better! You don't even need a Fediverse account to subscribe and read - you can use your regular feed reader.
@dpwiz Thank you - but my problem isn't understanding the principles; it's how those thing actually work, physically, on the screen in front of me.
Following this thread, and despite the well-meaning and very welcome responses herein, I'm like 10-15% closer, but that's it - and worse than my own issues (I'm already here, after all), I struggle even more to explain to my friends, many hardcore SoMe users, what they'll get of they come to the fediverse...
@jwcph Ah, yes, the network effects of centralized silos (translating into huge inertia for users) are quite difficult to overcome. I think the Fediverse would win in the end. Slowly but surely it will build a momentum of its own. One disintegrated or falling out of favor silo at a time.
But now... it's an uphill battle.
Although I have a feeling that the most resisting users are the most boring. Fediverse wouldn't give you reach, likes and stuff automatically. But for the rest, it may be a blessing as it can't force a negative-sum game upon you the way algofeeds could.
