I don't believe technical solutions will totally fix it. I laid out why in my post -- how we need to dig into the culture itself, how it manifests, what norms it holds, how those norms are enforced across instances. And ways we can alter those norms and change them to more just, equitable, and more inclusive behaviors. That's all part of building a community.
Yes, it's difficult, and sure, some technical ideas could be utilized to help in this effort - but there isn't any one technical solution to encompass all of the concerns. That requires people doing the work in building inclusive, accessible, equitable, and just foundations for a new way of being with one another in community.
@TheBird @Icevice@nerdculture.de
I drove seven hours from Houston to New Orleans on Saaturday. Lots of time to think on the Mastodon black migration situation. Here are my thoughts:
1. The software is changeable unlike the bird or Facebook. Take advantage of this.
2. Gather the black tech community to make the software fit your needs while still retaining federation at whatever level is appropriate.
3. Create instances using that software as a standing ground to work from to address the sociological issues.
4. It may be good to create multiple instances ranging from wide open to heavily guarded, the latter for the most vulnerable.
To me the big insight is the ability to mold the software as needed to meet your requirements. It is a shift in perspective that may not be readily obvious.
I suggest starting with the qoto.org software. It does two things that were specifically added to help the queer community.
First is quoting. This is a double edged sword but the LGTBQ community found it usable to expose the deplorables.
Second, is _subscriptions_. This allows seeing what someone is posting without doing a follow. It is observation. A commnity group uses it to track activities and provide warning to the larger community.
This gives the freedom to try techniques in the technology. If the work, great. If they don't there has only been some time and sweat lost.
As I drove, my thoughts ranged from being a savior (HA HA) to doing nothing. They finally settled on the above.
I offer as a resource. I'm leaving on a 2 week cruise so time and internet access is limited. Will access as I can.
@rmerriam @TheBird @Icevice
When I first emigrated from Twitter, I landed at `qoto.org`. I was initially enchanted by some of the enhancements there, such as ability to use Markdown.
And I could not follow a friend of mine because the instance of my friend had blocked qoto.org (and a very long list of other instances). There was no explanation.
So I moved. The other problem I would have had with qoto.org is that it is evolved with features that are not interoperable across the federation.