@thenexusofprivacy@infosec.exchange @FediTips@social.growyourown.services @UlrikeHahn@fediscience.org I'm personally also quite intrigued by the idea of treating the default as a “tutorial server”. Video games manage to design sandbox areas that anyone can use to try out new toys, but that naturally get boring after a while unless you leave them and explore. I think trying to translate that concept to fedi servers could be fruitful, albeit difficult.
@julian@fietkau.social @thenexusofprivacy@infosec.exchange @FediTips@social.growyourown.services very much yes to the tutorial server idea (I think of it in terms of a paddling pool…) and the idea would very much be you get funnelled out if it once you’ve got a basic understanding of what choosing a server actually entails and to what extent it does (and doesn’t) matter.
(but if all we have is a default server then it would still be better they rotated, and default servers should also be exceptionally well moderated to qualify…)
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services @julian@fietkau.social @thenexusofprivacy@infosec.exchange Here is the reasoning behind a tutorial server/paddling pool. Servers matter, they do matter and they should matter and I think we all, in this discussion, agree that fedi’s strength is the ability to build around communities. So we should, I think, start by telling people that; not by telling them they need to make a choice that doesn’t matter when it does. If you already know what a server is you should of course have that option “Pick your own server”. The other option would be “Get started here and pick one later”.
We've got years of experience showing that people are more likely to have a good experience on smaller well-moderated instances than on large open-registration instances, let alone badly-moderated or unstable open-registration instances. So today's options are really
sign up on (featured rotating instance from reliable pool), get going immediately, and probably not have a good experience.
pick another open-registration instance, get going almost as quickly, but probably not have a good experience (and potentially have a very bad expereince). (This was basically the situation before they made .social the default)
do the work to find a well-moderated smaller instance (recommendation from friend, fedi.garden, etc), wait for your application for registration to be accepted, and have a better chance of having a good experience.
One way to look at a "paddling pool" or "tutiorial server" is that it's a way for people to get going immediately with something on the path to finding the well-moderated smaller. It seems to me that could work if there's a way for it to be interesting enough (and well-moderated enough) that they feel that they're getting value and it's worth exploring more. Otherwise it's likely to be a barrier for most people. But then again, if people who go through it actually wind up getting to an instance that's a good match, it might still result in more people having a good experience. Hard to know!
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services @UlrikeHahn@fediscience.org @julian@fietkau.social
Julian Fietkau
Ulrike Hahn
