loading . . . Meanwhile...Back on the Fediverse TL; DR
I worked with a friend only to develop a guide for introducing platforms like Mastadon for Quakers who are looking for an alternative to Twitter/Facebook/Instagram. See that guide below or find it online here: https://friendsonthefediverse.com
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After a hiatus, I've been back on social media. This time I can be found on Mastodon here: https://theforkiverse.com/@wess. I've had a handle on Mastodon for 3 years but over the last year or more my usage slowed to a stop. It was not that long ago I was interviewed by Friends Journal and Thee Quaker Podcast on the benefits of Mastodon as an alternative social media platform. However, I've really needed to step back from social media and create space for myself from my phone, so I was much less active than I had been. But I missed the interactions I used to have on social media. Recently, Casey Newton and Kevin Roos, hosts of the Hard Fork podcast, started an experiment on Mastodon, creating a new "instance" or community on mastodon for their listeners. The episode is really fun to listen to and got me excited to re-engage.
As is well-known, in October 2022, Elon Musk bought and quickly destroyed Twitter, turning it into a platform for promoting fascism and whatever else his heart desires, which also means banning anyone that challenges his corrupt worldview. I, like many, others moved over to Mastodon as a response. That involved deleting my Twitter account I had since Feb of 2007, which, if you know the history of Twitter, was basically the stone ages.
Mastodon is also a social media platform that has been around since 2016. Frankly, it works a lot like "old" twitter with other really awesome extra features, including it doesn't have an algorithm, ads, and it's not owned, nor can it be owned, by techbros.
I really like Mastodon, and think it's way better than Twitter from a design perspective and sense of community because of (most of) the people drawn there. It is an open-source, decentralized, social network that works across communities of users called "instances." I'm in the community called "TheForkiverse" which has certain moderation rules, particular settings, and a certain kind of vibe to it because it's made up of about 2,500 active users who are listeners of The Hard Fork and Search Engine Podcasts. Other instances work differently. You can follow anyone on Mastodon regardless of their community/instance. All this is to say it works way more like you'd expect a social media platform to work, even if it seems a bit confusing at first. I see the people I follow, not the things the company wants me to see. There is no black box behind the feed manipulated by those in charge to serve their bottom-line.
It occurred to me recently that the Mastodon (which is a part of a larger network of platforms that work together called The Fediverse) is really Quaker friendly and it would be nice to have more Quakers and Quaker-adjacent folks give Mastodon a spin, especially if you're trying to break free from these other platforms. To me, there is a similar philosophy behind Mastodon as there is within Quakerism. Which led me to write this on Mastodon:
> "The Quaker tradition is the Fediverse of Christianity."
This line resonated with a number of folks including a new Quaker friend, Martin Kluber, who messaged me about it. We got to talking about how to make Mastodon and the Fediverse more accessible to Quakers. This led to the domain www.friendsonthefediverse.com and us working on a virtual pamphlet to share as a guide for all who are interested in joining and/or knowing more - whether Quaker or not.
The Fediverse for Friends - A Practical Guide for Faithful Digital PresenceThe Fediverse for Friends - A Practical Guide for Faithful Digital Presence.pdf5 MBdownload-circle
Here's Martin's blog post about the guide and some of his own background. I want to give props to Martin who did the lion's share of the writing of this pamphlet. He did a fantastic job. Give it a read and let us know what you think.
Let me know if you have any questions, and more importantly jump in. The water is (still) warm.
Link: https://theforkiverse.com/@wess https://www.gatheringinlight.com/meanwhile-back-on-the-fediverse/
