Mike Masnick ✅

Techdirt guy. I once wrote a paper about "Protocols, not Platforms" that seems to be slightly relevant. Also can follow my Bluesky posts at @mmasnick.bsky.social

Public Key

npub1grz7afdguc67jkjly6fu0xmw0r386t8mtxafutu9u34dy207nt9ql335cv

NIP-05 Address

mmasnick_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsyp30w5k5wvd0ftf0jdy78ndh83cna9na4nw5797z7g6kj98lf4jspz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qzxrhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7umhdpjhyefwvdhk6fr27fx

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

relay.noswhere.com

Author Public Key

npub1grz7afdguc67jkjly6fu0xmw0r386t8mtxafutu9u34dy207nt9ql335cv

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Last Notes

2024-08-14 22:18:08

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@npub186j…8z6r admittedly that was a big part of the reason I quickly felt more comfortable at Bluesky. It's amazing how frequently I want to use quote tweet, not to dunk on people, but to enable broader discussions.

2024-08-06 22:54:42

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@npub1xzm…eykm Thanks Eugen. Greatly appreciated.

2024-08-06 21:59:46

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@npub17ge…hgsu i'll be around as always. can't get rid of me that easily.

2024-08-06 21:59:28

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@npub1g8e…qdqf yup. i'll have more to say on that soon...

2024-08-06 16:38:54

Sharing over here as well. I'm joining the Bluesky board to help provide them guidance. I remain a supporter of all experiments in decentralized social media, and will write more on that later. I still have high hopes for Mastodon/ActivityPub as well...
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/08/06/why-im-joining-the-bluesky-board-to-support-a-vision-of-a-more-open-decentralized-internet/

2024-08-01 22:19:01

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@npub1eh4…m7ch Buffer just added Bluesky. But yeah, I'll check out Fedica too.

2024-07-31 22:30:43

Testing out Buffer, which in theory will let me post to Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads via a single interface (don't expect to use this that frequently, but at least wanted to test it out...)

2024-06-18 16:55:45

Me in the Daily Beast pointing out that the Surgeon General seems to be ignoring basically all of the evidence (including some in his own report) in pushing for warnings on social media. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-surgeon-general-is-wrong-social-media-doesnt-need-warning-labels?ref=author

2024-05-22 00:17:44

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@npub1vhz…cgaf i mean, assuming you mean PDS, there are a ton. Don't know who's keeping track, but I know plenty of people who are self-hosting their own PDSs.

2024-05-21 21:45:05

Soooo, while I still spend time here on Mastodon, I'm spending more time these days on Bluesky. But, with Bridgy Fed, there is now a bridge of my posts on Bluesky that can appear here as well, for folks interested in hearing me blather on over there...
@npub1jzf…egry

2024-05-21 19:50:44

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@npub15zu…s7lx every so often I have an important point to make...

2024-05-20 03:47:51

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@npub1vf6…9z2w either the default masto multi column (which has gotten better) or elkzone. I also like Mastodeck.

2024-05-15 19:15:42

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@npub189z…zsrx not pissed. just curious.
Anyway, if I were satisfied with what the modern internet has become why do I spend all my time trying to push it in a different direction?

2024-05-15 03:22:48

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@npub189z…zsrx honestly having trouble parsing this. are you calling me the "techbro media"?

2024-05-08 17:12:56

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@npub1grx…uxfe I think it's typical billionaire brainworms. nonsense about how "the woke are destroying the earth and only through bitcoin/AI can we save the world."

2024-05-07 18:20:13

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@npub1grx…uxfe i doubt it? but maybe. i doubt Elon would embrace nostr. fwiw, i just noticed that Jack's post on Twitter that got all this attention was actually a repost from nostr.

2024-05-01 15:14:49

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@npub1fs3…k2p2 That would be amazing if someone did...

2024-04-16 03:39:31

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@npub1lel…n9l0 may have been the combo of both?

2024-04-15 17:52:54

Latest episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech! We had a guest host (trust & safety expert Alice Goguen Hunsberger) for me while I was off eclipse chasing, and it was a great episode (who needs me?). AI is getting more persuasive (yikes), Brazil is fighting with Elon, and Meta swears it's going to label AI...
https://podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/14879515-watch-out-ai-is-getting-more-persuasive

2024-04-05 00:48:07

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So, it appears that it doesn't work for everyone, perhaps because the PodcastIndex integration in the fediverse is a little wonky. But at least some people are getting it to work... @npub1830…5ypm

2024-04-05 00:04:17

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@npub1c5s…2cjq when you click on @npub1830…5ypm ?

2024-04-05 00:01:45

Oh hey, you can follow our new Ctrl-Alt-Speech podcast right here in the Fediverse. @npub1830…5ypm Neat!

2024-04-02 18:01:55

Got this very nice review of our new Ctrl-Alt-Speech podcast, if you aren't subscribed already...
https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/202/931/453/542/293/original/66c4359d0611f9b6.png

2024-03-24 16:44:17

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@npub15eg…7grt i'm sure we will, especially as the lawsuit continues

2024-03-23 23:18:44

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@npub18tr…yqlp can download straight from the rss feed? https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2315966.rss

2024-03-23 19:48:07

2nd episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech! We talk about the potential impact of the Murthy case, whether or not Reddit is truly a "content moderation success story," the ways that various governments around the world are seeking to regulate the internet (and the risks associated with that), and how Elon has discovered the value of content moderation... except that he only wants to use it to *protect* neonazis.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315966/14747842-murthy-reddit-and-the-speech-deciders

2024-03-23 02:33:11

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@npub1ks4…x88p @npub1r0x…nrzq @npub1xzm…eykm @npub1g8e…qdqf I wanted to go but just too busy... Will try for future ones.

2024-03-20 03:29:11

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@npub1z29…n8p3 @npub1yne…eeut I know. That's what we use for the regular Techdirt podcast. But for this one, we're trying a new system to streamline the process, and we didn't realize how shit the level equalization was.

2024-03-19 17:22:44

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@npub1yne…eeut i know. we messed up the levels on this one. Ben was traveling so not in ideal conditions, and we thought the software we were using had leveled us out... but we hadn't.

2024-03-19 03:07:28

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@npub167t…nsam yeah... unfortunately we caught the problems with his volume after recording (he was traveling and did it from a hotel room). We already have plans to make it better going forward.

2024-03-19 03:06:22

On Friday the first episode of our new podcast (me and Ben Whitelaw) came out, in which I got to rant about the potential end of the global internet, look at how the EU is looking at regulating Shein, how Telegram handles things with just 50 employees, and how Bluesky is trying a different form of moderation. Take a listen and (please!) subscribe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2315966/14698023-the-global-internet-or-is-it

2024-03-12 21:35:08

A reminder to subscribe to our new podcast here so as not to miss any episodes (first episode coming very, very soon...) https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

2024-03-07 23:04:23

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@npub1vhe…33f8 i'm kind of obsessed with the look of the R3X as well. What makes you meh about the R1S?

2024-03-07 17:57:16

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Obviously, the world of online speech is incredibly consequential right now, but somehow doesn't get as deeply explored as other things happening in the world. We're hoping to change that. https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

2024-03-07 17:56:27

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There's a short teaser on the feed now explaining a bit about who we are and why we're doing this. I also wrote some more about it on Techdirt as well: https://www.techdirt.com/2024/03/07/announcing-ctrl-alt-speech-a-new-podcast-about-online-speech/

2024-03-07 17:55:37

Cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be teaming up with Ben Whitelaw from "Everything in Moderation" to launch a new podcast all about what's happening in the world of online speech. Ctrl-Alt-Speech. Subscribe now so you don't miss our first episode, coming out soon: https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

2024-03-01 20:32:49

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@npub1jjz…rjqk @npub13m2…0pq3 you should block me then, as I will engage on some of those.

2024-02-28 02:11:58

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 Part of the lawsuit was over comments. The judge ruled on 230 grounds.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/006/678/857/483/561/original/f21128186e4efe86.png

2024-02-28 01:36:51

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 Dean, come on. Those who do not post defamatory information get sued ALL THE TIME. https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/06/judge-dismisses-techdirt-lawsuit/
And I was giving you one example to show how it would create problems, not saying "just my business" faces this issue.
I've said in the past that I've regretted interacting with you. This is why.

2024-02-28 01:21:26

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@npub13ra…qc7a @npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v if you're going to use that example, how about you talk about Veoh. Veoh was another competitor that actually got sued under the DMCA. And won.
But the cost of the lawsuit was too big and it shut down.
That's the future Dean seems to want.
https://www.techdirt.com/2013/03/15/veoh-wins-important-case-against-universal-music-over-dmca-safe-harbors-again-is-still-dead-due-to-legal-fees/

2024-02-28 01:10:02

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@npub19d6…jr8q I am stating my opinion.

2024-02-28 01:08:13

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub13ra…qc7a @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v Facebook has literally been running ads non-stop in DC offering to get rid of 230.

2024-02-28 01:07:37

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub13ra…qc7a @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v if we got rid of the community (as would be necessary without 230, we'd get less advertising and still die). if we got rid of advertising... we wouldn't make enough money to survive and would go under as well.
Congrats. Thanks for killing Techdirt in your grand experiment based on vibes.

2024-02-28 01:06:41

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub13ra…qc7a @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v I run a business. It relies on 230 to host a community and advertising to stay in business. You want me to lose the part of my business that's important to me (the community) if I want to be able to keep it in business.
That's insane. It's academic foolishness from an out of touch ivory tower with no actual real world experience.

2024-02-28 00:59:54

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub13ra…qc7a @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v "Also, if 230 protection is valuable, sites that currently take ads or sell personal information can change the way they operate."
Tell me your an academic who has NEVER had to run a small business without telling me your an academic who has never had to run a small business.
Holy shit Dean. That's embarrassing.

2024-02-28 00:45:41

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@npub13ra…qc7a @npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v no, section 230 enabled tons of smaller sites and much greater competition. I did a whole research report on this.
And it enabled SITES LIKE THE ONE WE'RE ON.

2024-02-28 00:44:36

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v your proposal removes it for smaller sites too Dean.
Don't lie. You just remove it for those who don't use advertising. Plenty of smaller sites rely on advertising. Without advertising many smaller sites would die.

2024-02-28 00:12:44

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@npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1cgs…0c0v because I've explained this to you before. The "cost" of losing 230 is disproportionately placed on smaller entities. The "cost" is in having to face many more ruinous legal threats that are RIDICULOUSLY expensive.
Meta & Google have buildings full of lawyers. The cost is meaningless to them.
The cost to smaller sites would put many out of business.

2024-02-28 00:10:36

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@npub13ra…qc7a that's incorrect. Only (c)(2) requires "good faith" and it is for anything "otherwise objectionable" which only the site itself can decide. (c)(1) allows for moderation whether in good faith or not.
Separately, the 1st Amendment allows for moderation.
Neither of those issues has *anything* to do with common carrier status.

2024-02-27 23:01:38

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And finally, some righteous fire from @npub10zv…pj48 about the managerial incompetence destroying various journalism outlets. https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/27/the-vice-media-collapse-was-entirely-the-fault-of-incompetent-fail-upward-brunchlords/

2024-02-27 23:00:22

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Next, an analysis of the astoundingly silly 77 page "threat letter" that Bill Ackman's wife (though, really, Ackman himself) sent to Axel Springer over Business Insider's stories. Ackman seems incapable of comprehending the underlying issue. https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/27/bill-ackmans-wife-sends-hilarious-misleading-defamation-threat-letter-to-business-insider-that-confirms-bill-ackman-is-a-censorial-hypocrite/

2024-02-27 22:58:02

Okay, we've had some banger posts on Techdirt today so I'm sharing. First up, a summary of yesterday's Supreme Court hearing on the future of the internet, in which (incredibly) I try to explain what Alito meant when asking about the weight of YouTube (it was dumb, but not for the reasons everyone thinks). https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/27/sir-this-is-a-supreme-court-not-a-wendys/

2024-02-27 22:55:16

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@npub1l5p…4vh2 @npub1fg3…3qc4 @npub1cgs…0c0v I've done the counterpoint to Dean thing in the past. I can't do it every time he tweaks his proposal. Last I checked he still misunderstood the nature of the 1st Amendment & distributor liability if you removed 230.
https://www.techdirt.com/2021/12/29/those-who-dont-understand-section-230-are-doomed-to-repeal-it/

2024-02-16 08:08:03

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@npub13q5…vl50 @npub12dd…jscn i've read this post twice, and I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying.

2024-02-16 00:37:54

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@npub13q5…vl50 @npub12dd…jscn there's a link to it where I name the title. The whole title is linked.

2024-02-15 20:04:17

Senator Blumenthal claims he's fixed KOSA. He's lying. https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/15/senator-blumenthal-pretends-to-fix-kosa-its-a-lie/

2024-02-15 19:44:44

Never had so many people ask for my take about Wired's piece on getting rid of Section 230 as anything else. So here it is. The piece is terrible and @npub12dd…jscn should be ashamed. https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/15/has-wired-given-up-on-fact-checking-publishes-facts-optional-screed-against-section-230-that-gets-almost-everything-wrong/

2024-02-13 07:28:07

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@npub1x5l…2yg9 totally

2024-02-13 07:27:46

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@npub1u3t…aszn @npub1mse…3vec unfortunately: https://anti-slapp.org/delaware
(Though, it's possible Cyrus could convince a judge that CA's anti-SLAPP should apply, though I have no idea how choice of law works in the court of chancery if the case even gets that far)

2024-02-13 07:24:01

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@npub14ha…yjdy @npub1ql8…rqa3 i agree that would be huge for mastodon, so I hope it comes to that. Though, a year ago people on here were harassing anyone who wanted algorithms until they left the fediverse entirely.

2024-02-13 07:22:24

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@npub1383…frpr when did they fool you?

2024-02-13 01:57:59

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@npub1xq8…7ntg hasn't been that way in my experience, but I imagine that's highly dependent on your interests. Have you tried looking for feeds relevant to your interests? There are many thousands of feeds to choose from?

2024-02-13 01:56:18

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@npub13md…2cch @npub1uyx…dmcm there's a lot in there that's just... wrong. But I'm not in the business of going through and correcting everyone's errors on this as it just seems to get people to yell at me. You can believe what you want.
We'll see how things play out.

2024-02-13 01:54:19

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@npub16rj…0x0j yup. in total agreement on that. I don't mind nostr either. Let there be a bunch of experiments in building decentralized social media to figure out what works best.

2024-02-11 08:49:58

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@npub1vep…qc0f @npub1ckm…gutz @npub16x9…8vje one of the reasons they kept it closed so long was to build up moderation efforts. They now have a team of people and a bunch more tools, including some they've begun to open source.
https://bsky.social/about/blog/01-16-2024-moderation-2023

2024-02-10 03:04:32

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@npub16x9…8vje @npub1vep…qc0f I made what I thought was a helpful suggestion to try to help you and you call me a shill? JFC. What is wrong with you?
I'm not paid anything. And you're exactly the reason that I keep thinking Mastodon just might not be for me. Such self-righteousness.

2024-02-10 02:18:18

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@npub16x9…8vje @npub1vep…qc0f @npub1ckm…gutz follow better people? Or use different feeds to find better people? Or use the tools they give you to filter out stuff like that? I've yet to see a single request for money or anything like what you appear to be seeing.

2024-02-09 16:26:07

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@npub1vep…qc0f @npub1ckm…gutz I say what I believe. If someone is wrong, I feel like it's worth it to point it out.
And, to be clear, you're wrong when you say that I'm looking for "one to many." I am not. I find it weird and awkward.
I'm looking for conversation.

2024-02-09 16:24:49

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@npub10zz…6rg2 no doubt that Mastodon's setup is great for local community discussions.

2024-02-09 15:56:04

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@npub1a4t…q9yj again, to be clear, I think "solving" systematic harms is a great goal, but probably an impossible one. I'm focused on minimizing them as much as possible.
Society sucks. Some people suck. We're not going to solve that with technology. We sorta have to solve that as a society.

2024-02-09 15:52:00

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@npub1a4t…q9yj i mean, currently, that same problem exists here as well. We can defederate the nazis, but they still get to do and say bad shit on their own instances. But there is value in defederating those guys and letting them stew in their own little cesspools rather than harassing people.
But we can also envision more automated systems that are tracking the cesspools for evidence of harms and look for ways to counteract it as well.

2024-02-09 15:49:21

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@npub1a4t…q9yj fwiw, I discussed this exact point a couple weeks ago at the Informed conference, where Yoel Roth questioned me on stage about this very point, and I highlighted that (1) you're completely correct and no one argued otherwise, but also (2) a protocol approach also opens up new opportunities to address those very real harms as well.

2024-02-09 15:41:03

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@npub10zz…6rg2 that's an interesting take. Hasn't been my experience (I've had way more in depth conversations there than here), but is definitely a reasonable concern if that's what you're experiencing.

2024-02-09 15:39:13

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@npub1z6w…fvhk @npub1ckm…gutz i know, firsthand, that they very, very, very seriously tried to see if they could make activitypub work for what they wanted to do and concluded it just didn't fit what they needed.
And I see a couple of different protocols as a bonus, as each pushes the other to do better things.

2024-02-09 15:37:45

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@npub1vep…qc0f @npub1ckm…gutz i mean, most of that is wrong.
But they've talked about business models in terms of providing additional add on paid services (which they already do with domain registrations for unique usernames). There is likely to be more like that as well.
And, if you don't think it's "conversational" um, I don't know what to tell you. It is.

2024-02-09 15:35:37

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@npub1ltx…wp6h yes!

2024-02-09 15:31:56

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@npub1umj…nz49 @npub1lrv…tth9 again, the WHOLE POINT of Bluesky is that it is resistant to the Elon Musk problem. They literally have in their mission that "the future version of the company is a threat" and are building accordingly.

2024-02-08 15:37:00

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@npub1lm2…cszn yeah, people are already building bridges.

2024-02-08 07:33:53

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@npub1umj…nz49 @npub1lrv…tth9 it's so weird how many people go straight to "dur, jack dorsey site!" when he has nothing to do with it any more, doesn't even have an account there, and switched all his focus to nostr.

2024-02-08 07:32:23

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@npub1pgn…kr4r they now *kinda* have animated gifs and video (they handle both as embeds for the time being). And search is way better than here.

2024-02-08 07:22:52

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@npub19mp…zsye i mean, that's just wrong. Skyfeed exists already and is a third party service that makes it super easy to create feeds. Lots of people do it. https://skyfeed.app/

2024-02-07 17:22:29

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@npub1zxu…83gs having spoken with them about the challenges of decentralized moderation, I actually think they've given it way more thought than most. But, of course, implementation is everything.

2024-02-07 17:21:25

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@npub1qgr…s7d7 they're experimenting with value add business models, like if you register a domain name for your username. I expect more similar things to continue (optional fees for value added services)

2024-02-07 17:00:38

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@npub1pcu…axps @npub1p8s…4tga weird. again, my experience was that mastodon was more so (though it's calmed down of late). But, who knows. I'm sure there's tribalism on any particular network.

2024-02-07 16:59:49

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@npub1hcc…4xws @npub1p8s…4tga oddly, that's the reverse of my experience. People here were much meaner to me for a while, though it's calmed down. And I haven't see the meanness on Bluesky. Just goes to show how people end up with very different experiences on different apps.

2024-02-07 16:58:32

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@npub1p8s…4tga huh. I've not seen that at all. My experience on Bluesky has been quite nice? There were a few idiots, but easy enough to block.

2024-02-07 16:57:44

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@npub16j5…ls9j none, as far as I know. And because it'll soon be federated, if you don't trust Bluesky itself, you can use a different server.

2024-02-07 16:48:15

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@npub1agu…j0sk @npub1a24…dkqm gotcha. thanks for explaining.

2024-02-07 16:46:39

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@npub1q5v…5snr Yeah. The issue is that ActivityPub doesn't enable what they're trying to do. Their PDS setup wouldn't work with ActivityPub.

2024-02-07 16:45:43

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@npub1xt0…myfg yes, the idea behind Bluesky is also to be "beyond a centralized environment." They just have a different approach to it than ActivityPub.

2024-02-07 16:26:57

I know that lots of folks here don't like Bluesky (and I understand most of the reasons why), But now that it's open, I tried to explain the reasons why I am excited about it and hope it succeeds. https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/06/bluesky-opens-up/

2024-02-07 16:25:59

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@npub1agu…j0sk @npub1a24…dkqm i'm curious what makes you say they don't care about decentralization? I know a few folks on the team and they care deeply about it, and are extraordinarily thoughtful about the tradeoffs related to it. So I'm curious what you saw that makes you think otherwise? It could be something I've missed.

2024-02-01 18:04:52

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In addition, @npub1hru…cu5h has written a thorough piece for @npub12dd…jscn about it as well: https://www.wired.com/story/appin-training-centers-lawsuits-censorship/

2024-02-01 18:04:01

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Thanks to @npub1sqf…5skr and @npub1lhm…h0pg for sending a letter on our behalf, along with @npub1cea…ar2r, who has written about this separately. https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2024/feb/01/global-censorship-appin-reuters/

2024-02-01 18:03:06

So, a couple months back we wrote about how Appin, an Indian company, had forced Reuters to remove an article that presented evidence of Appin's connections to "hack for hire" operations. Appin demanded we remove it. We will not do so.
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/01/sorry-appin-were-not-taking-down-our-article-about-your-attempts-to-silence-reporters/

2024-01-31 05:53:51

Our Gaming Like It's 1928 public domain game jam closes the door for submissions tomorrow night, but tonight, ABC News (owned by Disney!) put out a news report about it: https://abcnews.go.com/US/gamers-turning-public-domain-find-big-trend/story?id=106645056

2024-01-24 20:27:16

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@npub14cv…t2q0 lol. i feel like this can be ready as a compliment or an insult depending on the tone in which it's said.

2024-01-22 17:27:53

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@npub1hy4…fw8v yes. so what?

2024-01-22 16:17:41

This morning we released the latest Sky is Rising report! I spent basically all of last year working on this massive report about the state of the creative/entertainment industries, and showing how much the internet has helped them thrive.
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/01/22/the-sky-is-rising-2024-edition-rather-than-destroying-culture-the-internet-has-saved-the-content-industries/

2024-01-18 19:04:47

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@npub1kvp…f9wh the proposed ballot initiative (routing around the legislature) would allow people to sue social media for up to a million dollars for anything bad they can loosely connect to social media. Eating disorder? Sue! Depressed? Sue! Bullied? Sue! Etc. Would lead to a big mess, and the initiative literally says that legislature can only ratchet up penalties, never decrease them.