Offering a real alternative to the dotcons world

Published Date 10/17/17 4:59 PM

There is a real #reboot of the #openweb going on. This #4opens project already has nearly a million users: Mastodon.

This is one of the use-it-or-lose-it moments for building a life outside #Failbook and the wider #dotcons. It would be a bad time for progressive funders to start propping up the existing #dotcons world instead of helping us change direction. If we don’t take this opportunity, the likely outcome is a sad and avoidable one.

The proposal is to fund the setting up and booting up of two Mastodon instances: one for the NGO world and one for activism. Each could have its own terms of service and community culture, while still talking to each other and the wider #ActivityPub (#AP) networks.

This is the right time to act. It’s not another #dotcons platform, and it works with the #OMN approach.

The project

We would need a crew of three people working part-time for six months to roll the project out, followed by another six months of sustaining and supporting it. By the end of the first year, the project should be self-sustaining because the running costs are relatively low. Ongoing support could come through Patreon and occasional donation drives.

The crew

• Hamish – Lead fixer and activist outreach: coordinating the project, connecting grassroots networks and bringing in the activist communities.
• Sysadmin – Technical setup and maintenance: setting up the servers and keeping them running.
• NGO outreach – Community development: reaching out to NGOs and encouraging them to buy into the #openweb project.

Funding

£5–7K for the first year, sought from Lush and Edge Fund.

Most of this would cover part-time wages, with some provision for server costs and outreach.

A monthly donation would also support ongoing Mastodon development through Patreon.

Organization

The project would be organized openly on GitHub as a #4opens project, forming part of the wider Open Media Network. The point is not simply to set up two more social media servers. It is to build the communities, connections and shared infrastructure needed to give the #openweb a stronger grassroots future.