A forum thread on socialhub brought up a powerful parallel between the radical demands of the Black Panther Party (#BPP) and the underlying values of the #fediverse and #activitypub communities, especially in their attempts to build outside the corporate-controlled paths. The metaphor is striking because both seek liberation, self-determination, and the creation of alternatives to…
Navigating challenges: online governance, trolling, and privacy
It’s interesting and useful to look at the critical issue of online governance, community dynamics, and the problem of #mainstreaming trolling on both the #dotcons and open social platforms like #Mastodon, #Fediverse and the broader #openweb Let’s start with mastodon, the complexity of (default) privacy settings leads to public conversations inadvertently shifting into private spaces,…
What is “mess” in the hashtag story?
In this 20 year hashtag story, it’s important to understand chaos as a creative force for change. But it’s also important to see that the path of the #openweb and the ongoing struggle for a more decentralized, human-centered internet, makes this idea of “mess” into meany “bad faith” arguments. For #mainstreaming, people hear, images of…
The #openweb, the #commons, the real-world spaces we build are where the future lies
Resilience is community and trust. Resilience grows by connecting the actions of today to the possibilities of tomorrow, even when that future is unknowable. It’s rooted in community, and community thrives on mutual trust. Trust isn’t about keeping a ledger; it’s about giving freely without expectation. Money is not the foundation of resilience. Across the…
Talking #openweb or #Fediverse, I have to talk about #Mastodon
Let’s look at this “#branding” issue. The tech world is changing as there is a #reboot of the #openweb happening, yes a lot of people don’t see this, so worth talking about a bit. If you are interested in this subject, every day you likely hear another big player joining the #fediverse. What does that…
Crisis of Governance in FOSS: Medieval Politics and Neoliberal Failures
Silicon Valley influence is significant, the concentration of power and resources among a few #dotcons raises issues about democracy, equity, and control. With this in mind, we need a strong push and for meany people a fundamental rethink and restructuring of how we approach technology, governance, and real community building. The open-source and free software…
ActivityPub and Mastodon from a #closedweb prospective
A #closedweb Critique The Critique From an #openweb and #4opens perspective, the critique highlights a different mindset that is clearly incompatible with the current path. But yes, there are questions about the balance between openness and security. Let’s not get lost in the #geekproblem and look at them: Design for Abuse Critique: The assertion that…
#mainstreaming counter-cultures
The #mainstreaming of counter-cultures, like #openweb, #Fediverse, and #Mastodon, touch on ongoing issues in #openweb culture and community sustainability. It should come as no surprise that we need action to hold together the culture, values and integrity of #openweb digital spaces: Mainstreaming of Counter-Cultures Normalization and Dilution of Values: As counter-cultures like the #openweb and…
What names to use?
The term #openweb refers to an internet ecosystem characterized by decentralized, interoperable, and community-driven platforms and protocols. It emphasizes #4opens principles of openness, inclusivity, and user control over data and online experiences. The “openweb” contrasts with the #dotcons centralized and proprietary nature, the mainstream internet platforms, thus offering an alternative vision for the future of…
Cambridge Analytica, 5 years on
I think we face the usual problem of working on and implementing policy for yesterday’s issues. * We are coming out of ten years of Blockchain mess * Now we are into #AI mess, the is no intelligence in the current round, only artificial writing. Let’s look at what actually matters The original openweb had…
#OGB – what is the project
The purpose and vision for our #OGB project is to address challenges and conflicts that currently existwithin grassroots organizations and assist in the management of those that arise. By creating a tool set for’Do It Yourself’ (DIY) governance. We aim to develop a ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ (#KISS) standard frameworkand process. This will become…
The signal to noise issue of our #geekproblem
#Mastodon and the wider #fedivers are native #openweb project based on the #4opens people who try to “harden” and “secure” these are completely missing where the value is at. They are spreading #FUD and endangering real activists acting this way. Media is “open” using #ActivertyPub. Anything that is not media should use encrypted p2p chat,…