The Internet Archive has recently set up its own Mastodon server– a federated/decentralized open source social media package– that has garnered lots of attention lately.
We use it in ways that we use twitter now (we are not leaving twitter):
• @internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org for events, announcements, and fun things
• Staff accounts (e.g. my account @brewsterkahle@mastodon.archive.org) for, well, whatever.
Why? We need a game with many winners, not just a few powerful players.
Through our dweb work, the Internet Archive has catalyzed decentralized web technologies through conferences, summits, meet-ups and camps for 6 years. We need new tech to help with privacy, robustness, and work around issues of disinformation and corporate consolidation. Mastodon is built on open standards so others can build alternative clients and integrate it into other systems.
Looking forward to many social media alternatives: Blue Sky, Matrix, and many others.
Personally, I want to see the evolution and combination of features of Slack, Twitter, SMS, Signal, email, Discord, Facebook, IRC, zoom, google meet, and other ways we communicate. While we are at it, how about a more integrated environment of zendesk, jira, wordpress, and google docs. Free and open technologies that invite interoperability while communities maintain control would be ideal. And in my day-to-day I would love fewer systems to monitor that also limit my direct exposure to celebrities, influencers, and politicians. Oh, I can dream…
Twitter
Facebook
Mastodon
Donations
Physical donations
Please help us learn, this time about Mastodon. Thank you, all!
