I feel that decentralized social networks can help to realize some important functions for communities with regard to mutual aid and community building, but I do not see much action happening on that front, or at least I have not heard about them.

Specifically I would like to discuss how we can build mutual aid networks on the fediverse. What sorts of interactions or platforms would be needed to make this a reality?

Feature 1: Classified ads - “I need” or “I have” identifiers on posts allowing users to provide or request resources or services from other people

Possible existing platform - Flohmarkt

Feature 2: Events - Time, Date, Place, Location, allowing users to organize events, such as food not bombs, demonstrations, etc

Possible existing platforms - Mobilizon

Feature 3: Private groups - Invite only groups that allow for private discussion, classified and event postings, allowing users to organize in a private and secure way, without having to rely on a public forum like the current fediverse is.

Possible existing platforms - Bonfire

What does everyone think about these features for building mutual aid and real community building on the fediverse, what other features can you think of that would be useful for this, and what platforms/initiatives exist already to implement these features?

  • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    Sure. Though I don’t think that’s the dominant factor. We have platforms like Friendica, which offer a lot of features. In the good old days everyone was on Facebook-like platforms and used the group features to connect to the neighbours, inform about events, do their classified ads and coordinate their garage sales. There’s nothing stopping people from doing the same on Friendica and a bunch of other Fedi platforms. And events… I guess where I’m at, people mostly use Instagram for that. Along with small and larger businesses posting there, your local church group… Seems to me people don’t even want or need a fancy solution with standardized calendar formats and bridges to other types of functionality. It’s fine if it’s just an endless stream of interesting pictures and videos and some info about an event as a picture at the right time. I think we also have a feature-complete alternative to that. So I more or less think it’s not really about that kind of (technical) featureset.

    • lovingisliving@anarchist.nexusOPEnglish
      3·
      6 days ago

      The problem with friendica (at least from my perspective) is that it is a janky piece of software and the UI is very difficult to figure out. Sure there are events, but damned if I could figure out how to make one and invite someone to it in a way that makes sense and is easy to use. Same with groups, it’s there, but in a way that seems held together with glue and duct tape. That is not to say that it did not have its place in the history of the development of the fediverse, but like walled garden platforms that have gone the way of the dodo, the same applies for the fediverse, not all will survive. Just because one platform failed to fully implement these features in a clean and user friendly way does not mean it’s impossible or that it is not a goal worth pursuing.