Fediverse

I'm dabbling in Bluesky atm. Having run my own Masto server for over a year at this point. Here's things I've found that Bluesky does just plain better - mostly cause it's not beholden to the whims of the ActivityPub protocol.

• Shows me all replies to any post I happen to come across.
• Lets me see all posts about things I happen to search/look for, including hashtags.
• I don't have to worry about being unable to see content I haven't personally blocked (not so much of an issue on a small/single server like mine though).
• I can repost things (not actually too bothered with this one but many people want it).
• I can set per post reply permissions to a very granular level (no-one, mentioned, followers, specific followers)
• It handles video in a way that works i.e. I can post them, and people can watch them with minimal buffering/waiting.
• Gives me access to community built collections/algorithms that expose the content I want to see.
• It defaults to providing an additional feed driven by what the people I'm following are liking/interacting with.
• Finally, a big one for new users, it provided a default feed of content when I first logged in so that I had something to look at.

The first two are huge on a small/single user server. By default we get nothing, following a single account will get us the content of just that account and the replies that they happen to reply to. A post may get 200 replies, but unless I go looking on the original server I will see a fraction of that. Technical solutions exist to help with this but the Fediverse's penchant for privacy and control (quite rightly) limits the effectiveness (Fedifetcher, GetMoarFedi).

3 is something most people won't think about. But if they become aware they're not seeing something they thought they'd be able to they then have to deep dive into who's defederating who and why.

Most all the other points just make the whole thing a much more seamless experience for your average user. Bootstrapping a list of people to follow on a small server is hard (I'd absolutely recommend creating a Fediverse account somewhere large first to build up some sort of list before migrating)

whay, or rather who is Blue sky?

People want to leave X, but they still want the same old, rather than new stuff to make things better as a whole. They don't want to have to do this "pick a server" thing, they want to have an algorithm spoonfeed them popular content, and it would be best for them to have to put in zero extra effort. In Masto you have to put in the hashtags to get found, and search for and follow people and hashtags to find stuff you want, and essentially DIY-ing your feed seems to be too much work for people.

We've had this exact conversation in this community two months ago already, in case you want to back read the comments from back then. Nothing significant has changed

To paraphrase my opinion from back then:

• Easier onboarding, and a familiar, easier UX
• customizable feeds you can subscribe to + starterpacks instantly give you full timelines and people to follow (and followers, if you're in many starter packs)
• better discoverability, and therefore higher engagement
• stacking moderation and excellent security features (e.g. detachable quote boosts, "the nuclear block")
• many users who tried Mastodon first had bad experiences with "HOA"-like behavior and over-enthusiastic mods

Simplicity.

I wrote an article on this last night.

https://aidanraymond.medium.com/why-bluesky-isnt-the-alternative-to-x-formerly-twitter-you-re-looking-for-and-why-mastodon-is-46c8901f2748

I can only assume BlueSky feels more familiar.

Mastodon requires a bit of effort, lacking an algorithm to drive content toward users, so you have to do a bit more yourself.

Americans love to pretend they are cowboys. In reality they love centralised power and bureaucracy. They are deeply afraid of each other so they flock to platforms that pretend to be for freedom, but is actually highly regulated by centralised power. That’s why they love tech-oligarchs that pretend to be self made geniuses. It allows them to fantasise about freedom to succeed and submit to power at the same time.

It has an algorithm that puts content in front of you, unlike Mastodon where it only puts what you ask for in your feed. I'm convinced that if Mastodon populated people with low following count's feed with random posts it wouldn't have bled as many users as it did.

Because it pretends to be different to the centralised corporate social media platforms, whilst giving the cohesive experience of a centralised platform

I think it’s much more difficult to find people to follow. I personally struggle a lot, and will likely either gave up the micro-blogging system or try another platform. It was great on Twitter before Musk bought it, but since I left, I have yet to find an alternative.

Bluesky allows me to use my domain as my identity and make my own moderation decisions without having to run my own instance.

it's been better marketed, and people struggle with the concept of federation and picking a server. and I guess the invite-only, artificial exclusivity strat has actually paid off for them initially, unlike for Google+.

also, a matter of culture. I've seen many newcomers complain about how some long time users act as HOA, reminding everyone to act according to the long-standing rules. many people of colour have experience many forms of racist behaviour, too, which has driven some communities away.

oh, and the federation/defederation business sometimes gets way too messy, which [cynic mode on] makes it difficult for people who want their Personal Brand™ to gain as many followers as possible over the entire network.

It's shiny, they advertise, put in a money to spread the word. And the onboarding process probably is way easier?! Also back when Mastodon was in the media, it wasn't yet the right time. Now, especially with Musk, it is. And the attention is on Bluesky since that is newer and what's hyped right now.