@rauschma I'm in the middle where I can softmod a console with a guide but can't code for shit

@rauschma

Mastodon weaknesses...
A really crappy User Interface on the web.

Dysfunctional search engines that don't do much even when they work.

Replies to a specific post show up to everyone else like a desert island with no obvious indication they are replies, and no ability to re-post so as to supply context. Not saying "re-posting" is the answer... but dammit, at least make it obvious its a reply to something else!

@rauschma When I was on Twitter the biggest block to using Mastodon seemed to be the belief you'd see only users signed up on the same server you signed up on.

Few understood "federated" and "instance" but most saw complaints on Twitter about problems trying to follow someone who wasn't on the same server as you.

Media people, news junkies, and those with 6-figures worth of followers who use Twitter for professional & business reasons will go where there's a critical mass of those folks.

@rauschma With a bar that low (HTML, CSS, etc.) a huge majority will be counted as tech folk, wouldn't it?

@rauschma @stephen I'm baffled by the "too complicated" comments. Aside from the fact that there are multiple instances, not much is significantly different from other platforms.

@rauschma I consider myself a "normal" user. Although, I may be a little more technology-savvy than most normal users.
From talking to a lot of people who find Mastodon and the Fediverse "too difficult" I think most of them have just lost the habit of learning how to use new things. By "too difficult" they often mean "too different from Twitter." Also, digging through the settings is not something that comes naturally to them (I blame decades of using Apple products for that.)
(1/2)

@rauschma I'd say I'm tech curious. I'm vaguely interested in it, but my phone is so ancient it doesn't even read qr codes and the nearest thing I ever did to programming was decorating my Myspace page. I can build a pretty cool colourcoded execl speeadsheet though.

@rauschma #3, which is why I'm trying to make tools like MastoGizmos.com for all the #1 people!

@rauschma I am not remotely a “tech” type (this is easily my most geeky exercise). Though I have always enjoyed trying to figure out what experts (gardeners, mechanics, linguists etc) are talking about, and this is the best place for that particular hobby. When I first joined it was a bit intimidating as it seemed very coder/programmer-oriented (and I did get some gentle gate-keeping). Then I just started wandering around more, following #HashTags and making myself some interesting Lists. 🐘👑

@rauschma Recently had a meeting at work with our social media manager who claimed that it's not possible for users on one Mastodon server to follow users on other servers. Perhaps there are things we can do better, but there's also a lot of misinformation out there.

@rauschma
I wasn't able to explain to a non-technical person how to find and join an instance.
I tested software for a living.

@rauschma needs a 4th option. User who is good with tech but hates it more than likes it. Works with it begrudgingly as they’re better with IT than other things. Can write very bad but functional code and tries to avoid ever having to write any

@rauschma

On Mastodon, we're all abnormal in a good way, positively deviant even.

:mastodon:

@rauschma I had a lot of trouble getting onto Mastodon. The "choose a server" thing - which server do I choose? What if I choose the wrong one? Can everyone see my posts even if they aren't on my server? Could my server go away? Am I even using the right words to talk about this?
It remains a barrier to many people.

@rauschma What. The only thing that I see is cats. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!

@rauschma #4 User who does not consider HTML and CSS programming. ;)

@rauschma

A neat list of comments/improvements you have there. Thanks!

@rauschma Mastodon is only complicated because of the decentralisation. It's not obvious to new users what it means if you choose one server over another. I chose my server because I had no idea.

The Fediverse hasn't become more popular because it's not very diverse, imo. If you're here it's because you like computers and/or sometimes strident political discussion. Because there's barely any talk about anything else, my apolitical, non-techy friends aren't ever going to join me here.

@rauschma I don’t use any other social media so I can’t compare but I wonder what’s supposed to be complicated. Maybe if someone would tell me why they find it complicated I’d understand.

@rauschma one would consider me a normie, I’m more artistically inclined than tech. I do remember when I was first signing up, the instance choosing was the most intimidating part. I ended up on .social mostly because it seemed like the safest choice for a newbie. I later made a secondary account on the .art server.
Tbh I think opt in algorithms could help with user retention… I got some people to sign up with me but I don’t know if any even remain. It’s very hard to get reception on my art acc

@rauschma despite me technical background I arbitrarily picked my first server and just started posting. Moving servers, however, was definitely a thing™️.

@rauschma really not sure if #1 or #2 makes sense for me - since we all use technology on a near constant basis every day.

@rauschma This result is looking problematic.

@rauschma are 2 and 3, abnormal users?

@rauschma I'm not especially tech savvy, but Mastadon is my only social media.

@rauschma
I'm definitely a type # 1 - modest skills at best
I don't find Mastodon to be that complicated or difficult. (I did come via Vivaldi which made it quite easy.)
But,
I sometimes get put off by how many of the type # 3's want to make everything into a tech problem/tech discussion.
And,
I also find myself "self censoring" around my opinion that "real" goods and services, Art and emotion are waaay more important/valuable than IT.

@rauschma I think of both #1 and #2 as "normal people": the "normal user" and "the user who loves tech and uses it often" are both normal.

Maybe because of the inadequate search function that you mentioned, when each morning I search for flowers, I see much much more ugliness than beauty. Twitter has plenty of pictures of beautiful flowers. Here, what someone claimed were flowers, often look dreadful.

Nomadic identity and single sign-on, as you explained them, are excellent goals to implement.

@rauschma "Normal" user, hates tech but uses it, and used to code. Onboarding was easy, switching instances was a bit of gruntwork, impossible to export filters to my new instance. After 2 years I have found a web interface that I like, not so much a phone app. Instances all have their peculiarities that could use more explanation up front before committing to a new instance. Maybe a "try it out" like a road test for cars.

@rauschma I love my Masties, and I'm an idiot re tech, but sometimes I learn something and I love to learn. Meanwhile there are plenty of techies who garden, enjoy photography, have children, spouses and cats, and who also want a better world for bees and black-capped chickadees. So, that's my response.
I pretty much am repelled by all the other sites, so there's that, also. I LIKE diversity OF ALLKINDS

@rauschma I'm "normal" for someone who was on the web in 1994. "Normal" today is much, much less tech-literate. For a lot of people, a URL might as well be a JavaScript library for all they understand it.

@rauschma #4 User who programs (C++) :p

@rauschma hmmm. I program for a living, but am unfamiliar with micro blogging. Where do I stand?

@rauschma I think I'm a normal user, but because I read what dialogues & instructions say instead of panicking & I'm patient with the computer I know I'm actually not. I'm not sure how to respond to this poll.

@rauschma I voted 2 because I have run a linux based system in the past and am comfortable wiping my hard drive and starting over and hooking up new gfx cards and power supplies... But I really feel more like a 1.75 😉

@rauschma normal, older user. I don’t find Mastodon “complicated” at all. My only difficulty was (3x now) picking a server from a fairly short list that didn’t include options I would have liked to choose from, I.e. sustainability or Pacific Northwest. So I guessed which to join. The first two instances closed and switching was a pain. I have lost people I was following or who were following me, plus a couple hours of my life, both times. Still prefer Mastodon to Twitter.

@rauschma
I suspect that the higher people's technical knowledge, the more concerned they are with privacy invasion and data security. I think ordinary users think only about *what they want to do do to at that moment*, not what "vague" that might be in the future.
@Firlefanz

@rauschma What I love about Mastodon is the *lack* of algorithms and that, being on one of many small instances, I can stay out of the heavy traffic areas, while still being able to 'chat' with friends on other instances. Just what is so bad about message boards, and
Hashtag forums? #1

@rauschma less than normal. but it's sooooooo easy to sign up for mastodon I had 3 accounts created the first day

@rauschma I consider myself a technocretin, ie very basic. But I I've had no trouble with (originally Xitter but then) Masto.

@rauschma No 1 is such a wide range that one can't answer that in a meaningful way. I am clearly not No 2 or 3, but I still find it easier to deal with technology than many others.

@rauschma HTML is a programming language? Really? 🤔