Comment on Voyager moved the default instance to lemmy.zip
Quicky@lemmy.world 2 days agoIt’s not actually complying with UK law, it’s removing it from the equation so it doesn’t have to. I don’t begrudge the decision though, it will have been a difficult choice to make. That said, it’s a sledgehammer approach to self-censorship, as a response to an inability to comply.
Like I say, I don’t have an issue with Lemmy.zip being unavailable in the UK. But I do think it is potentially damaging for Fediverse uptake to promote a default instance that is unavailable to such a large number of users.
For comparison purposes, the UK easily has the second highest number of Reddit users by country. It is a remarkable decision to isolate that potential market by default.
Blaze@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Wouldn’t the UK potential new joiners register on feddit.uk anyway?
lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/45919699/19198390
Quicky@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Speculatively, but it would assume prior research, which many people simply won’t do. If a de-facto app (say Voyager on iOS) offers a default option that’s unavailable for a selection of its potential users, it’s another hurdle within onboarding that is already the biggest barrier to entry. If we want to grow as a platform (more users equals more content), putting up a default wall saying “your kind aren’t welcome” to entire countries seems obtuse.
Yes, those potential new UK users can get around it by picking another instance, but the question is how many will give up if they can’t get over the first hurdle.
The suggestion of changing the default instance by region, where those instances prohibit specific regions seems logical enough to me.
Blaze@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Which instance would you use instead of lemmy.zip?
From another post
lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/37336391?scrollToComments=t…
lemmyverse.net/?order=active_month
There’s a reason lemm.ee was the previous default instance.
Quicky@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Haha don’t put it on me, I’m merely a consumer!
You’ve already suggested feddit.uk, why not use that for UK Voyager installs? Anything that isn’t an instance that they can’t actually use would be good.