I used to visit the verge all the time, but their paywalls have gotten so aggressive, I just wrote them off.
Mastodon is testing easier ways to get you started in the fediverse
Submitted 3 weeks ago by supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz to fediverse@lemmy.world
https://www.theverge.com/tech/881352/mastodon-default-server-recommendations-experiment
Comments
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
MoogleMaestro@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I get it, but also the internet sucks these days and it’s hard to make money on advertising alone. I can’t blame a reputable journal for asking for money to see the articles they publish, and since I tolerate all sorts of patreon business models, I have to be realistic in thinking that this is going to be the only path forward for real journalism. It’s a shame, but it just seems to have worked out this way.
U7826391786239@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I can’t blame a reputable journal for asking for money to see the articles they publish
lol is the verge a “journal”? GTFO bro
propublica is about as “real journalism” as it gets, and i’ve never been blocked by a paywall with them
staying in business is the business’s problem, not the consumer’s problem
paywall = close tab
period
TORFdot0@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I get it, but reader-funded journalism is always better than advertiser-funded. But if the reporting isn’t worth paying for to you, I don’t blame you for skipping them. I feel the same way some times. One article might be worth paying for but I’m not so interested in what they report to justify a full subscription.
rushmonke@ttrpg.network 2 weeks ago
You’re part of the problem.
This is all about maximizing profit. Their site is covered in ads as well.
Please stop defending the people taking your money or showing you ads.
muntedcrocodile@hilariouschaos.com 3 weeks ago
archive.md<ur URL> bypasses almost all pay walls and things
realitista@lemmus.org 2 weeks ago
I’m glad they are taking steps to make the platform more accessible. This will make a difference if people can be convinced to give it another try.
Evotech@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah they hired / got on board one of the most senior designers fra earlier google and apple
desmosthenes@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
any improvements are always welcome; average users have become accustomed to seamless onboarding - primarily on mobile
Iksbat@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Thats good. The entry friction is really the most important thing when trying to get new users.
breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
ubergeek77@lemmy.ubergeek77.chat 3 weeks ago
Please stop using archive . today and its other domains.
In the past, they prevented Cloudflare DNS users from resolving the site, because Cloudflare didn’t forward EDNS data that would allow Archive.today to dox users.
And recently, they embedded malicious DDOS code into their captcha that would cause visitors to unknowingly DDOS someone.
They are extremely shady and no one should be using them.
breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
I’d take an alternative if you’ve got one. Otherwise, unless there’s a serious change for the worse, I’m probably going to keep posting them. Sorry!
Dequei@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Hmmm, thats why mullvad is blocking them?
Artafernes@lemmus.org 2 weeks ago
Its already easy l think but okay nice.
roserose56@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
same! Find an instance, sing up and access through app or browser!
Artafernes@lemmus.org 2 weeks ago
Yup
clot27@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
hopium
super_user_do@feddit.it 2 weeks ago
It’s already easy
anon_8675309@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Everything is easy if you can put up with an amount of friction. Most people don’t want to deal with friction.
Actionschnils@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Depends on.
The regular social-media user for example will disagree with you.
Iksbat@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
It diesn’t need to be easy, it has to be nearly effortless for people to switch. E.g. writing one sentence to get an lemmy account is wayyyy to much for most people.
running_system@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
“Now when new users join Mastodon from the mobile app, they may see a button to “join” a recommended server rather than the default “join mastodon.social” button that’s currently displayed.” Wow. Didn’t know that mentioning a server adds complexity. The bar is very low nowadays with all things digital.
slampisko@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I wonder why people see selecting a server as a hurdle when that’s exactly what they’re asked to do when making an email address
Scrollone@feddit.it 3 weeks ago
Problem is, younger people don’t even do that when they make an email address.
They just “create a Gmail”.
The internet has become such a sad place.
ICastFist@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
People don’t know what choosing a server entails, because it does matter and a lot of people aren’t exactly helpful when they say “just pick any” or “it’s like email”
Server choice matters because:
So, server choice matters and people coming in from corporate shit don’t know how much they need to know to make an informed decision, thus giving up.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Boy I don’t need the childrape administration to declassify extraterrestrial UFO documents when I can talk to space aliens right here on Lemmy. That’s not how email works and if you were a placental mammal you’d know that.
You don’t go to email.org, click Join and arrive on a page that says “Thank you for your interest in Email: the open, federated, ethical, cage-free non-instant text messaging standard of the web! To continue, select one of these 44 providers based on a badly rendered logo and three almost identical bullet points. Don’t worry, the decision doesn’t matter…well it kinda does, for reasons that aren’t going to be explained to you up front, so pick one at random, get the lay of the land, then come back and join for real.”
No, the majority of people ended up with an email account while signing up for another service, such as gmail accounts for Android users or icloud accounts for iPhone users. You probably have an outlook account if you use Windows (or if you’re a certain age, a hotmail account). If you’re a dad, you have an email account from your ISP, or you got one from work or school. If you sought out something beyond that, like Protonmail or hosting on your own domain, you started looking for a provider with some shopping criteria in mind.
fierysparrow89@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It is simple: nowadays security awareness is drilled in for most of the online population. If presented by a choice people can’t oversee, the default safest option is not to chose. I mean, how many new Mastodon users know any of these servers?
So, as couter-intuitive or even ironic it may seem, the “problem” is choice. People need to learn that social media is no longer a single entity, but more like email or choosing a bank.
OddMinus1@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I initially looked up a few servers, then I chose one with decent size and no prohibitive policies. Less than 24 hours after creating the account I got banned without reason. I appealed. No answer.
I guessed I was just unlucky, so I found another decent looking server. After creating an account, it took around 2-3 hours and I was banned. I appealed. No answer.
I guess the username was a bit too random andmaybe looked like it was created by a bot. It had a lot of random letters, but it was my usual username. I would assume an appeal would sort it out. Or atleast lead me to an answer.
So my third attempt, I chose another server which looked fine and created a user with a simpler username. A few months later, the server shut down.
So now I’m on my 4th account.
It’s not like it was a huge hassle to create the accounts, but it’s also not like the system is without issues.
kutt@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Well I was used to MMOs with different servers and I thought I’d have to create an account for each if I wanted to be with my friends. I didn’t know Mastodon was NOT a mere Twitter alternative, and I wasn’t familiar with the concept of the fediverse.
FarraigePlaisteach@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Because the term is loaded. There are technical implications (who will you be federated with and how do I connect with them?), and it’s jurisdictional (which laws apply when I post here?). Also, for non-technical people, you only hear the word “server” in techno-babble word salad from movies. I don’t blame them at all for being confused.
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
People won’t read what’s in front of them and then complain when something doesn’t work.
I had someone tell me, people don’t read the things he writes.
That same person then proceeded to not read instructions I had written for something they needed to do and they did it wrong.
Edit: If it’s not a 10s tiktok clip it’s too much nowadays.
MrSmith@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I see it as a filter. You have to be this motivated to join.
hanrahan@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Yes, Apple users be like this.
I don’t know how people ever figured out how to make a phone call to a friend on a different Telco /s :)
running_system@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
The most stupid users I come across said are using Windows.