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Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

zdnet.com

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Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#141

Post by dcolkitt »

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #126

I love the idea of an alternate social network, and I'm fine with the idea of charging users. But in an era where free alternatives are bountiful (even if most of them are "free as in puppy"), where a full paid blog hosting service like Micro.blog -- which includes a social network timeline built on IndieWeb principles -- is only $5 a month, where "subscription fatigue" is entering the lexicon... this is just a bonke…

I'm not necessarily if translates into online social media, but at least in meatspace there's no shortage of social clubs where the high price tag is a feature not a bug. They're called country clubs.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#142

Post by smichel17 »

michaelmrose wrote: post #22

I would prefer a decentralized social network based on boxes you plug into your router with content shared in a way that fellow users bear the weight of shared content like torrents. You could rent the box or buy outright with money to develop paid for by a premium on the box or by the rent wherein even a modest rent would outstrip the cost of buying like a cable box.

For this to succeed, I think you'd need a company that provided boxes as a service. Instead of having to order anything and plug it in, you just sign up online, the same as today's social networks.

Here's the twist: the company (presumably a non-profit or social purpose corp) would also offer the ability to buy your box, at which point they mail it to you; when you plug it in, your existing data is copied to it and you begin to self-host instead.

This makes it easy to sign up for and try out, while also offering a path toward self-hosting, once you decide you like it and don't want to keep paying the monthly fee.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#143

Post by qubex »

I paid instantly for a yearly subscription (90 euros) because I really want the opportunity to support a project that keeps me in contact with my friends and interest groups and that doesn’t harvest me for my data. I’ve seen techies clamour for a subscription-based Facebook service for years... it’s clearly not in Facebook’s interest to pander to the opt-out-of-information-collection crowd, so I’m delighted somebody is providing an alternative and I’m willing to take the plunge and vote with my wallet.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#144

Post by MadWombat »

pmoriarty wrote: post #132
woofcat wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with all solutions to facebook (and this one) is getting a critical mass to join them. People use Facebook because _everyone_ is on facebook. I don't need to think "Is my cousins boyfriend on Facebook?" you just know they are. Without that assurance, you'll end up with two invites for a function, and that is more work for little gain.

"People use Facebook because _everyone_ is on facebook." There was a time when everyone was not on Facebook. Every social network with a critical mass now started without one. Back around when Facebook started, MySpace was massive. Now it's extinct.

Exactly. But all this tells you is that there was some added value that Facebook brought that made people sign up even when it didn't have critical mass. Currently, the only network I know of that might be in the right place to compete with Facebook is Instagram. Which is basically the same, but with more pictures of food.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#145

Post by drstewart »

ishanjain28 wrote: post #25

This just makes me think why do I need a social network. I never did anything remotely useful on Facebook/Instagram(Although, Twitter is useful). Why would I want to use this?

I've never done anything useful with an IDE as a Ruby developer. Why do IDEs like IntelliJ even exist? I personally don't have a need for them, and I refuse to understand that other people have different needs and wants.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#146

Post by mirimir »

bransonf wrote: post #122

From WT:Social's website > We will foster an environment where bad actors are removed because it is right, not because it suddenly affects our bottom-line. But what constitutes a bad actor?

Bottom line, it's arguably anyone who Jimmy Wales doesn't like.

I wonder if they'll refund fees paid.

I might try it, if they accept Bitcoin. Which I doubt they do. But I don't even see a payment link at https://wt.social/

Maybe you must try creating an account first.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#147

Post by yellowapple »

sweeneyrod wrote: post #49

That article seems to incorrectly say it's a (mandatory) subscription model: Wales' tweets say donation-based.

Considering that when you sign up you're put in a waiting list that can be bypassed by a monthly or yearly subscription (or by bringing on a bunch of users via referral links), I'd say "subscription model" is perfectly correct.

Re: Jimmy Wales has quietly launched a Facebook rival

#150

Post by mirimir »

tinyhouse wrote: post #97

Just signed up. I could search for topics but not join as it says I'm number 60K+ in the waiting list and need to pay. First impression it looks like Reddit. I'm very skeptical people will pay $100/year for this. Reporting the number of members is pretty useless since I'm pretty sure they are not talking about paying ones.

What are the payment options?

Bitcoin maybe?

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