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Bluesky adds direct messages

bsky.social

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Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#181

Post by troupo »

mgraczyk wrote: post #127
DaSHacka wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like its simply a more private option it being encrypted but routed through a single companies servers means its just as centralized as if it were unencrypted though

That depends on your definition of decentralization. Because of the way most people set up their apps, almost all Matrix users and ~all Signal users are using a centralized app under this definition.

> That depends on your definition of decentralization.

Decentralization literally means "not centralized". If you have a single centralized entity serving all your messages through a set of centralized servers, it makes the setup what?

> Because of the way most people set up their apps, almost all Matrix users and ~all Signal users are using a centralized app under this definition.

Yes, they do, and it's centralized. What exactly makes you think otherwise?

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#182

Post by wraptile »

Karrot_Kream wrote: post #176
wraptile wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's super american-centric too. For a "decentralized" platform that basically covers 2 small areas of the world is not a good sign. I feel like Bluesky had done nothing to address discoverability and sharing issues. Most engagement is centralized with 1% of shitposters. From listening to a podcast with the founder it seems that's their goal too as they want to integrate bluesky with e-commerce which obviously doesn'…

The 3 main communities seem to be English speaking, Japanese, and Portuguese. The community is way smaller than Xitter for sure but are the percentages that off?

I've never been exposed to non-US content on Bluesky unlike Mastodon where it's a melting pot from every possible niche and location.

To me it seems like Mastodon's focus on hashtags as discovery mechanism won hard in this space thus allowing such diverse communities to thrive on the platform.

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#183

Post by troupo »

threeseed wrote: post #98
troupo wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Given how much of a win-win for Meta How much? > to see all their networks move in that direction. Why would they? What exactly will the move entail?

a) They can monetise content that didn't originate on their platform. b) It shifts regulators attention from them to closed platforms like X. c) They can leverage their advantages e.g. ad serving, safety to push competitors into niches.

> They can monetise content that didn't originate on their platform.

They have been doing it for years.

> It shifts regulators attention from them to closed platforms like X.

It doesn't. Threads is just as closed (despite integrating an open protocol), and is still subject to the same scrutiny and provisions as the rest of Meta's products.

> They can leverage their advantages e.g. ad serving, safety to push competitors into niches.

So, let me get it straight. Facebook gained so much from adopting a decentralized protocol so they will inevitably move in the same direction that:

- they will use it to remain the only centralized service?

- they will use it to do the same thing they do before (serve ads, collect user data etc.) but somehow will be absolved of regulations and scrutiny?

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#184

Post by andybak »

kelnos wrote: post #162
andybak wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have up on Mastodon when I had to switch servers because of subs political dispute between admins. Plus realising that global search was something that many admins were fundamentally opposed to. Oh and the array of UX issues that made me suspect that many demographics would never adopt it.

> I had to switch servers because of subs political dispute between admins That seems like a positive, not a negative. If you don't like the choices of the people running Twitter or BlueSky, you can't leave but still maintain your social graph. I suspect that's why Twitter is still doing as well as it is participation-wise since the Musk acquisition: Twitter is still by and large where the people are, even if the own…

> That seems like a positive, not a negative. If you don't like the choices of the people running Twitter or BlueSky, you can't leave but still maintain your social graph.

I (actually not my personal but a project account) had to move servers because the original server had been blocked by other admins because of a fairly interminable dispute about whether one user had been racist (it was far from clear cut from what I could tell from the brief time I spent digging into it).

How is this positive? It seemed to spell out a future where Mastodon split into islands based on long-forgotten generational disputes.

I want one network with a clean way to choose who I see and who interacts with me. I don't want other people making this decisions on my behalf.

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#185

Post by leftcenterright »

seanvelasco wrote: post #128
leftcenterright wrote: post #10

slightly off-topic but did anyone find a way to still use Twitter/X using Firefox (without disabling strict tracking protection of course)?

wasn't this fixed a few days ago? https://x.com/FirefoxSupport/status/1791459697297608943 firefox is my default browser, and i have the enhanced tracking protection to strict.

actually not, I am using latest Firefox 126.0 and it is still broken.

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#186

Post by Kye »

kelnos wrote: post #162
andybak wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have up on Mastodon when I had to switch servers because of subs political dispute between admins. Plus realising that global search was something that many admins were fundamentally opposed to. Oh and the array of UX issues that made me suspect that many demographics would never adopt it.

> I had to switch servers because of subs political dispute between admins That seems like a positive, not a negative. If you don't like the choices of the people running Twitter or BlueSky, you can't leave but still maintain your social graph. I suspect that's why Twitter is still doing as well as it is participation-wise since the Musk acquisition: Twitter is still by and large where the people are, even if the own…

That's sounds great until the enormous art instance everyone goes to because "it's the art instance" defederates yours over made up and exaggerated reasons despite your instance's admins working hard to solve the few actual problems and being kind and communicative at every step.[0]

Petty tyrants try to ruin everything.

On Bluesky, there are art feeds for every kind of interest. I've used Mastodon since near the beginning and really only stick around for the small cohort of instances mine is in. It's increasingly all crossposts from Bluesky.

>> "If you don't like the choices of the people running Twitter or BlueSky, you can't leave but still maintain your social graph."

It took a while but I'm convinced they're sincerely working toward account portability. I can at least already point my domain at another PDS even if getting at my posts would be a sketchy, probably very technical operation with command lines and scripts. (For now)

These are people who've been working on decentralized social media for as long as it's been a thing (and newer people who share the goal), and it's hard to ignore the dedication to that goal once you look into their histories.

[0] https://info.tech.lgbt/2023/10/13/thebadspace-situation.html

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#187

Post by 7bit »

tptacek wrote: post #122

Use social media direct messages to establish a connection on a secure messenger designed for direct messaging, and for nothing else. When people try to initiate conversations with you in DMs, have a ready answer to pivot the conversation elsewhere. Social platforms like BlueSky have radically different design constraints than direct messaging applications. The implications range from security to social dynamics to l…

> The implications range from security to social dynamics to legal concerns.

Which are...?

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#188

Post by sbarre »

wraptile wrote: post #182
Karrot_Kream wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 3 main communities seem to be English speaking, Japanese, and Portuguese. The community is way smaller than Xitter for sure but are the percentages that off?

I've never been exposed to non-US content on Bluesky unlike Mastodon where it's a melting pot from every possible niche and location. To me it seems like Mastodon's focus on hashtags as discovery mechanism won hard in this space thus allowing such diverse communities to thrive on the platform.

Bluesky is still pretty new. They've only been open to the public for less than 4 months.

They are moving slowly on purpose. I get what you're saying but perhaps give it some time to grow?

Twitter has been around for almost 20 years now, and Mastodon for who knows how long.

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#189

Post by GaryNumanVevo »

tptacek wrote: post #122

Use social media direct messages to establish a connection on a secure messenger designed for direct messaging, and for nothing else. When people try to initiate conversations with you in DMs, have a ready answer to pivot the conversation elsewhere. Social platforms like BlueSky have radically different design constraints than direct messaging applications. The implications range from security to social dynamics to l…

E2E Encryption is on the road map for Bluesky as it requires some protocol changes. The devs are encouraging people to use the DMs to exchange Signal info, and reminding people to not use DMs for sensitive info.

https://bsky.app/profile/pfrazee.com/post/3kt457v6aq72n

Re: Bluesky adds direct messages

#190

Post by ncallaway »

neiman wrote: post #177
ncallaway wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn’t Bluesky ship centralized, and then later replaced the centralized protocol with the decentralized at proto?

Did they? Heh, I didn't know that. But I thought they launched with the AT protocol already, no?

They did, which is why it seems like a relevant example to your question. They shipped centralized, and have already replaced the centralized service they shipped with a decentralized service.
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