Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It • Hacker News Board

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#251

Post by heedlessly3 » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 6:02 PM UTC

vinniejames wrote: post #46

We did replace it, almost 10 years ago. It was called Diaspora[1], no one cared about privacy then. No one really cares about privacy now, at least not enough to do anything about it. 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_(social_network)

people do care about privacy to some degree.

Part of the reason (although not entire) is why many users like Snapchat because it doesn't keep a history of your messages. Snapchat doesn't use targeted ads like FB does. That's why everyone gets Kylie Jenner ads instead of personalized marketing

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#252

Post by herbst » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 6:41 PM UTC

herbst wrote: post #87

xiphias wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds interesting, can you give a concrete example?

I am thinking things like Wechat, Telegram (also Whatsapp to some degree but that's behind in functionality) but also things like discord and slack. So without a direct social graph, specialised interest groups, more direct connections, more 'privacy' at least in terms of how public the data is available.

Shit wrong comment. Sorry

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#253

Post by herbst » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 6:53 PM UTC

xiphias wrote: post #83

herbst wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually when I creep these people out by confronting them with personal details of their life (which I simply snapped of public Facebook data) they actually are creeped out. So while yours is a interesting thought I highly doubt a lot of people Actually understand the full issue.

It sounds interesting, can you give a concrete example?

I like to do it passively if the person doesn't already expect it. Like asking overly specific questions about past events they posted. 'how was dj dickhead in January?' 'the girl you were with didn't she go to (put school I surely shouldn't know anything about here)' just making random creeper comments and getting worse until I explain my intention. For the best effect stretch this process over a evening or more.

We had a overly 'social' secretary which didn't understand privacy implications until she met our team :) we pointed out every joint, cheap vodka bottle, or even slightly awkward things found in mirror selfies until she started to really rethink her privacy.

Or there is a old social network many people in my country kept for the email. They encouraged to write or at least post poems. Lot of awkward lines to be found there to make some heads red.

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#254

Post by 18pfsmt » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 6:57 PM UTC

bachmeier wrote: post #164

jcadam wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had the same thought. Charge a small monthly fee in lieu of running ads or selling user data. Might cut down on fake/spam accounts as well. But I don't think it would work (and I'd totally work on something like this if I thought it would). People say they care about privacy, but when you present them with the option of paying $5/mo for a service that respects their privacy or using a "free" service that tracks…

$60/year to post about taking the kids to visit Grandma is pretty steep for most users.

You should have seen what long distance phone calls cost before the 90's (i.e. cellphones).

I made a $100 phone call to a girl I met on vacation in 1990.

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#255

Post by catach » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 6:58 PM UTC

criley2 wrote: post #234

908087 wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that was the case, I wouldn't expect to see so much objectively false information treated as fact and massively upvoted in subs such as /r/technology. Reddit's user base might enjoy the belief that it is technically skilled and knowledgeable, but that isn't at all the reality of the situation in my experiences.

They ARE technically knowledgeable for the 16-21 year old average demographic. Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc. You probably outgrew their age demo and realized that smart 18 year olds are still dumbasses.

> Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc.

While I think this is generally a valid point, I also suspect there's quite a bit of When in Rome effect in play. Uninformed r/Technology posters may step their game up to match the consensus style, while informed Youtube users may feel a bit of pressure to dress down.

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#256

Post by nine_k » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 7:00 PM UTC

jug wrote: post #146

tomcooks wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was not about privacy, it still isn't about privacy. It's about usability, and the flocking to Mastodon when there are better options around is the proof of this theory of mine.

Yes. It's absolutely about four simple steps: 1. Going to a mobile-first website or app. 2. Clicking a link. 3. Typing in your new e-mail and password. 4. Being able to add anyone in the world as friends. It cannot be about local "hubs" vs the global "public" / federation, being forced to make that distinction would feel like a step backwards for the users. It can be distributed in the back end, but not in the front…

I see two assumptions:

(1) Everyone's identity is their email.

(2) The person whose email you're typing in has already signed in to the service (or meta-service if it's a federation), and agrees to communicate with you.

If you squint just right, this exact thing already exists; it's called email, and adding to friends means adding to a mail list.

I wonder why there were no (known to me) attempts to actually use the email infrastructure (fast, reliable, ubiquitous, near zero-cost) to distribute social network updates. It could use a custom pretty frontend app that makes posting or reading updates easier than e.g. gmail.

(As a bonus point, the actual emails can be reasonably human-friendly, as an extra archive of all of your updates.)

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#257

Post by OldSchoolJohnny » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 7:40 PM UTC

corobo wrote: post #169

pnutjam wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anybody check out https://mewe.com

> No spying. No cookies. No data sharing. How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies? It also looks like they try to do too much. Cure-alls cure nothing (thanks for the quip, Sawbones podcast!)

> How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies?

In my mind, when I read HN comments, I assume all the people who post here know what I know and more but then there's a post that comes along that reminds me of the sheer gulf of knowledge that can exist even between people on such a speicalized site as this one.

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#258

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 8:07 PM UTC

OldSchoolJohnny wrote: post #257

corobo wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No spying. No cookies. No data sharing. How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies? It also looks like they try to do too much. Cure-alls cure nothing (thanks for the quip, Sawbones podcast!)

> How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies? In my mind, when I read HN comments, I assume all the people who post here know what I know and more but then there's a post that comes along that reminds me of the sheer gulf of knowledge that can exist even between people on such a speicalized site as this one.

[deleted]

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#259

Post by corobo » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 8:12 PM UTC

OldSchoolJohnny wrote: post #257

corobo wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No spying. No cookies. No data sharing. How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies? It also looks like they try to do too much. Cure-alls cure nothing (thanks for the quip, Sawbones podcast!)

> How do you stay logged in if there's no cookies? In my mind, when I read HN comments, I assume all the people who post here know what I know and more but then there's a post that comes along that reminds me of the sheer gulf of knowledge that can exist even between people on such a speicalized site as this one.

I'm glad I was able to bolster your ego with my plebeian mind. Have a great day :)

Re: Don’t Fix Facebook, Replace It

#260

Post by reitanqild » Thu, Apr 05, 2018, 9:05 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #157

vijaybritto wrote: post #155

"Another “alt-Facebook” could be a nonprofit that uses that status to signal its dedication to better practices, much as nonprofit hospitals and universities do" -> Honestly, I don't think this would be sustainable to function as a social network. At least I don't think it would work in a capitalist society.

I've had the same thought. Charge a small monthly fee in lieu of running ads or selling user data. Might cut down on fake/spam accounts as well. But I don't think it would work (and I'd totally work on something like this if I thought it would). People say they care about privacy, but when you present them with the option of paying $5/mo for a service that respects their privacy or using a "free" service that tracks…

I was very happy to pay USD 1 a year for WhatsApp.

I think they were already profitable by te time they sold out.

There's also other monetization options:

API access for businesses.

Premium accounts.

Etc.

And FTR: I'd gladly paid 10 times as much as WhatsApp charged if that was the price- as long as they didn't sell out to my enemies.