On The State Of (Dis)Connections – Kevin’s Meandering Thoughts

Studying Alan Levine’s submit this morning in regards to the choices we make on this social media panorama, which is at all times in shift mode to some extent, on the place we’re and the place we’d go, has me pondering my very own presence in numerous areas, and so I’m utilizing this submit to take inventory of choices or in-decisions I’ve made, or not made. It’s as a lot reflection as justification.

I suppose I’m apt to remain in a spot somewhat too lengthy when issues change on me, till it reaches the purpose of time to depart. I do know I’m not alone in that feeling. So, I’m now lastly lengthy gone from Twitter — deletion occasion — however I lingered a bit longer than I ought to have. I by no means dipped a lot into Zuck-world, a minimum of, as a result of I’ve at all times had privateness considerations about his enterprise mannequin (and I feel his website designs and interfaces utterly suck). You don’t must stop an area you by no means entered when the proprietor goes off the rails. There’s that.

Right here, then are some ideas on my present toeholds within the social world, for good or for unhealthy:

• Mastodon — I’ve had an account there for about 8 years (!!), and after the Musk takeover of Twitter, I principally shifted my presence there, and I’ve discovered it attention-grabbing — the combo of individuals could be very totally different than my previous socials, as educators are minimal however poets, photographers and tech-centered people (with principally left-leaning, progressive tendencies) populate my feed. It’s my morning house for Each day Creates and haiku prompts. But — I do know I can soar to a different federated house as an alternative of the principle Social one (heck, there may be an excellent a DS106-affiliated residence) , and I’ve not but achieved so. Why not? Undecided. Thought of it, typically. It might make sense to discover a new residence for my federated self, however right here I’m, nonetheless dancing in the principle Social stream of issues. I do help Mastodon by common donations, making an attempt to do my half to help the underlying notion of federated areas, exterior the attain of firms and billionaires.
• Blue Sky — I get Alan and others’ critique of Blue Sky, and whereas I additionally get the texture of what Twitter as soon as was as a type of consolation meals, I’m principally there as a result of that’s the place my educators associates are congregating and I like being in that blend. I’m making an attempt to withstand the urge to simply recreate Twitter there. Nevertheless, I’m considerably extra disengaged in these conversations than years in the past, and I’ve but to participate in a single chat there, though I’ve loved chats in different areas. I do fear about what the location may turn out to be, and whether or not monetization (which doesn’t occur on the Fed) is coming, and the way that can influence the tone of the location.  I’m able to bail if that point comes. (It is a distinction, too — the emotional connection to any social house has diminished to a principally transaction nature)
• My Meandering Thoughts — After I first began my weblog, I used Edublogs on advice from instructing associates who have been running a blog, and right here I stay. Occasionally, once I learn one thing from Alan or Jim Groom or others through Reclaim Internet hosting, I feel: time to tug up and transfer this residence. After which, I don’t. A part of it’s that Edublogs has been simply wonderful for me. No issues. No hassles. Only a writing place below an academic umbrella. However then once I suppose, this isn’t an area I personal myself – I’m renting my weblog right here, and why not discover my very own place? In some unspecified time in the future, I’ll in all probability make that shift. For now, although, right here I’m. My posting has modified over the previous couple of years — targeted extra on my artistic ventures and experimental inquiries, and fewer on my every day classroom instructing experiences. I’m not even positive who reads this these days, apart from my CLMOOC associates. If you happen to do, thanks.
• Write.As – – I exploit my Write.As house for poetry writing, and I’m blissful to be over there. So blissful, actually, that I maintain looking for the place the place I can kick in some donations to maintain the platform operating (and frightened about what may occur to all my poems if all of it disappears on me). I recognize the simplicity of that writing house. This jogs my memory to seek out the directions for making a PDF archive of my poems. (notice to self on that one …)
• Flickr — Like Edublogs, Flickr has lengthy been a staple of my related world, a continuing house for internet hosting and sharing images, and connecting with different individuals, too. I’ve been involved through the years when it has run into monetary troubles and gone by possession disaster, and felt reduction that the location principally runs the best way it has at all times run.
• YouTube — Gosh, I want I had been in a position to justify the price of Vimeo once I was utilizing it often however I couldn’t. I do know there’s a federated video internet hosting house, too, and I feel I even arrange account in some unspecified time in the future after which .. did little or no with it. I caught for now within the clutches of Google, resulting from familiarity and ease of use. (Is that actually nonetheless an excuse?)

I feel, basically, it’s good to be each throughout totally different sorts of platforms and nonetheless have a house, anchored, as an area to jot down and share and suppose. This weblog is that.

And one closing musing: RSS feeds are nonetheless the bomb. When all is alleged and achieved, the invention of RSS stays an important invention in social applied sciences (in my view). Discovering Alan’s submit sitting there in my RSS reader is what began me right here. So thanks to these early visionaries (at Netscape?). Which is why I featured the quote above, from Alan. To me, that’s RSS, though I do know he’s extra expansive, referring to federated areas, too.

Peace (by the strains),
Kevin