So a short while back someone told me what I wrote about Mastodon on Patreon was a more clear description than anything we have on joinmastodon.org. Is that true? Should I copy it over?
@Gargron I think the technical terms will scare the less familiar away, and the Twitter reference is a bit on the nose I would say
@Gargron
No! it's way too technical! and somewhat wandering. it serves its purpose there but it would be a terrible replacement to what's on joinmastodon, and probably only make things more overwhelming
imo
@Gargron It's too technical. I'm trying really hard to get my normie friends to use it but there's still this huge barrier for them they cannot understand. I've heard things like "when are they going to make this easy for the average person to understand?" and I'm like "does the average person understand email?" and even still it's a struggle to explain it. If anything we need to make this even easier by showing footage of Mastodon itself and show how to join.
@Gargron
It's a remarkable and concise summary, indeed.
@Gargron How about copying just the second sentence of the Patreon post, placing it above ‘Find your perfect community’ on joinmastodon.org, as an introductory sentence?
@Gargron Way too technical for joinmastodon.org imo
@Gargron nope, too technical. Current on joinmastodon is better.
@carlchenet I think maybe they meant just the last sentence but I don't know
@gargron 1/2 I strongly recommend against. I'm a developer and can appreciate the structure and implementation of elegant projects such as Mastodon, but as a user I'm interested in "what does X do for me? How do I do it? What part of the user experience differentiates X and makes it better?" Projects with technical and implementation front pages are at best navel gazing, and at worst indicate a "we don't give a shit about users" attitude. In that case I always go somewhere else.
@gargron 2/2 once I'm interested in a project and want to extend it or contribute, then I want the technical details. So an easy to find front page link to technical/contributor stuff is great. Until then, though, I don't care if something's implemented in the cloud using a combination of Rust, Go, and ActivityPub, or implemented by a band of caffeine crazed penguins on South Georgia Island using Snobol4.
@Gargron No. It’s a statement for true believers; not something that will encourage anyone looking for a Twitter/Facebook alternative.
@Gargron succinct, clear. i like.