Darnell (Seize The Day)

Image Credit: @davidrevoy@framapiaf.org on Pepper & Carrot

So the Verge has an excellent interview of @zuck@threads.net by @alexheath@threads.net & the first 17 minutes of the interview are worth watching (after that it deviates into other topics).

You can read the transcript on the Verge or watch the video below, but there were a few interesting highlights.

Cultural Foundation For Threads

Meta wants to build out a foundation for Threads based on positivity according to Mark Zuckerberg.

So that's been a big part of how we've tried to emphasize and develop Threads. And, you know, over time, if you want it to be ubiquitous, you obviously want to be welcome to everyone. But I think how you seed the networks and the culture that you create there, I think, ends up being pretty important for how they scale over time.

Where with Facebook, we started with this real name culture, and it was grounded to your college email address. You know, it obviously hasn't been grounded to your college email address for a very long time, but I think the kind of real authentic identity aspect of Facebook has continued and continues to be an important part of it.

So I think how we set the culture for Threads early on in terms of being a more positive, friendly place for discussion will hopefully be one of the defining elements for the next decade as we scale it out. We obviously have a lot of work to do, but I'd say it's off to quite a good start. Obviously, there's the huge spike, and then, you know, not everyone who tried it out originally is going to stick around immediately. But I mean, the monthly active's and weekly's, I don't think we're sharing stats on it yet.

Zuckerberg declined to release official stats for Threads (so rumors of Threads stagnating might be premature), but he seems content with its size thus far as the site is only three months old.

Facebook (& Maybe Instagram) Will Never Fully Embrace The Fediverse

It looks as if my theory that Facebook (& by extension Instagram) would eventually embrace the Fediverse will probably never happen for technical reasons.

I've had our team at various times do the thought experiment of like, “Alright, what would it take to move all of Facebook onto some kind of decentralized protocol?” And it's like, “That's just not going to happen.” There's so much functionality that is on Facebook that it's way too complicated, and you can't even support all the different things, and it would just take so long, and you'd not be innovating during that time.

I think that there's value in being on one of these protocols, but it's not the only way to deliver value, so the opportunity cost of doing this massive transition is kind of this massive thing. But when you're starting from scratch, you can just design it so it can work with that. And we want to do that with this because I thought that that was one of the interesting things that's evolving around this kind of Twitter competitive space, and there's a real ecosystem around that, and I think it's interesting.

Ironically Threads messaging will be powered by Instagram, but Instagram itself will probably not fully embrace ActivityPub. This probably means platforms like Pixelfed will face no direct competition within the Fediverse from Meta.

Build The Best ActivityPub App (Threads By Meta)

Meta does intend to build the best ActivityPub on Earth & challenge platforms like Minds, Mastodon, & Misskey (the “3 M’s”) for the Fediverse crown.

Well, I guess my view is that the more that there's interoperability between different services and the more content can flow, the better all the services can be. And I guess I'm just confident enough that we can build the best one of the services, that I actually think that we'll benefit and we'll be able to build better quality products by making sure that we can have access to all of the different content from wherever anyone is creating it.

Threads has the resources to build the best ActivityPub app, but the question is whether they can convince the masses to use their platform over rival services (most of whom are open source).

My prediction: Threads will help bring the Fediverse to the mainstream, but most governments, companies, geeks, celebrities, etcetera, will eventually choose to host their own content on domains or servers that they control.

I do believe Threads will probably reach 100 million active users over the years, but my money is on Automattic will end up dominating the Fediverse in the future via WordPress & Tumblr (fun fact: Tumblr is larger than Threads right now).

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Image Credit: Misskey

Real Sound was able to interview @syuilo@misskey.io (creator & founder of Misskey) & @AureoleArk@misskey.io (who operates Misskey.io & is in charge of infrastructure).

The interview was lengthy, but it was fascinating to read what the minds behind Misskey have in store for the software, as well as the cost of running Misskey (software as well as the server).

This (translated) part caught my attention regarding the cost of running Misskey.

syuilo: Well, with the number of users rapidly increasing, how to monetize it is an urgent issue. This applies to both the io management side and the Misskey development side. For the former, we are currently implementing features that will make it easier to monetize Misskey without significantly impairing user convenience. Regarding the latter, I feel that it is more difficult to solve the problem because developers have limited monetization methods compared to operators. Currently, we rely on support from users, but there are limits to that alone.

Mastodon, which is also an OSS, has many sponsors and has become a corporation, so if Misskey can become like that, it will be able to financially support other developers, so we are looking for a better way. I want to.

Mr. Murakami: Regarding io, currently (August 2023) server costs are around 2 million yen per month, and this is expected to come down to around 500,000 yen per month in the future through optimization. In addition to my own pocket money, I have been able to raise money mainly from support from users. io has experienced rapid increases and decreases in users, so its design is very scalable, and the number of servers increases or decreases according to the number of users, but currently the server cost is 1.5% per the number of users. Since we are receiving twice or twice as much support, we expect that we will be able to maintain operations if we cut costs. (...)

Murakami: Currently, we have an advertising system, but it only appears once when you load the timeline. Therefore, the number of times you see it as a mechanism is quite low. Advertising revenue is less than 1/10 of the server cost, so we don't expect it to be a source of income. Also, considering the feelings of users who have migrated from X, I don't think it would be beneficial for users to increase advertisements excessively. There are many users who have “escaped” to io from profit-oriented platforms, and I think they feel like “I don't mind paying money to get rid of the ads.” I think these people have a good impression of Misskey and io's management philosophy and are supporting us. (Real Sound)

I knew Misskey was attempting to offset the cost of operating Misskey, but I did not realize just how expensive it was to run an instance.

For those unfamiliar with the Japanese Yen, ¥‎2,000,000 ≈ $13,530! To put things into perspective, it would be cheaper to rent an apartment in New York City or Los Angeles (potentially combined) than to run Misskey. Fortunately they plan on reducing the cost fourfold to ¥‎500,000 per month (or about $3,383) which is manageable.

Even though I do not mind the ads posted on Misskey’s flagship instance (as they are not intrusive), I am glad they are actively seeking ways to move away from the advertising business model.

As far as the future of Misskey goes, the creator & contributors have some significant plans for the platform.

Murakami: I'm happy to say that there are a lot of creators among Misskey's core users. Since we have a lot of composers and illustrators, we would like to implement features that will please these users. There are many people who are active in areas such as VR and Metaverse, so if you are an expert in these areas, please come and visit io with Misskey.

syuilo: Lastly, if you are interested, please try using Misskey. I hope you will come into contact with Fediverse through Misskey and experience the Internet, which may become major in the future. (Real Sound)

When it comes to Virtual Reality (VR), only one prominent instance by the name of Counter Social (a de-federated Mastodon variant) has embraced VR as a feature.

Aptly named Counter Realms, these virtual rooms are based on Mozilla Hubs. The Misskey team might want to explore what Counter Social is doing to help visualize how VR would work best within Misskey.

For those wondering why VR should even be considered an option, I suspect Apple’s Augmented Reality (AR) “ski goggles” (also known as Vision Pro) might popularize VR / AR amongst the affluent masses.

Note: For those with generous pockets, you can support Misskey over here.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Okay, so I am not blaming Meta for this mistake (or even Instagram), but to prevent people from searching out offensive words in English, Threads has filtered out search results for the country Niger when it is typed by itself.

If you are wondering why I am searching posts about Niger, the country experienced a coup about a month ago, & Nigeria via ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) was willing to wage war to restore democracy (Nigeria’s Senate wisely rejected war).

Searching for Niger coup returns results, & as long as you attach another word, Threads will reveal search results about Niger.

I understand why @threads@threads.net filtered out Niger, although I wonder if the company will make an exception as the country was considered a critical ally for Western nations‽

Update: After reporting this to Threads, they removed the filter for Niger!

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Image Credit: Via Jewish Colorado & ADL

Forget the Fediverse being a credible threat to X (formally Twitter)! Allegedly, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is killing off the company (at least according to Elon Musk).

Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter! (Via Elon Musk on X)

To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony! (Elon Musk on X)

Interesting.

In our case, they would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion. (Elon Musk on X)

Based on what we’ve heard from advertisers, ADL seems to be responsible for most of our revenue loss.

Giving them maximum benefit of the doubt, I don’t see any scenario where they’re responsible for less than 10% of the value destruction, so ~$4 billion.

Document discovery of all communications between The ADL and advertisers will tell the full story. (Elon Musk on X)

Advertisers avoid controversy, so all that is needed for ADL to crush our US & European ad revenue is to make unfounded accusations. They have much less power in Asia, so our ad revenue there is still strong.

This “controversy” causes advertisers to “pause”, but that pause is permanent until ADL gives the green light, which they will not do without us agreeing to secretly suspend or shadowban any account they don’t like.

That is the relationship they’ve had with X/Twitter for many years. Presumably, they have that with all western search or social media orgs. (Elon Musk on X)

For the sake of argument, let us assume that ADL is annihilating X. If this is the case, then why does Elon Musk tolerate ADL using X‽ Musk has embraced banning ADL on X but has never followed through with that threat.

Elon Musk’s actions demonstrate fear of the anti-hate organization, as he can remove ADL from X but hesitates. Compare & contrast that with Mark Zuckerberg, who used Meta’s power to silence two governments who threatened revenue streams on Facebook & Instagram & came out victorious against one of them.

Originally published on February 17, 2021 at 10:31AM PT:

In response to Australia’s proposed new Media Bargaining law, Facebook will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content.

Update on February 22, 2021 at 8:20PM PT:

We’re pleased that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with the Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions we’ve had with Treasurer Frydenberg and Minister Fletcher over the past week. We have consistently supported a framework that would encourage innovation and collaboration between online platforms and publishers. After further discussions, we are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them. As a result of these changes, we can now work to further our investment in public interest journalism and restore news on Facebook for Australians in the coming days. (Meta Newsroom)

Image Credit: Patrick Lamontagne, discovered via Peak

Zuckerberg is employing the same strategy against Canada right now to protect Meta’s revenue streams.

In order to comply with the Online News Act, we have begun the process of ending news availability in Canada. These changes start today, and will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks. (...)

News publishers and broadcasters outside of Canada will continue to be able to post news links and content, however, that content will not be viewable by people in Canada. (Meta Newsroom)

Ironically, Elon Musk has posted about how Facebook is allegedly caving to various anti-hate groups to show how much power they have in the advertising industry. Still, he missed this key sentence in this long paragraph (provided for context).

It remains to be seen whether Facebook will really be dented, either financially or as a brand. The company declined to comment for this article except to point to a statement issued in response to the boycott, saying Facebook “invest[s] billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work[s] with outside experts to review and update our policies,” and that it is taking steps to address hate. The statement added, “we know we have more work to do.” So far, the company hasn’t made major concessions, though. And while its stock price has dipped sharply, Zuckerberg — who has long defended the platform as a space for free expression — reportedly has said advertisers would be back “soon enough.” Analysts likewise say Facebook can weather the storm; most of its ads come from small and medium-size buyers, not the large corporations making boycott headlines, and Bloomberg researchers predicted Monday that the boycotts could cost Facebook only $250 million in ad sales — a sliver of the company’s $77 billion in annual revenue. (Via Politico, Note: Emphasis mine)

Say what you want about Zuckerberg, but he knows how to eliminate threats to his Meta Empire via international ban hammers or placating foes via no-action press releases.

Elon Musk, on the other hand, whines about the abuse ADL applies on X, & tries to whip up a social frenzy, which ultimately benefits ADL (as it makes the organization even more popular amongst progressives).

Elon Musk’s ad revenues are crashing right now, & his solution is to spend money on lawyers (who are expensive) to “silence” ADL in a courtroom who will predictively side with the latter‽

It appears to be an odd strategy unless Elon Musk is seeking a way of blaming X’s failures on an outsider (via bankruptcy perhaps‽) to justify renegotiating X’s pending debts.

Discovered via: Forbes

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Image Credit: Created by the hilarious PizzaCake (Feel free to support her on Patreon)

Meta is getting desperate & is now promoting their X killer on Instagram.

Meta is continuously experimenting with features to bump up engagement on Threads, which has fallen off after the initial rush of excitement and installs. In the latest test, the company is showing a carousel of suggested Threads posts on the Instagram app.

As noted by many users across the world, Instagram is now showing a “For you on Threads” carousel with a button to open the app directly on your phone. (...)

Last week, Meta officially introduced Threads on the web with features like the ability to quote posts still missing. This was a highly anticipated launch to encourage frequent posters to be more active from their desktop. Data from analytics company Similarweb suggests that until now, that move hasn’t brought in a ton of users. After the launch, week-over-week user gains in the U.S. (+133,400) were larger than the dip in active app users (-82,400), but this could be a result of existing users switching from mobile to desktop. (TechCrunch)

This is not an excellent look for Meta, as Threads is a shadow of its former self when the site rocketed past 100 million users months ago.

So why is Threads doing so poorly‽ My theory is that Threads has underwhelmed users (both geeks & non-geeks) who expected a shiny, fully developed toy boasting many (if not most) of the features seen in X or Instagram.

The bare-bones first experience of Threads underwhelmed many newcomers, & most probably returned to X or Instagram to get their micro-blogging fix. The only silver lining is that Threads helped popularize the philosophy of the Fediverse to the masses, which might explain why Mastodon, Misskey, Pixelfed have seen recent increases in signups recently (at least according to FediDB).

Can Threads Get It’s Groove Back‽

Potentially, yes. However, Threads will need powerful incentives to entice current Instagram users to take a second look at Threads again. I guess that Threads will heavily lean upon Instagram’s infrastructure (beyond direct messages), & Threads live streaming will be powered by Instagram.

Threads could also introduce audio posts (a feature not exactly supported by Instagram) to entice podcasters to sign up, & have their thread podcasts automatically cross-posted to Instagram.

I do believe that Threads will receive a second wind once they open up to nation states within the European Union, but aside from X, I believe Threads biggest rival will be a pending Fediverse entrant who goes by the name of Tumblr.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

The Mastodon variant known as Truth Social has served as Donald Trump’s virtual vent-fest for almost two years now.

However, its existence could be coming to an end as early as next week.

Under the terms of the deal, announced in October 2021, Trump’s Trump Media & Technology Group was destined to merge with Digital World Acquisition Corp, a special-purpose acquisition company, or Spac.

But shareholders in Digital World are now being asked to give the company another year to complete the deal. If they refuse to do so at a meeting on 8 September, the enterprise may never become the $1.7bn company it once envisioned. (...)

If shareholders fail to approve an extension, Digital World will be required to liquidate and return $300m it raised, leaving Trump’s Trump Media & Technology Group with nothing from the transaction. (The Guardian)

Although de-federated, Truth Social is a top 30 instance, & its size is second to Minds by user registration count.

But if Truth Social shuts down due to fiscal reasons, where will millions of those users go‽ Which instance online would tolerate millions of Trump fans uttering nonsense into cyberspace‽

While Brighteon (a de-federated Mastodon variant) & Minds (who recently entered the Fediverse) would be logical guesses, I suspect most of Donald’s devoted fans will follow Trump upon X (formally known as Twitter.

Image Credit: Nick Anderson on Reform Austin

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

I am excited to see that @syuilo@misskey.io (the founder of Misskey is finally considering an official Misskey app for iOS.

資金調達してMisskeyのiOSアプリ作りたいわね Google Translation: I want to raise funds to make a Misskey iOS app (Syuilo on Misskey)

Currently, there are several Misskey apps for iOS available, including:

• MissCat by @wada@misskey.io
• Kimis by @launchctl@social.qaq.wiki (which I posted earlier about)
• Miria by @shiosyakeyakini@misskey.io
• MissRirica by @fruitriin@misskey.io (my personal favorite Misskey App))
• SoraSNS by @me@sns.mszpro.com (the app supports Mastodon & Misskey, but I have not had any success connecting with the latter).

I believe an official Misskey app will make it easier for new users to search & install it on their iDevices, & once people become better accustomed to Misskey, they will naturally seek out more powerful third-party apps (similar to what has happened with Mastodon’s official app).

While the pending Misskey app will probably be free, creating it will not be free as Syuilo needs generous donors to help offset the cost of development, testing & navigating through Apple’s notorious walled garden (also known as the App Store).

Note: I am not aware of an official page to raise funds for the future iPhone app, but if you feel generous, you can donate to Misskey & let Syuilo know the funds are for the official iOS app.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Known to haters as a crypto spam, free speech hell site, Minds is attempting to become the center of the decentralized universe by embracing Nostr, Matrix, & ActivityPub.

Although Minds has successfully integrated Nostr & Matrix, they seem to be struggling with ActivityPub, as they were supposed to join the Fediverse in 2021.

We are already federated with Matrix. Activitypub coming 2021. https://t.co/ObmLyWFI74

— Minds? (@minds) June 30, 2021

Note: Screenshot just in case X goes down again.

Minds is seemingly struggling with activating ActivityPub, as there have been offers on Replit for assistance & they allegedly tried to recruit the legendary founder of Pixelfed, @dansup@mastodon.social for help (Dan “oh so eloquently” declined).

Minds is “partially” in the Fediverse already, as searching for Minds user handles within your favorite Fediverse app is possible (try searching for @darnellclayton@minds.com).

However, the “functionality” (or rather discoverability) is the same for instances that de-federated in the past, like Counter Social (search for @darnell@counter.social).

Minds is scheduled to join the Fediverse in September. However, if Minds is successful, they could become the number one instance in the Fediverse.

Minds, the crypto social network with a focus on encryption and privacy, has raised $10 million from the tech freedom organization Futo. (...)

New York-based Minds is a crypto social network with an instant messaging chat app that lets people communicate with each other in real time. It has grown to more than 14 million since it received a funding round in October 2018. (VentureBeat)

If you could ignore the free speech hellscape that the site is (in)famous for, Minds does offer several features that would appeal to most people (especially premium users), like the ability to upload high-definition videos (up to 95 minutes for plus accounts), & custom domain support (latter is a pricy pro feature).

However, if Minds can activate ActivityPub next month, I suspect they will probably be blocked by numerous instance admins based on Minds moderation rules.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

During an exchange between @mossbergwalt@threads.net & @mosseri@threads.net (the latter is CEO of Instagram & Threads), it was revealed that the Threads team is leaning towards integrating Instagram Direct Messages into Threads.

Getting closer and closer to quitting Twitter. My time there is already down 90%, and I’ve been active here, in hopes this will be the new place for me. The only things stopping me from exiting are:

1. Concern that somebody will then assume my longtime Twitter handle and use it to post vile things.

2. Waiting to see if @mosseri and team build out features on Threads like DMs, editing posts, + more and that they demonstrate gutsy content moderation, clearing out any trolls, bigots, etc. (Mossbergwalt on Threads)

Not sure about DMs, might make more sense to more tightly integrate into Instagram than build yet another inbox, but definitely working on editing posts, moderation, web (this week!) and others... (Mosseri on Threads)

This is a big deal, especially considering that in the Fediverse, anyone can send a direct message to another server or domain, even if different platforms power them.

If Instagram is powering Threads direct messages, then it means that any Instagram account could theoretically send a private message to a Mastodon, Misskey, Pixelfed account & vice versa.

Does that mean that Meta will baptize Instagram into the Fediverse‽ It is probably too early to tell. But we should not be surprised if Instagram eventually embraces ActivityPub in the not so distant future.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

🕺🏾 Follow my adventures upon: 👉🏾 @darnell@one.darnell.one 🐘 (Mastodon) 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.moe 🦁 (Misskey) 👉🏾 @darnell@threads.net 🧵 (Threads)

🦹🏾‍♂️ Other digital havens: 👉🏾 @darnell@darnell.app 📸 (Pixelfed) 👉🏾 @darnelltv@darnell.tv 👨🏾‍💻 (WordPress) 👉🏾 @darnell@counter.social 🥷🏾 (Counter Social)

Props to @ryohtarohsatoh@twitter.com for reporting on this earlier in the month! Misskey creator @syuilo@misskey.io is forming a company to help raise & manage funds to keep the Misskey project alive.

Misskey, a volunteer-supported social networking platform seeking to challenge Twitter, says it will form a limited company this month in a bid to improve efficiency and management as it struggles to keep up with rapid user growth.

Yoshiki Eto, an administrator of one of Misskey's major servers, and president of the new company, confirmed the plan to Nikkei Asia. The company will be named MisskeyHQ. The developer of the project, Eiji Shinoda, will also serve as a director. (...)

Eto says the limited company will aim to generate revenue through such means as selling software that makes it easier to set up a new server on Misskey. It will also consider selling merchandise. Misskey.io is currently bringing in tens of thousands of dollars a month in donations. (Nikkei Asia)

While I was listening to the podcast video (featured below), I was shocked to know that the administrator of Misskey.io (I assume he is referring to Syuilo) sacrificed funds saved up for a new house to keep Misskey alive (around the 3:40 mark) & almost went bankrupt!

Note: Please consider donating to Syuilo via Paypal or Patreon if you have any cash to spare (more donation options are available). I donate $10 a month, although those funds go to keep the flagship instance Misskey.io alive.

Syuilo had previously registered/trademarked Misskey in July, which, in hindsight, makes sense now that Misskey seeks to form a company.

As far as new revenue options go, selling software to automate setup (& perhaps updates) for Misskey is okay. However, I do think Misskey should offer managed hosting services as that might be attractive to businesses in Japan seeking to exit X (formally known as Twitter).

Currently, 12vpx is the only notable company that offers managed hosting options for Misskey (at least outside of Japan), & the Fediverse needs more hosting companies to provide Misskey as an alternative platform (note: I host my solo Misskey instance on 12vpx’s servers).

Perhaps if Misskey offered plans ranging from $10 (approximately ¥‎1,454) per month to even $50 (about ¥‎7,270) per month, they could generate enough revenue to not only keep their flagship instance alive but also pay a small fee to the main contributors, moderators & staff at Misskey HQ as well.

👨🏾‍💻 by Darnell Clayton 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day

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