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Let's put social back into network.


Here's what I've been missing on social networks, and how I wish this place to be different:

Being approached with displayed curiosity and open-mindedness, shining through open-ended questions. The ability to disagree in compassionate ways, if temporarily necessary. Encounters with human beings on eye-level. Instead of opinion-despensing 'somethings'.

That others' words and actions are not only influenced by whatever I deem to be highest priority or urgency at this very moment in time. Last not least, that even face-to-face communication is more likely to fail than succeed (how I love these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiio%27s_laws )

Ultimately: acting from an understanding that life on this rock is a massive multiplayer co-op game. That every word and every action by everyone at every point in time shifts the balance between building a mental bridge or a wall. And that the only time we can actually do something is, has always been and will always be: NOW.

Choose your words wisely, you're more responsible than you think you are. I'd like to invite you to think about it. Nothing more, nothing less. Because imho - the first step to change is awareness. Despite often feeling like 'not enough' or worse: nothing.

Supporting Felix with this Friendica instance and whatever things to come, this is the common ground on which I'd like to connect to you. To me, it's implicitly filed under 'common sense': the understanding that I can not, neither want to, sustainably exist in a vacuum. Personally, I'm also trying to stick to non-violent, non-judgemental communication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_Communication

It's already challenging to wrap this up in a way serving this instance as set of whatever you want to call it. I certainly regard calls-to-action and living-by-example more promising than not-to-do-lists.

Any thoughts, ideas, comments?

Otherwise: have this happy bird :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC4I65VIoeE

This entry was edited (3 years ago)


New network - then what?


Hm. What do you dislike about the coorporate social networks? What do you wish would be different here? We've got the chance to make a difference - but it'll only happen consciously. So - then what now?
This entry was edited (3 years ago)
in reply to Ronny Pries

Regarding software vs purpose: groups have a purpose. A timeline has a purpose. I'm not attached to the way Facebook does these things, in fact quite a few aspects there are anti-features to me (as detailed above). But that doesn't mean the idea itself is useless.
Apart from that I think friendica already has too many features in a few areas (why have categories AND tags? Like AND star? Subjects for private messages?) and would remove those in my own approach