I read something recently that gave me food for thought. An alternative has to be 10x better for people to switch; and the core experience is what convinces people, not cool extra features.
I don't know how universally applicable it is, but I wonder how Mastodon stacks up in that. Personally I think it's 10x better, but is it really? Or more importantly, are we communicating clearly that it is?
@Gargron I think instance selection is a huge roadblock.
Keep laughing, but: dynamically generated instances as a default sign up, including a dynamically generated cute name and logo. Once the person count hits Dunbar's number, a new instance automatically spins up.
Pooling new people together gives them the opportunity to meet each other and create their own culture.
Of course this would just be a default option for someone who doesn't already have a specific instance in mind.
@mhu2141ai @Gargron yes, centralization is a point of concern. Maybe the new auto-generated instances could expire and force people elsewhere after a time limit.
My concern is that the onboarding process is simply too arduous for all but elite or highly motivated people.
@kai (this is a pretty low value of "wtf they're doing" imo -- communication platforms like IRC that used to be pretty damn common require way more, and I still had no real trouble as a 13 y/o figuring out how to use them)
