“Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a “hero,” because what’s a hero? But sometimes there’s a man who… well, he’s the man for his time and place!” – Sam Elliot (the Stranger) from the glorious The Big Lebowski
You know that classic quote about standing on the shoulders of giants (and pioneers)? Honestly, in so many ways, that’s how I truly feel about the good ol’ Fediverse.
So, to sum up-- who are YOUR heroes here, and what does keep you hanging on here, baby…?
EDIT: For people wondering about what kinds of ‘bumps & difficulties’ I’ve personally experienced, here’s a tiny sampler:
I like this place because it’s a work in progress and because of all its perceived imperfections.
I’m an old GenXer who remembers AOL chat rooms and Usenet. Each featured a small cluster of folks you’d talk with each day and thought of as friends. Reddit offered that kind of connection once, but now it’s become a monolith that believes its own hype. Not to mention the infestation of bots and trolls that no one cares enough to do anything about because engagement is engagement.
I’m new here so I’m still learning my way around but I like this way better. I have more control over what and who I see, the memes are fresher, and the communities feel more human.
FWIW, I’m GenX myself, BBS’s all the way! :D
I miss the old forums.
The peak of the internet.
They had their day, and I enjoyed them, but one thing I love about the Fediverse experience (patterned after Reddit of course), is that one can sample and subscribe to a super amount of divergent sources, and have it all pulled together in to one stream.
Outside of specialty forums, plus the pleasure of hanging out with online chums for years at a time, I’d argue that this method is in fact more useful and generally superior.
I miss the hanging out with the same online mates.
It occured to me when I quit Reddit that I hadn’t made a single friend on there in 10 years but made loads on the forums I used to frequent.
Haha, same. *sweat emoji*
I find the FV better in that regard though, perhaps because of the smaller userbase. So maybe size plays a role in these things.
Same age and feelings.