Where I’m Going
In the next few weeks, maybe a month or two, I’ll be leaving Medium. Here’s why and here’s where I’m going.
I’m not reaching my audience here on Medium. The algorithm changes and screws me repeatedly. This isn’t only Medium—this is pretty much all commercial social media.
I’m out to change the world, to save the people of the world from exploitation and save our planet from climate destruction. But I must be able to REACH people to do this. Social media was a tool to do that—and the tool failed.
I’m stalled on Medium. I have no growth in followers. And slight growth in subscribers. I’ve been hovering around 3K followers for awhile. Meanwhile, on Bluesky—where I had only a few hundred until a few weeks ago, I’ve already cracked 3K followers.
Bluesky is not a profit-making corporation. It provides a genuine service, not an investment opportunity disguised as a service. I’m a little nervous about Bluesky—it’s lovely open source code, but also a genuine company which, while not for profit, could turn evil.
Meanwhile, over the last few years, I’ve quit Facebook and Twitter (and especially X, which is a noxious cesspool of hate. I’ve remained on LinkedIn—which is weird because I’m semi-retired, albeit always looking for more WordPress clients…
And I’m still on Medium, which has been—or perhaps HAD been—pretty damn good. Those days are gone.
Open Source Social Networks Where YOU Own and Control Your Data
I’m heading to the Fediverse. This isn’t an immediate complete solution. The Fediverse is a protocol allowing the sharing of social media information on a variety of applications.
The Fediverse has its own versions of Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram. You can put your WordPress blog on the Fediverse—which I’ve already done with a new version of my Saners group blog—which you can see here.
The most famous application on the Fediverse is probably Mastodon. Interestingly, Bluesky is conceptually similar, but Bluesky uses the AT Protocol and the Fediverse uses ActivityPub. They cannot talk with each other.
I’ll be staying on Bluesky until it turns bad, if that ever happens. Otherwise, I’m there to stay.
Click the link below to see a short video on the Fediverse. This video is hosted on Peer Tube—a service similar to YouTube BUT without endless commercials and spying on you.
If you are subscribed to me on Medium, or even just a follow, please sign up for my email list and become a Saner—someone committed to ending fascism and protecting the biosphere. You can do that at WeAreSaners.org.
