@moh_kohn I've been on the same instance since I came here 2 years ago. I must have got very lucky, because the admin/mods are great.

@moh_kohn
This is an excellent User Experience idea IMHO. It gives users something in terms of clear value they can seek and understand (usually) and then the technical aspects like domain etc can be couched as, "How your admin keeps track of you."
I realize it's not perfect, but I love innovative framing like this. It can really turn challenges that are difficult into something simple and more approachable.

@moh_kohn Also country. As the rules in the country which something is hosted in might have an impact on moderation.

@moh_kohn I love #foss and the open web but must say I agree. Much like do-good non profits the branding isn’t right. Most people agree that Adobe is evil but the foss alternative to Photoshop is similarly named to a kind of leathered, submissive, play partner.

@moh_kohn This is, to a large extent, what you get if you go to a smaller, more focused instance. If you get on a server dedicated to a particular group or worldview or interest, one dedicated to safeguarding the interests and safety of the people in that particular group, you're likely to get an experience close to what you're looking for.

In other words, what you're asking for is, for the most part, already there. You just have to wander away from the larger instances to find it.

@moh_kohn If you want your speech micromanaged and if you want more drama, pick a smaller instance.

@moh_kohn Add "and who you trust not to read your DMs"

@moh_kohn

How on earth is any user going to know who or what is a moderator and what they're like?

It's silliness like this that puts many off. Just let people get on with their own experience and use their own nous.

@moh_kohn

Oh, I love this. That's powerful.

<3

@moh_kohn I agree, terminology matters, and Moderator would be a lot less confusing for Joe Public than 'Instance'...

@moh_kohn @KarlHeinzHasliP I would like to change it later in a way which does not orphan my history.

@moh_kohn "choose an instance" is the first thing most newbies see - it's jargon, and it's alienating. My friend stalled, asking me "what's an instance"? And "how should I choose?" Come on, y'all can be friendlier than that 😥.

And, while I now agree I should (I did) choose by quality of moderation, there's no way I'd have had the info to do that when I joined. How can people possibly know?
@inthehands

@moh_kohn first ActivityPub should evolve to support nomadic accounts, and then it should allow subscrivable moderation services.

@moh_kohn @inthehands indeed, if one starts from the technology, one’s focus, and therefore the language, is on the structure, whereas if one starts from the experience one can then focus on the relationships, which is, as you correctly mention, easier for people to see and understand

@moh_kohn

Agree 100 percent.

I'm reasonably savvy with technology, but when I joined masto I froze like a deer in the headlights when I got to that question.

@moh_kohn but an instance is more than just a moderator, it's a domain and a host as well. Where is the content hosted? Under which jurisdiction? In a 5eyes country? Who registered the domain - can you trust them with your identity?

Also, what if - as you mentioned people and power - your moderator gets forced out or quits, then what?

I've switched instances several times, it's not trivial to change instances.

@moh_kohn I like your suggestion because it emphasizes that there is a human paying the server bills and that might drive people to contribute to help paying those bills. The only problem with that is how do you learn who a moderator is before you pick one?

So much of the terminology associated with the fediverse and Mastodon is alienating to non-tech people. I believe it's a big reason that people stay on Twitter or use Bluesky.

@moh_kohn it's a great idea, reminds me of OOP and abstraction

@moh_kohn Yep. Check power literacy in any setting. That's why i went with kolektiva.social 🇵🇸 🍉

@moh_kohn Well, for better or worse, Mastodon doesn't "ask" you to pick anything since 2023. I doubt that most people have pre-conceived idea about what kind of moderation they want either. As others have pointed out, there's so much more going on than just moderation I think it would be irresponsible to frame it that way. What you're picking is a service provider, same as e-mail, ISP, or VPN, and there's just no reasonable way to do it with zero knowledge.