terencehf (u/terencehf)

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

MilnerRoute · 2 years ago

A lot of sites create "buzz" with an invite-only period. That got me wondering if there's a way you could limit enrollments to groups of people -- maybe a minimum of four? -- and have them all choose a common start time for when their accounts will first go live.

Then send out the invitations at the same time, so they all log on at the same time, so there's conversations and interaction for everybody from the get-go...

terencehf · 2 years ago

In terms of 'onboarding' or 'going-to-market', this approach was something I had considered. However, the hassle along some of my prior experiences in similar user workflows did deter me from following through.

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

TRiG_Ireland · 2 years ago

The "come and go" and "nothing lasts forever" aspects really really put me off. I have an archival personality. I frequently remember a conversation I had five years ago and look it up to re-read it. (This is also one of the many reasons I dislike Mastodon.) I chance across conversations from ten years ago and reply to them.

My first "social media" was h2g2, and everything since has been a downgrade.

terencehf · 2 years ago

If you're an archivist sort of individual, I imagine this would definitely not be your cup of tea.

For what it's worth though, If you're the poster of the thought, the post along with responses are available to you forever. They just 'die' from the point of view of the collective.

Of course, I understand this doesn't necessarily speak to your specific 'needs' but it is an overlap I kept in because I do resonate with your desired approach.

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

__void · 2 years ago

nice project, reminds me (a lot) of astrobotany on gemini

[1] gemini://astrobotany.mozz.us

[2] https://github.com/michael-lazar/astrobotany

terencehf · 2 years ago

My word, this is fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing!

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

macintosh-hd · 2 years ago

This is really cool. The volume bar doesn’t work on safari for iPhone though. Always the same volume if not muted.

I guess a way to scale this could be different gardens for different topics if the primary one starts getting too crowded?

terencehf · 2 years ago

whoops, will look into why that is and fix! thanks for pointing it out!

wrt to scaling, you're right. The idea is definitely for people/communities to start their own interest-based gardens. The 'community garden' is just meant to be a general common space and a taste of the platform, if anything.

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

badrabbit · 2 years ago

when grand claims are made such as what social media could be, I expect attention to fundamental details. Madtodon and lemmy are failing for similar reasons, they polish and reimagine existing stuff and mistake that for originality. You can succeed in 2023 without asking users email. It is more accurate to title it "this improvement of social media is nice". ,"could be" implies a holistic imagination/disruption.

But I accept your downvotes nonetheless since in my anti-email rant, I was unfair to the OP.

terencehf · 2 years ago

I agree with you, my titling was unintentionally misleading from a fair few points of view and I apologize.

I wasn't specifically trying to solve for 'digital identity' thus email wasn't something I was problematizing with this go and my 'improvements' were more to do with design context and other interactivity but I get where you're coming from, badrabbit.

I will do better!

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

nagonago · 2 years ago

Interesting idea. I've actually seen similar things over the years, even as early as 2006. Unfortunately these cute little kinds of things usually generate a bit of buzz but then die out. Hope it grows well for you though.

PS: not a fan of the clickbaity title. If it wasn't a Show HN I would have ignored it. A better title might be just what you put in the description, "A joyful slow social media", for example.

terencehf · 2 years ago

I agree with you, the title was definitely be one of my lesser moments. Apologies if it annoyed you! You're title suggestion was what it should have been. Will do better going forward!

Also, I get where you're coming from about the flash-and-fizzle nature of these kinds of projects. I do hope it grows, too. Thank you so much!

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

k1ns · 2 years ago

Really neat idea!

terencehf · 2 years ago

thank you! :D

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

g-b-r · 2 years ago

Well I don't know if I'll register but just scrolling the garden with the sound in the background is really relaxing

terencehf · 2 years ago

hey, that's good enough for me! :)

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

bbor · 2 years ago

It lists its features there - I think the minimalism is part of the point :). AFAICT it’s a microblogging platform that ties the concept of a “hot” post to a pretty little flower that grows bigger as people contribute. I don’t see support for forum stuff so I think it’s just that, with a friends list.

In my professional opinion, I think it’s cute. If I had the social energy to send a ton of “hey download this app!” texts, it could be a good way to stimulate some conversation

terencehf · 2 years ago

+1 to this! There's no friends, though, just members of individual gardens. But everything else is spot on haha!

I appreciate you, bbbor! :)

terencehf commented on Show HN: This is what social media could be bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xy... · Posted by u/terencehf

tamimio · 2 years ago

So.. this is just a visual representation of the karma/upvotes/brownie points, what’s new here?! You will still have the same upsides and downsides of the current social media.

terencehf · 2 years ago

I see where you're coming from. However, the slight shift, I think, is that nothing lasts forever or changes about the individual in an 'on-platform' way. You can't discern posts by users who came yesterday from a year ago or someone who has received a lot of responses like 'karma' would. The individual user can, of course, by tracking their 'achievements' progress but the validity or interactive nature of the thought is time-bound and 'in the moment'.

wrt to the upsides and downsides of social media, I think this is trying to provide an alternative to the, I've said this in another reply too, 'list style' design choice of most social media. In my personal opinion, I think it's a bit brutish from a design standpoint.

Along with the 'repository' that you can always go back to that makes positing feel like climbing an infinite mountain as opposed to 'theoretically' moments of potential delight that come and go.

This is definitely just a few of my subjective points about what I think Bloom addresses, but I appreciate your point of view!