The Verge published an article by David Pierce on a movement called POSSE. Basically, it means that you stop posting to social media sites and/or platforms, but launch your own website, and aggregate the content to beforementioned platforms and social media.
This is how the web once started, when it became possible to have your own site. I wrote plain text files, and had a linux script add html tags and a date to them before uploading them to the internet using a dial up connection.
This is not new, people. They’re shilling old wine in new bags. In the article, they even mention a site where “you can have your own website”, as if it is anything revolutionary. (Micro.blog). The whole piece is laughable. Of course, Cory Doctorow is in it, so now flocks of sheep can follow and start paying for all of the platforms mentioned, hoping to scrape audience from said platforms and lead them to the well that is their own website. These platforms are built to prevent just that.
If you want to put in the time to create your own content, more power to you. But understand that this is not easy, and fame will probably never announce itself. And if you want to keep it fun and more or less free, go the fediverse route. Example: this wordpress site posts to mastodon automatically using a plugin. It’s that easy. No platforms needed, no irritating self proclaimed internet celebs to follow in their footsteps.
I praise owning your own stuff. I do too. But don’t sell it as a new idea. It’s silly. And it will provide false hope to people that have already realized that the creator economy is a bubble.
The link to the article is here. https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/23/23928550/posse-posting-activitypub-standard-twitter-tumblr-mastodon
