There are over 8K LoC for Pixelfed Groups atm, and that will likely double in the coming months (mobile apps, federation, etc...)
It's the most complex feature we've ever shipped, and we've pioneered several mod and safety tools to enable the best experience across Pixelfed instances
Rest assured, I will show the fediverse how it's done 💅
One more thing, not only am I releasing Pixelfed Groups but also an api spec and open source groups mobile app that will be compatible with any server that implements the simple api spec!
The api spec is different from the fediverse spec, and we aim to be compatible with other implementations!
A dedicated Groups app with multiple account support, push notifications and share extensions will go a long way to help standardize the experience.
Pixelfed Groups has a feature called SlowJoin mode that allows you to define fine-grained permission limits for several actions.
In addition, all group activities from users, mods and admins are logged in an easy to browse Interaction Log. Should you need to apply limits to a specific member, you can limit most actions on the member tab!
We pioneered the concept of cross group moderation in 2021, and are in the final stages of implementation.
Facebook has certainly become a dumpster of #ai generated ”science” groups that are just honeypots for tinfoil sites.
However, these operators fool the algorithm into thinking it’s important precisely by putting on the front lies that the science-minded will want to correct, but enough will support because it fits their confirmation bias. This promotes a fight.
It’s like an industry repeating the pattern of antivaxx groups in mid 2010’s. 🤦♂️
A #Fediverse#tip that I’ve only discovered recently (and from what I see is not very used yet): #groups through Guppe.
While full-blown groups aren’t supported yet (at least not on any ActivityPub implementations I know of), you can join/create groups on the fly by following @some-group@a.gup.pe.
If the group already exists, you’ll join it. Otherwise, it’ll be created.
Then just tag @some-group@a.gup.pe in a post that you want to submit to a group, and it’ll be broadcast to anyone who follows the Guppe account.
If you haven't heard, sadly, #ChirpSocial, one of the popular #ActivityPub “groups” platform, is shutting down “probably” on February 29th.
In an email they sent to admins, the owner and developer can no longer support https://chirp.social financially as they failed to find a new job after they were laid off by #Google last year.
This reminds us the importance of having a built-in groups feature, and one where the groups feature actually federates.
Back in 2008, when the #Fediverse was born, we did have a built-in federated groups in #Laconica / #StatusNet (today known as #GNUsocial). We used bang (!) instead of at (@). A built-in groups feature is more stable as established instances can host them.
Today, we have #Friendica and #Hubzilla (as well as #Streams-based instances) to fill in that, as groups is a built-in feature in those software products. It's just a matter of finding an instance that's open to hosting groups for any topic for the ActivityPub protocol.
That said, any Friendica, Hubzilla, Streams-based instances you suggest for groups?
The still on-going #spam wave shows that we desperately need real #groups on Mastodon, i.e. groups with admins that can add and remove users from the group. guppe-groups are easy prey for the spammers and make using Mastodon a real pain these days.
Why can't i create a new group when i click on that #button for the #groups
I get the message that i have no #access to that (but i am the admin of the server)
[The]…need to belong…can drive people to become members of groups. If the container is strong, all is well and good. But when the group lacks…authenticity, people may…refuse to acknowledge the differences between them. This cannot go on forever and so the group either becomes authoritarian and expels its doubters and heretics, or it fragments into cliques until the pressures become too great and the entire group breaks apart.
—F. David Peat, Return of the Sacred: Seven Encounters between Science, the Arts, and the Sacred #groups