The only way to beat social media algorithms is to get your audience off social media. Put your work on your own site. Retrain them to follow via RSS.
Small little tools like SubToMe.com might help a bit on the RSS/following front. Making the user interface simple and elegant will pull people back in to a healthier web.
I typically post all of my replies on my own website anyway, but I’ve discovered that the comment functionality on your blog isn’t working.
Thanks for the head’s up. Comments fixed on my site. Will also be sure to include subtome.com in the follow-up “how to use a feed reader” post coming hopefully within a week.
I was going to reply there as well, Kiri, but I also feel that there should be no need to require yet another centralized platform for this action. So what if someone tells you that there is another kind to like, share or subscribe that can also make use of RSS but goes way beyond?
Great article btw. I also have some version that even Wayback Machine can no longer recover. I’ve a backup on CD but no reader want’s to read it any more – probably better this way
I’m finding that decentralised comments, while nice in principle, are harder to understand and even harder to implement for a layperson. I was not familiar with the IndieWeb movement before this and after skimming some materials, I find it really interesting but also not particularly accessible to people who aren’t technically inclined. If convenience and ease-of-use is the main obstacle for conversion, it will always be an uphill battle again centralised platforms. I’m hopeful that things can improve on all fronts, but even though I don’t consider myself a layperson re: tech, I’m finding IndieWeb a bit intimidating.
Kiri, IndieWeb is both wide and deep to be sure. But you’ve already got a domain name and your own site, so you’re pretty much already there. Adding a few small building block pieces like Webmention, Micropub, or IndieAuth can be nice additional gravy. Fortunately for a growing number of platforms doing these things are becoming as easy as adding a plugin or following a few tutorials. The more technically inclined are slowly rounding off the corners and CMSes like WithKnown have either built in support or one could go with an inexpensive all-in-one hosted solution like micro.blog (where there is a burgeoning group of fellow pen enthusiasts, btw) if you don’t want to tinker with the maintenance.
If you have questions about it, I’m happy to help, or there’s always the IndieWeb chat: https://chat.indieweb.org/indieweb/. I’ve also written a lot about the topic, especially as it relates to WordPress, which I see you’re using: https://boffosocko.com/research/indieweb/.
I do think it would be interesting to expand the use case pages out to include IndieWeb use cases for a broader range of artists in addition to some of the material that is there for writers and musicians. Ideally, it’s better for people to simply use the technology and not have to build and maintain it all so that they have more time for focusing on and working at their art. I can tell from your website you’re obviously capable of both!
I was going to reply there as well, Kiri, but I also feel that there should be no need to require yet another centralized platform for this action. So what if someone tells you that there is another kind to like, share or subscribe that can also make use of RSS but goes way beyond?
Great article btw. I also have some version that even Wayback Machine can no longer recover. I’ve a backup on CD but no reader want’s to read it any more – probably better this way