Here are some web trends for 2020:
Responsive web design in 2020 should be a given because every serious project that you create should look good and be completely usable on all devices. But there’s no need to over-complicate things.
Web Development in 2020: What Coding Tools You Should Learn article gives an overview of recommendations what you learn to become a web developer in 2020.
You might have seen Web 3.0 on some slides. What is the definition of web 3 we are talking about here?
There seems to be many different to choose from… Some claim that you need to blockchain the cloud IOT otherwise you’ll just get a stack overflow in the mainframe but I don’t agree on that.
Information on the web address bar will be reduced on some web browsers. With the release of Chrome 79, Google completes its goal of erasing www from the browser by no longer allowing Chrome users to automatically show the www trivial subdomain in the address bar.
You still should target to build quality web site and avoid the signs of a low-quality web site. Get good inspiration for your web site design.
Still a clear and logical structure is the first thing that needs to be turned over in mind before the work on the website gears up. The website structure for search robots is its internal links. The more links go to a page, the higher its priority within the website, and the more times the search engine crawls it.
You should upgrade your web site, but you need to do it sensibly and well. Remember that a site upgrade can ruin your search engine visibility if you do it badly. The biggest risk to your site getting free search engine visibility is site redesign. Bad technology selection can ruin the visibility of a new site months before launch. Many new sites built on JavaScript application frameworks do not benefit in any way from the new technologies. Before you go into this bandwagon, you should think critically about whether your site will benefit from the dynamic capabilities of these technologies more than they can damage your search engine visibility. Well built redirects can help you keep the most outbound links after site changes.
If you go to the JavaScript framework route on your web site, keep in mind that there are many to choose, and you need to choose carefully to find one that fits for your needs and is actively developed also in the future.
JavaScript survey: Devs love a bit of React, but Angular and Cordova declining. And you’re not alone… a chunk of pros also feel JS is ‘overly complex’
Keep in mind the recent changes on the video players and Google analytics. And for animated content keep in mind that GIF animations exists still as a potential tool to use.
Keep in mind the the security. There is a skill gap in security for many. I’m not going to say anything that anyone who runs a public-facing web server doesn’t already know: the majority of these automated blind requests are for WordPress directories and files. PHP exploits are a distant second. And there are many other things that are automatically attacked. Test your site with security scanners.
APIs now account for 40% of the attack surface for all web-enabled apps. OWASP has identified 10 areas where enterprises can lower that risk. There are many vulnerability scanning tools available. Check also How to prepare and use Docker for web pentest . Mozilla has a nice on-line tool for web site security scanning.
The slow death of Flash continues. If you still use Flash, say goodbye to it. Google says goodbye to Flash, will stop indexing Flash content in search.
Use HTTPS on your site because without it your site rating will drop on search engines visibility. It is nowadays easy to get HTTPS certificates.
Write good content and avoid publishing fake news on your site. Finland is winning the war on fake news. What it’s learned may be crucial to Western democracy,
Think to who you are aiming to your business web site to. Analyze who is your “true visitor” or “power user”. A true visitor is a visitor to a website who shows a genuine interest in the content of the site. True visitors are the people who should get more of your site and have the potential to increase the sales and impact of your business. The content that your business offers is intended to attract visitors who are interested in it. When they show their interest, they are also very likely to be the target group of the company.
Should you think of your content management system (CMS) choice? Flexibility, efficiency, better content creation: these are just some of the promised benefits of a new CMS. Here is How to convince your developers to change CMS.
Here are some fun for the end:
Did you know that if a spider creates a web at a place?
The place is called a website
Confession: How JavaScript was made.
2,297 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://appsumo.com/products/writeseed-ai-content-writer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/tekoaly/kuka-nakyy-somessa-laura-savolainen-tutkii-ihmisten-algoritmeja-koskevia-uskomuksia-ja-digialustojen-tapaa-suositella-sisaltoja?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMAABHXopQsrFEK-B25WdzB0jz6vi8-jbqjcQa_VQmoc1cQGlx2SDcdU6z4A93w_aem_BZTFhjHt15yrD6bWc1OSnQ&utm_id=6269152586996&utm_term=6269154841396
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.fraktio.fi/blogi/remix-framework-askel-taaksep%C3%A4in
Remix-framework – askel taaksepäin
TL;DR
Kautta aikain web-kehitys on rakentunut web-standardien päälle.
JavaScriptin myötä sisältöä voitiin luoda ja muuttaa dynaamisesti lataamatta sivua uudelleen. Samalla hylättiin web-standardeihin jo toteutetut tavat tehdä kyseiset asiat.
Hakukoneet eivät tykänneet tästä, eivätkä myöskään korkean suorituskyvyn vaativat palvelut, sillä nyt samat asiat piti suorittaa käyttäjän selaimessa.
Web-kehityksessä palattiin palvelinpohjaiseen malliin, jolloin käyttäjän selaimessa suoritettavaa koodia oli vähemmän. Tämä parantaa suorituskykyä ja saavutettavuutta verrattuna pelkästään JavaScript-pohjaisiin ratkaisuihin.
Remix on paluu takaisin web-kehityksen juurille. Remix noudattaa web-standardeja, vähentää ylläpidettävää koodia ja toimii alustariippumattomasti.
Remix tarjoaa paremman kehityskokemuksen kuin esimerkiksi Next.js keskittyen taaksepäinyhteensopivuuteen ja yksinkertaisuuteen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hurja.fi/palvelut/maksuton-verkkosivujen-testaus/
https://appsumo.com/products/writeseed-ai-content-writer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cookieinformation.com/resources/blog/is-the-meta-pixel-gdpr-compliant/?utm_medium=paid+social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=EUR_SE_SV+-+Social+-+Funnel+-+Meta+Pixel+Blog+Post&hsa_acc=5198699070178710&hsa_cam=120212831186770242&hsa_grp=120212831213810242&hsa_ad=120212831213800242&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3&utm_id=120212831186770242&utm_content=120212831213800242&utm_term=120212831213810242
Tomi Engdahl says:
In 2019, Facebook (now Meta) developed a feature for the Facebook Pixel called Automatic Advanced Matching (AAM). The website owner states that they activated the AAM feature by mistake, which is the main reason their website unlawfully transferred that “huge” amount of personal data to Facebook/Meta, including social security numbers, bank account numbers, and other highly sensitive information.
The website owner also activated a Meta Pixel feature called Automatic Events. Also this was done “by mistake”.
While the company had approved its marketing department’s use of the Facebook Pixel, which was implemented after an internal security and compliance process, it had not approved the AAM or AE features.
The marketing department later asked the legal department for approval to use the specific AAM feature for the Meta Pixel, which the latter denied. Despite this, someone had turned on the AAM feature.
What does Meta’s AAM feature do?
The AAM (Advanced Automatic Matching) feature enables a website that uses the Meta Pixel to automatically collect visitors’ data and match them with users on their platforms—Facebook and/or Instagram.
If you use a form on your website, AAM collects form-data like email addresses and phone numbers and sends this to Facebook/Instagram. The data is hashed for security reasons before it is transferred.
The purpose is to track and profile visitors so that your ads can be more accurate and effective.
The AE (Automatic Events) feature enables a website that uses the Meta Pixel to automatically track user interactions, such as button clicks, searches, and menu selections.
What happened when the website owner activated the Meta Pixel?
When the website owner, in this case unknowingly, activated the AAM and AE features, they ended up sharing personal information with Meta en masse.
Did every website visitor risk getting their personal information transferred to Meta?
No, “only” those who had consented to marketing cookies on the site and had logged into the site got their movement tracked by the Meta Pixel and their personal data shipped to Meta.
With one exception.
Some buttons for certain forms on the website were bare for all visitors, targeting visitors who were not customers of the company. Visitors who filled in those fields and pushed those buttons would also get their data transferred to Meta, specifically due to the AE feature of the Meta Pixel being activated.
Why was the website owner fined for using the Meta Pixel?
They were not.
The Swedish DPA does not audit if you have breached the ePrivacy-directive, sometimes dubbed “the cookie law”. The enforcement authority for that is the Swedish Postal and Telecom Authority.
So what was this case about, then?
In this specific case, the DPA explicitly states that they only looked at how personal data was collected and then shared with a third party and whether this was in breach of the GDPR.
The DPA did consider whether there were legal grounds, such as consent, for collecting the data. They do, for example, write that only (mostly) visitors who had consented (on a cookie banner, one must presume) to marketing cookies (and then logged into the website as a customer) had gotten their data collected and shared with Meta without scrutiny
https://cookieinformation.com/resources/blog/is-the-meta-pixel-gdpr-compliant/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.digimarkkinointi.fi/blogi/uudelleenohjaukset
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/business/how-to-become-a-freelance-web-designer
apptunix says:
Know more about the top mobile app development companies New York
apptunix says:
Know more about the top mobile app development companies New York
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.engadget.com/google-is-turning-off-its-googl-shortener-links-next-year-130030435.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.admanager.fi/blogit/sakkaako-somemainonta-nain-saat-lisabuustia-somekampanjoihin-sanoman?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=b2b_vk_admanager_blogit&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMAABHes8IPQlmPtig14HCz5u8z4LRcEJXA2cXRQi9NsJjdLe9cxuKnSoGtFIpQ_aem_xYy40ZOKImr5wmUS33w0YQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://privacysandbox.com/news/privacy-sandbox-update
hire android app developer says:
I recently worked with an Android app development company, and I am thoroughly impressed with their services. Their team was highly skilled, professional, and attentive to my needs. They developed a custom Android app that exceeded my expectations, both in functionality and design. The project was completed on time, and their post-launch support has been excellent. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for top-quality Android app development.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.fraktio.fi/blogi/remix-framework-askel-taaksep%C3%A4in
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://sahkotin.fi/
https://pakastin.fi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cookieinformation.com/cmv2-scan/?utm_medium=paid+social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=GRP_01_EN+-+Social+-+Funnel+-+CMv2+Check+Tool+-+All+Markets&hsa_acc=5198699070178710&hsa_cam=120212286128160242&hsa_grp=120212286128180242&hsa_ad=120212286289950242&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMAABHVvWPkMTjWV2u39MKSuDD7BLbLQSogFeCILsYAInhpGjY8d_4qClZI_8hQ_aem_LRQsESsRW6XS0kpt-nE6Wg&utm_id=120212286128160242&utm_content=120212286289950242&utm_term=120212286128180242
https://support.cookieinformation.com/en/articles/8707953-how-to-update-to-consent-mode-v2
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://tekoalyolli.substack.com/?fbclid=IwAR34bo_vZtYlHu9PL9U3DkVLsbAHyUyf0EEe8-J5A8xlty_nAiwVNBOsLaw_aem_hbnQ3QyQeuiRJlDhSaBHnA&utm_source=fb&utm_content=120204288007570636&utm_campaign=120204288006100636
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cookieinformation.com/cmv2-scan/?utm_medium=paid+social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=GRP_01_EN+-+Social+-+Funnel+-+CMv2+Check+Tool+-+All+Markets&hsa_acc=5198699070178710&hsa_cam=120212286128160242&hsa_grp=120212286128180242&hsa_ad=120212286289950242&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMAABHVvWPkMTjWV2u39MKSuDD7BLbLQSogFeCILsYAInhpGjY8d_4qClZI_8hQ_aem_LRQsESsRW6XS0kpt-nE6Wg&utm_id=120212286128160242&utm_content=120212286289950242&utm_term=120212286128180242
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet Toddle: the Next Open Source Web App Builder
We check out Toddle, a web app builder that focuses on a component hierarchy for the frontend, with adoption of data at the backend.
https://thenewstack.io/introduction-to-toddle-soon-to-be-open-source-web-app-builder/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/UqveiVKwXbsFoNLy/
Sorry to disappoint, but the cookie was not meant to be related to a HTTP cookie or a programming “in joke”. There is a lot of symbolism in the cookie, but it wasn’t this.
HTTP cookies were around since 1994, but the concept of having to be aware of and “accept” cookies did not come into being until long after The Matrix.
The concept of being told about and then having to “accept” cookies (informed consent) didn’t become a thing until the EU Cookie Directive in 2009. Before the EU regulatory actions, you just got them whether you wanted them or not. It was a full decade after the release of The Matrix that the concept of “having to accept” cookies came into being.
The Matrix cookie has been said to symbolize many things, including free will, code injection, etc., but it was not a nerd “in joke” reference to web cookies.
But facts don’t really go viral.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://digiteam.fi/wordpress-kehityskulku-ja-uusimmat-teknologiat-2024/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hostingpalvelu.fi/webhotellit/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.karhuhelsinki.fi/blogi/milloin-verkkosivu-uudistus-on-tarpeen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.kkv.fi/paatokset/kuluttaja-asiat/kuluttaja-asiamiehen-ratkaisut/ennakkotietojen-antaminen-verkkokaupassa-ja-noutamattomasta-paketista-veloitettavaa-maksua-koskeva-sopimusehto/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.nostamo.fi/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFQHflleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfEBeDWCmYUIY9qZ5wVEB_CQdInBxvKwGxpZeieot-pXpIU8NwOdGa_VaA_aem_0ixS3snoTRqnDZFhZv8OFA
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cookieinformation.com/resources/blog/8-million-fine-for-meta-pixel-use-in-the-eu/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Matt Mullenweg: ‘WordPress.org just belongs to me’
The lines between the WordPress open-source project, the nonprofit backing it, and the commercial arm owned by Automattic are blurring.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24262232/matt-mullenweg-wordpress-org-wp-engine
Over the past several weeks, WordPress cofounder Matt Mullenweg has made one thing exceedingly clear: he’s in charge of WordPress’ future.
Mullenweg heads up WordPress.com and its parent company, Automattic. He owns the WordPress.org project, and he even leads the nonprofit foundation that controls the WordPress trademark. To the outside observer, these might appear to be independent organizations, all separately designed around the WordPress open-source project. But as he wages a battle against WP Engine, a third-party WordPress hosting service, Mullenweg has muddied the boundaries between three essential entities that lead a sprawling ecosystem powering almost half of the web.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://lindblad.fi/guide/tekijanoikeus-nykyajassa-tekoalyn-vaikutus-tekijanoikeuteen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://sisallot.viestintapalvelut.fi/mita-kuvien-oikeuksista-tulee-tietaa-opas-lataa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://forstendigital.fi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.viva.com/fi-fi/product/online
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.karhuhelsinki.fi/blogi/nix-pelastaa-legacy-projektit/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/worst-logos-fixed-redesigned/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.xda-developers.com/5-free-cloud-storage-solutions-higher-capacity-than-dropbox/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Server-side tagging ja tracking PK-yritysten näkökulmasta: Tarpeellinen investointi vai ylimitoitettu ratkaisu?
https://jatkotarina.fi/server-side-tagging-ja-tracking-pk-yritysten-nakokulmasta/
Server-side tagging ja tracking ovat nousseet verkkoanalytiikan keskusteluissa trendikkäiksi aiheiksi. Nämä termit ja niiden sisällöt menevät kuitenkin keskustelijoilla melko iloisesti keskenään ristiin. Tässä artikkelissa näistä termeistä puhutaan lyhenteellä SST, jolla tarkoitetaan ylätasolla molempia tekniikoita menemättä sen syvemmälle siihen, miten ne toisistaan poikkeavat.
SST:ä markkinoidaan usein välttämättömänä ratkaisuna moderniin verkkoanalytiikkaan, erityisesti AdBlockereiden ja tiukentuvien yksityisyysasetusten vuoksi. Siitä on tullut trendisana, jolla kaikki markkinointialan toimijat pyrkivät erottautumaan joukosta. Jos olet verkkoliiketoiminnasta vastaava päättäjä, olet todennäköisesti jo kohdannut näitä myyntipuheita väsymiseen asti. Tämän artikkelin tarkoitus on auttaa sinua asettamaan myyntiargumentit oikeaan perspektiiviin yrityksesi tarpeisiin nähden.
SST on verkkoanalytiikan toteutustapa, jossa toisin kuin perinteisessä analytiikassa, data ei kulje suoraan selaimesta analytiikkapalveluihin (kuten Google Analytics, Matomo, Piwik Pro). SST mahdollistaa datan käsittelyn ja muokkaamisen yrityksen palvelimilla ennen sen lähettämistä eteenpäin.
Ilman SST:ä menetät dataa – mutta haittaako se?
SST kiertää monia perinteisen seurannan rajoitteita: vältetään AdBlockerien vaikutukset, selaimien kiristyviä yksityisyysasetuksia, ja dataa katoaa vähemmän. Mutta pysähdytään hetkeksi miettimään – mitä tämä käytännössä tarkoittaa PK-yritykselle?
Verkkoanalytiikan data ei koskaan ole täydellistä. Kaikkia käyttäjiä ei tulla ikinä saamaan analytiikan työkaluilla kiinni, eikä käyttäjien eri käyntikertoja pystytä koskaan aukottomasti linkittämään toisiinsa, eli käytännössä liiketoimintapäätöksiä tehdään aina epätäydellisen tiedon pohjalta.
on tärkeintä ymmärtää, miten paljon dataa menetät. Jos dataa hukkuu 20 %, tilanne on todennäköisesti aivan hallinnassa. Jos dataa taas hukkuu 60 %, lienee syytä tehdä jotain.
Datan menetys ei siis ole automaattisesti ongelma. Oleellista on tietää, missä kohtaa dataa katoaa ja miten se vaikuttaa päätöksentekoon. SST ei ole yleisratkaisu kaikkiin analytiikan ongelmiin, vaan työkalu, joka pitää räätälöidä vastaamaan juuri sinun yrityksesi tärkeimpiä tiedontarpeita.
Tietosuoja ja GDPR – onko SST välttämätön?
Tietosuojakysymykset ovat kriittisiä, mutta ne voidaan ratkaista myös perinteisemmillä työkaluilla. Google Tag Manager mahdollistaa datan anonymisoinnin jo keräysvaiheessa, ja EU-pohjaisten analytiikkatyökalujen (kuten Matomo tai Piwik Pro) käyttö ratkaisee huolet datan tallentumisesta EU-alueen rajojen sisäpuolelle. Jos haluat välttää Googlen työkalut kokonaan, voit Googlen Tag Managerin sijasta totta kai käyttää myös Matomon tai Piwik Pron omaa tag manageria. SST ei siis tuo tietosuojaan merkittävää lisäarvoa useimmille PK-yrityksille.
Huomaa, että myös SST toteutuksen pitää totella käyttäjän suostumusta evästeiden ja henkilökohtaisen datan käyttämiselle mainonnan kehittämiseen. Eli mikäli käyttäjä kieltää evästeiden tai henkilökohtaisen datan käytön, ei myöskään SST voi niitä hyödyntää. Et voi kohdentaa käyttäjään uudelleenmainontaa tai seurata palaavia käyttäjiä SST:llä sen enempää kuin perinteisemmilläkään ratkaisuilla.
Suorituskyky – marginaalista optimointia?
SST:n vaikutus sivuston suorituskykyyn on fakta. SST:n myötä käyttäjän selaimesta siirtyy palvelimen kontolle nippu tehtäviä, jotka nopeuttavat sivuston toimintaa käyttäjän selaimessa. Useimmille PK-yrityksille tämä optimointi on kuitenkin sama, kuin ostaisi Ferrarin työmatka-ajoon – teknisesti parempi ratkaisu, mutta ei ehkä se ensimmäinen asia, joka tulisi toteuttaa. Harvan yrityksen verkkopalvelu on teknisesti jo valmiiksi siinä kunnossa, että SST teknologiaan investoiminen suorituskyvyn parantamiseksi olisi järkevämpää kuin sivuston tekniikan muu parantelu.
Ennen SST:hen investoimista PK-yrityksen päättäjän kannattaa kysyä alla olevat kysymykset itseltään ja niiden pohjalta arvioida SST-järjestelmän tarvetta.
Onko nykyinen analytiikkadata riittämätöntä liiketoiminnan kehittämisen kannalta?
Pystyykö nykyistä analytiikkajärjestelmää kehittämään helposti riittävälle tasolle ilman SST-teknologiaan turvautumista?
Onko meillä jokin tietty tarve, mihin tarvitsemme dataa, jota vain SST pystyy tuottamaan?
Onko meillä resurssit ylläpitää ja kehittää SST-ratkaisua?
Ymmärrämmekö varmasti, mitä olemme hankkimassa, ja mitä sillä saadaan?
Verkkoliiketoimintojen ja -analytiikan kehittäminen on pitkäjänteistä työtä – ei yksittäinen projekti tai teknologiainvestointi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.wescreenplay.com/blog/how-to-write-a-logline-that-stands-out/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://brownstone.org/articles/they-are-scrubbing-the-internet-right-now/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGSFWdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbpFSydS9vuLGUshinJ1TSQH_BrjFTaKAnWva4Kzl6zEsg9bG5EzxftXDQ_aem_QzaJunBXVIE2RJW3_kCaxQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paresh Dave / Wired:
Rival search engines Ecosia and Qwant launch European Search Perspective, a joint venture to develop an index of the web to reduce reliance on Google and Bing
https://www.wired.com/story/ecosia-qwant-eusp-take-on-google-search-index/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Google says it will test removing news articles from EU-based publishers from Search for 1% of users in France, Poland, Italy, Spain, and other EU countries
Google is testing the ‘impact’ of removing EU news from search results
/ The test will show publishers how much traffic they’d miss out on without Google.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/13/24295463/google-eu-test-news-outlets-removing-results
Tomi Engdahl says:
How an HTTP Request Gets Served – In Great Detail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWyBeEF3CqQ
Dave describes the entire chain of events that happens when you enter a URL into your browser, from the DNS resolution to the GPU displaying the bits on your screen, with nothing left out of the middle!
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://nextjs.org/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGhh_dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVeyyR6isAaB3Way7NwuL5toP4VHbRftwK4zMmG5X7mI9tbN-tt0aFmzXA_aem_tkKAPcvgkSajiHQ5wMviPw
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://nighteye.app/
Protect Your Eyes!
Enable dark mode on any website.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Cohen / Wall Street Journal:
Edison: 31% of US weekly podcast listeners say YouTube is their most used platform to listen to podcasts, surpassing Spotify at 27% and Apple Podcasts at 15% — One of the most powerful companies in entertainment has become the king of podcasts because we don’t just listen to people talking into microphones for hours.
Why Everyone Is Now Watching Podcasts on YouTube
One of the most powerful companies in entertainment has become the king of podcasts because we don’t just listen to people talking into microphones for hours. We watch them.
https://www.wsj.com/business/youtube-podcasts-spotify-apple-f52d9f70?st=MDvkbm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gavin Anderegg / anderegg.ca:
Bluesky is working to become fully decentralized but it could take years amid financial concerns as it makes money only by selling domains for usernames
Maybe Bluesky has “won”
https://anderegg.ca/2024/11/15/maybe-bluesky-has-won
November has sucked so far. One upside of the terrible nonsense is that more people are fleeing X. Many are choosing Bluesky. I’ve seen a bunch of takes about this recently, but I keep seeing things I disagree with. I figure that’s a good enough excuse to write more about this weird-assed social network.
Decentralized? Federated? Neither.
When writing about Bluesky, I’ve seen folks mention that it’s either federated or decentralized. I’m here to tell you that it’s currently neither. This one really irks me because the service is getting the credit for work it hasn’t done.
One problem here is that the whole “decentralized” thing is complicated. I believe the Bluesky team is putting in a lot of good-faith effort to becoming a decentralized platform. But, this work is tricky because their architectural choices are quite novel.
Currently people can set up their own PDSs, which will host both their identity’s signing keys and their content on Bluesky. Setting this up requires a fair amount of server-level knowledge, but it’s relatively cheap (maybe $15/month USD) and lets people control their own data. This is kind of like hosting your own website. The content will be available if someone knows how to get to it. By default, it’s just some stuff sitting on a server somewhere.
The PDS part of the stack is interesting to me. In Bluesky’s view, it’s great if people start hosting their own PDSs — it means they don’t have to pay for people’s content storage! It also means that users can relocate their data at any time. This is something that ActivityPub should do better. That said: yes, it’s a bit of a pain to move my data from one Mastodon server to another, but it’s something that’s currently possible. The only server that’s actively reading PDSs and doing anything productive with them is the one Bluesky controls. More on this in a second.
The protocol does this using the Merkle tree structure, which is also how Git stores data. The issue with this is: if you want to look at one piece of content in the system, you also need to know about everything that happened before. 2 For people using the Bluesky service, this isn’t something you need to think about. But behind the scenes, it’s helpful to know that everything being added to the service could potentially be available for anyone else to use for any purpose.
Bluesky is currently free to use, and I think they intend it to stay that way.
The CEO, Jay Graber, seems like a smart person who’s trying to do the right thing. However, she’s also someone with a background in the crypto industry who recently accepted funding lead by a crypto investor. What does that mean for the service? Who knows!
Everyone’s experience is different
As people are fleeing X, I’ve seen a lot of thoughts from people about engagement. I’m on Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads. On each network, I’ve seen a post like, “I joined and I’ve got more engagement here than anywhere else”. I’m certain that’s true for that person, but I think this is so variable as to be useless.
Maybe Bluesky has “won”
I don’t know what the social media landscape will look like in 6 months, but I’d bet things will change. If Bluesky comes out as a “winner” and more posting happens there, I think I’m generally fine with that. At least for now.
The whole Twitter mess has taught me not to attach myself too closely with these things anymore. I hung on far too long to Twitter while it made me feel terrible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Daniela Dib / Rest of World:
Research center Bitácora Social estimates that six out of 10 catalog sellers in Mexico now sell products from online platforms, including Shein and Temu
Door-to-door saleswomen are fueling Shein’s rise in Mexico
A large community of catalog saleswomen are selling items from the Chinese platform.
https://restofworld.org/2024/shein-mexico-saleswomen/