Derek Powazek 🐐

I used to make websites. I wrote “Design for Community.” I designed the original Blogger. I created JPG Magazine, Fray, Kvetch, Cute-Fight, and more.

Now I grow flowers and turn them into CBD products for https://milkbarn.farm. I take care of 30-something chickens, 12 goats, 5 dogs, 2 cats, and my wife and myself in Boring, Oregon.

Nazis, TERFs, and Republicans can fuck off. Do not explain capitalism to me.

He/him.

#fedi22 #community #goats #communitydesign #farmlife #design

Farm: https://milkbarn.farm
Home: https://powazek.com

Last Notes

2024-07-14 16:18:29 UTC

Every Republican who talks about the attempt on Trump’s life should be asked about photos like this.
https://xoxo-media.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media_attachments/files/112/785/744/250/930/235/original/b045d3814132abd3.jpeg

2024-07-03 14:54:49 UTC

Finally. A community company acting in a pro-community way and protecting their people from AI bullshit.
“Vimeo will not allow generative AI models to be trained using videos hosted on our platform without your explicit consent, even if you use our free offerings. In addition, we prohibit unauthorized content scraping (by model companies) and continue to implement security protocols designed to protect user-generated content.”
https://vimeo.com/blog/post/vimeos-position-on-ai/
Props to Vimeo.

2024-06-28 03:08:43 UTC

People who didn’t watch the debate checking in like
https://xoxo-media.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media_attachments/files/112/692/039/951/731/365/original/0d0a3546876e4e93.mp4

2024-06-25 20:05:04 UTC

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I actually think that would be an improvement. A reply is a direct engagement. A quote post does not require interaction.

2024-06-25 18:58:18 UTC

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The pace of improvements over there is really impressive.

2024-06-25 18:57:42 UTC

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I genuinely wish I could limit replies to like 24 hours. When they go bad, it's always after that, when the post travels outside the circle that gets me.

2024-06-25 18:47:22 UTC

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Update: Bluesky now allows you to change the reply gate *after* you post. This is a huge anti-harassment tool that Mastodon desperately needs.
Cc @npub1sac…kcpe

2024-06-20 00:16:38 UTC

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it just means a human should take a look at the account make sure everything’s cool. Maybe reach out and ask if they’re okay. You know, community management. The real kind. That takes work.

2024-06-19 23:59:44 UTC

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not remotely the same thing.

2024-06-19 22:58:33 UTC

Genuinely stunned by how many people I saw praising the surgeon general’s call for warning labels on social media. It has all the hallmarks of a moral panic. I know these companies aren’t trustworthy, but the way to curb them is not warning labels. Thankfully, we have Mike Masnick.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-surgeon-general-is-wrong-social-media-doesnt-need-warning-labels?ref=author

2024-06-19 19:42:01 UTC

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I absolutely know which of my goats would get blocked the most, and of course it's the boys.
Also Juniper. She knows what she did.

2024-06-19 19:40:52 UTC

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Maybe this info already exists?
Masto admins: can you see how often your members are getting blocked? Is there a roundup anywhere?
I don't know because I'm not an admin to anyone but my goats, and that's more of a power-sharing agreement.

2024-06-19 18:50:58 UTC

Mastodon feature request: an automated process that tells instance owners how many people blocked users on their instance, or their instance entirely, per day, with warnings when the rate goes up significantly, and a roundup of the most-blocked people.
Admins need tools to better manage their communities and know who on their servers is ruining it for everyone.
Call it Bad Apple Detection.

2024-06-19 17:08:30 UTC

Bury it out back next to the Apple Car.
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/18/apple-suspends-work-on-vision-pro-2/

2024-06-19 03:29:22 UTC

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yeah not subtooting anyone in particular, just pointing out how problematic the thinking is.
As I see it, everyone being able to reply creates an enormous power imbalance between the poster and the rest of the world. The power of a mob is just too great. Setting a reply gate helps level that power imbalance - and it’s especially needed after a post reaches escape velocity.

2024-06-19 03:22:59 UTC

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also “don’t speak if you don’t wanna be spoken to by everyone, everywhere” is abuser logic.

2024-06-19 03:21:27 UTC

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The fact that people say this is all the proof I need that the specs are being written by engineers when they should be written by humanists / communitarians.

2024-06-12 18:17:41 UTC

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Given that the entire protocol copies things from server to server on purpose, the periodic freakouts about new services doing exactly that while others are applauded for "implementing the protocol" (which copies things by default) is so mystifying to me.