Lemmy’s all right (it’s certainly better than the hell site) but this place doesn’t feel super-cosy just yet.
There aren’t many people here, is the obvious thing.
The website design isn’t as inviting or as cosy as Reddit, is the other thing.
I wouldn’t say that it’s ‘hard to use’ - rather that it’s ‘not as fun’ to use. Somehow, I’m getting an old-timey ‘information superhighway’ internet vibe here - it feels a bit like a GeoCities site, or a web portal for editing router settings.
I don’t mean to have a dig, btw. I have huge respect for whoever’s cooked up the fediverse and has worked to make it into a thing - this thing that we’re connecting with. Humanity needs a means to connect that’s free from corporate shepherding, neuromarketing (the dark arts) and whatever spooky agendas are lurking behind or within the YouTube sidebar. I’m on-board with the fediverse for sure.
Just acknowledging that despite the very many obvious similarities, something about Reddit makes it more appealing/cosier/funner, currently. It’s probably a hundred near-imperceptible somethings, but give Lemmy time to develop and mature. It’s young and has a bright future imo.
With Lemmy there’s distinct difference between the frontend/UI & backend (the application itself, & data storage). Lemmy is primarily the backend, but they allow anyone to create a frontend (or mobile app, browser extension, etc.) to interface with it. Lemmy does come with a default web UI which sucks, and this is where Kbin rose to initial popularity with a slightly better web UI. Now there is a robust ecosystem of apps like Voyager or Sync which are quite good and far more enjoyable to use, even when compared to Reddit’s official app.
Good news is the web UI can change, and you can experiment with other federated instances which uses different web UIs.
Lemmy’s main problem is a lack of user base and content. I’ve lurked daily on Reddit for 13 years without an account, but with Lemmy I’m choosing to vote, comment & post to help get the “ball rolling”. Reddit had the same problem initially, and the creators & friends busted their asses with alt accounts to give the impression of a larger user base… Until Digg imploded
Lemmy lacks the cool factor. i think some people don’t want to like it because they don’t want to be associated with that thing that is not cool.
But I like it for what it is and I don’t necessarily need the addictive “fun” nature of algorithm-driven social media such as Reddit. I still use Reddit, but Lemmy is becoming my daily driver.
Over a long enough period of time, the best communities will continue to exist on various platforms. I’m using all of them in various capacities.
Lemmy’s all right (it’s certainly better than the hell site) but this place doesn’t feel super-cosy just yet.
There aren’t many people here, is the obvious thing.
The website design isn’t as inviting or as cosy as Reddit, is the other thing.
I wouldn’t say that it’s ‘hard to use’ - rather that it’s ‘not as fun’ to use. Somehow, I’m getting an old-timey ‘information superhighway’ internet vibe here - it feels a bit like a GeoCities site, or a web portal for editing router settings.
I don’t mean to have a dig, btw. I have huge respect for whoever’s cooked up the fediverse and has worked to make it into a thing - this thing that we’re connecting with. Humanity needs a means to connect that’s free from corporate shepherding, neuromarketing (the dark arts) and whatever spooky agendas are lurking behind or within the YouTube sidebar. I’m on-board with the fediverse for sure.
Just acknowledging that despite the very many obvious similarities, something about Reddit makes it more appealing/cosier/funner, currently. It’s probably a hundred near-imperceptible somethings, but give Lemmy time to develop and mature. It’s young and has a bright future imo.
With Lemmy there’s distinct difference between the frontend/UI & backend (the application itself, & data storage). Lemmy is primarily the backend, but they allow anyone to create a frontend (or mobile app, browser extension, etc.) to interface with it. Lemmy does come with a default web UI which sucks, and this is where Kbin rose to initial popularity with a slightly better web UI. Now there is a robust ecosystem of apps like Voyager or Sync which are quite good and far more enjoyable to use, even when compared to Reddit’s official app.
Good news is the web UI can change, and you can experiment with other federated instances which uses different web UIs.
Lemmy’s main problem is a lack of user base and content. I’ve lurked daily on Reddit for 13 years without an account, but with Lemmy I’m choosing to vote, comment & post to help get the “ball rolling”. Reddit had the same problem initially, and the creators & friends busted their asses with alt accounts to give the impression of a larger user base… Until Digg imploded
Well said all around. :/
this is a great assessment.
Lemmy lacks the cool factor. i think some people don’t want to like it because they don’t want to be associated with that thing that is not cool.
But I like it for what it is and I don’t necessarily need the addictive “fun” nature of algorithm-driven social media such as Reddit. I still use Reddit, but Lemmy is becoming my daily driver.
Over a long enough period of time, the best communities will continue to exist on various platforms. I’m using all of them in various capacities.
I wrote a post related to this, the The December 2023 State of the GME Social Media Ecosystem