I posted a version of this as comment elsewhere, but I'd like to post it as it's own thread for feedback, more visibility and to see if there is any support for this idea. If this is a bad idea, please let me know. If anyone feels that there's something to this idea it'd be helpful for others to voice their support as well as any critiques they have, any problems that could arise, etc.
Keep in mind that I am not 100% married to this suggestion and that I tend to repeat myself when I write (sorry).
Okay, here's the thing:
What if users weren’t able to create their own communities? It’d be an interesting aspect of the site. It would set chapo.chat apart from reddit and the things that made it shitty. Power hungry mods, feuds between subreddits, toxic communities, etc. Those are all things that I don't think is good for any community, especially one that is centered behind a political ideology. Especially one that has the potential to be the "home of the online left", which is in desperate need to unity, and focus.
We don’t need infighting, we don’t need to waste time caring about drama between mods, and we don’t need the toxic communities that exist on reddit.
Something that sucked about reddit was that there was no real sense of community there unless it was a smaller subreddit. I think as this site grows and more people start posting, this site could maintain that sense of community by having a limited amount of places to post. It’ll encourage users to engage with other outside of bubbles and echo chambers that exist on reddit.
I also think it’d be kind cool to have a limited amount of communities because that's how old school message boards were. I bet some users here aren’t old enough to remember what those online spaces were like, and there isn’t anywhere on the internet that I can think of that has that 2000’s phpbb message board vibe. It was fun and even when there were lots of users, it still felt tight knit.
Maybe this the plan already, or maybe everyone will hate this idea. I don’t know. The main thing is that I would love to see this site be a community rather than a just a “platform” like reddit, twitter, facebook, etc. I think this site can and should be more than just a reddit clone.
Correct me if I am off-base with this, but isn't the idea of websites as platforms part of the neo-liberalization of the internet that has transformed how people engage with each other online?
There’s nowhere on the internet that feels like a community anymore. Having people just sort themselves into their own corner of the site would make this site seem like just another platform. A platform isn't a good place to do things such as organizing, rallying around a cause, spreading awareness, etc. A community, at least the way I envision it, would be a great place to do those things. I don't want a reddit clone, I don’t want another platform - I want a community.
Is this a terrible idea? Is this misguided, confusing, or poorly written? Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?
I don’t mind keeping it democratic as now, people suggest em and the upvoted ones get made (eventually)
What are some other ways this site could be useful to the left (online and offline)? Regional communities are thingd I'd like to see as they would be especially useful for local organizing.
This kind of goes against my original post, but I don't think regional communities would be too excessive. In fact, I think regional communities should be a top priority.
I'd love to see communities that are not US-centric, most importantly for people who live in those areas, also as a way to build global left unity/solidarity. I live in the US, but i'd love to know what is happening in other parts of the world and what I could do to help comrades outside of the US (only if my help is needed/wanted/welcome of course). I wouldn't be posting in those communities but i'd certainly read them.
I also think communities for cities/states within the US should be a priority. They would be so valuable for organizing protests, electoral stuff, supporting union action, maybe even unionization efforts, bringing attention to local issues, etc.
I don't know the limitations of the site's structure, but a way to make sure these communities wouldn't be cluttered/excessive might be to have a /c/regional section and then communities within that section. So, maybe something like:
hexbear.net/c/Regional/SA/BR/RDJhexbear.net/c/Regional/US/IL/CHIhexbear.net/c/Regional/EU/NL/AMShexbear.net/c/Regional/MXE/CDMX(or /MXE/DE)Sidenote: It seems that Mexico City's abbreviation was changed from DF to CDMX in 2016. . I'm still reading up on it, but it seems that the change was more consequential than it seems.
From angloinfo.com
The shift is about far more than simply a change of name – in fact, it will be the most important political change in the history of Mexico City and will decentralize the power that the federal government currently holds over the city. It will also give the city more autonomy and the ability to weigh in on matters in a manner that wasn’t possible before
As ‘CDMX’, the city will be more in line with other states in Mexico, remaining a federal entity, but now divided into 16 ‘territorial’ delegations with their own mayor and ten councillors. It is important to note that due to a clause in the Mexican constitution, as long as Mexico City remains the headquarters of the federal government, it cannot be considered a state. However, the name change is seen as a move towards giving the capital more state-like control.
The city will be entitled to federal funds and will be responsible for the budgeting and monitoring of each of the 16 delegations. However, unlike other federal entities, Mexico’s federal government will retain financial control of its education and health services. The new head of government of Mexico City will become responsible for appointing the city’s chief of police and attorney general, a role that was formerly the responsibility of Mexico’s president. The head of government will have all the responsibilities and powers of a state governor in all but name.
More from The Guardian since i've never heard of the site I cited above.
Would be interested to hear the thoughts of any Mexicans reading this have about the change.