Oh I should investigate the plugins.
With your family, do you have non-technical and elderly users participating and doing OK with it?
Dave
joined 1 year ago
I've tried Flarum in the past, but it really doesn't handle media well. Just looking on the demo site now, no option to add a video, and to post an image you need to use markdown to add an image URL.
Is that different when it's not the demo site?
As someone who is concerned that users won't be able to work out how to upload a video, asking users to install Fdroid seems a step too far.
It's simple enough for me. And many of the people who have grown up with technology can probably work it out. But there is a huge difference in effort between the two.
Say my 70 year old uncle (that does not live nearby) needs to install Conversations.
Fdroid version
Please go to this fdroid website. Click the button to download the APK. Now when you get a warning that you aren't allowed to install software from this source for security reasons, click the button to take you to settings, then switch the toggle to allow from this source. There's a message telling you that your phone and personal data are more vulnerable to attacks and you need to take responsibility for any loss of data that results from this, but just ignore that. Now once you've installed it please go and disable it. When someone messages you a link to an APK you should never, ever install it. That's a common scam and it will put a virus on your phone. We need to reenable this setting so you don't accidentally do that since a link can just start the download.
Next, please open the Fdroid app, and search for the Conversations app. For some reason I can't send you a link because the fdroid website doesn't seem to have an open in Fdroid button, I dunno why, maybe it depends on your phone or your browser, just search it up and make sure you install the right one.
Right, now when you click to install this, you're gonna have to go through all the above stuff about accepting the security risk of losing all your data again, because it's another app we are granting this permission to. Don't remove this permission though, we'll just leave this one open.
Installed that? Great, now depending on your phone it may or may not keep the app up to date so make sure you open Fdroid from time to time, click the button to update, wait for it to download the update, then tap the button to install and then tap the button to install (again). Make sure you remember to do this because security updates are important.
Now whenever you want to invite someone else in, make sure you send them these instructions so they don't go thinking they have to buy the Play store app.
Compare this to the Play store version when it's a free app
Hey here's a link, click it, and an app page will open in the store. Tap to install it.
Maybe we should agree to disagree, but I do not think I can just leave people to invite other people and sort it out on their own. I'm gonna be spending my days hand holding people. Maybe my family is dumber than average.
In my experience none of the federated platforms handle video well, especially the facebook like platforms. They are built around things being public, and expect you to upload to youtube or some other video site in order to post a video. If they let you upload videos at all, it's as an attachment. Admittedly HumHub is a bit like that, but it's not too janky from a user experience perspective.
One thing I liked about Zusam is the automatic resizing of videos to make them reasonably sized. If I record a 2 minute video, it can be 300 or 400MB. Zusam can be configured to resize the video to a set maximum size in order to make it more reasonable for people watching. HumHub doesn't do this, but I have wondered if I could use a cron job and ffmpeg to do it.
Do you want this social media to be for your family to use only with family members or for them to use with family and beyond?
I haven't decided yet. Initially we'd start with people who know our kids. But if some of those people wanted to set up a page for their own kids, they wouldn't want some of the people on our page who they don't know. And they might want people on their page that don't know our kids. So then all the HubHub privacy settings come in handy where people can create a space and control who can see what.
Revolt could be good as a local family group chat if you like the discord style.
I don't really think that's something that will be familiar enough to people, especially grant parents and other family of that generation. And I don't think a group chat is what I'm after, self hosting a group chat doesn't seem to have many advantages over say a Signal group chat.
You’ve probably already tried it but Pixelfed/mastodon/misskey sound like the easiest to get family on board with and seem like they would be good family social media platforms IMO.
These are generally public, and even if you have it set up as a private instance with no federation then it still feels like a shouting at the void kind of platform. None of the family I have in mind use twitter or mastodon, but everyone uses facebook. So I'm aiming for that sort of a feel. But IMO Friendica is not something I feel is good enough yet from a user experience point of view, the same with Diaspora*.
All the corporate gamification feature are probably quite annoying.
I might have missed that. What features are you thinking about? I haven't seen any points or badges or things like that?
I don't think Lemmy is really a good format for this. Many of the users won't be familiar with Reddit or forums, and it's better suited to strangers ranking things with the votes. Facebook style I think works better for people who now each other, and especially when they are only familiar with facebook.
Fdroid is not suitable for the average person. The average person can install an app from google play, but Fdroid is quite a jump in steps, not to mention all the warnings that Android gives them, all but telling them not to do it.
The idea of a snikket server is good, but I feel it's not much different that any other chat app. HumHub works on both mobile and desktop, and provides many features above a chat app. It's more similar to Facebook groups (which people are already familiar with) but without the spying, whereas I don't get the benefit of Snikket over say Signal.
What is it that makes it unsuitable for families? It seems to be pretty familiar feeling to people used to Facebook.
Conversations says to purchase on the play store. I don't think I'm gonna get good uptake it every user has to pay money.
I notice their website says they are working on releasing apps for Android and iOS by the end of 2023. I can find the Android one but not the iOS one :(.
Luckily most of my family uses Android.
Now you mention it, I remember seeing your post. Disappointing that you never found something. Was the lack of iOS app the only thing that put you off HumHub?
I personally have a Mediawiki set up that my wife and I have used for years, but it's not something I want to share wider. I haven't found it hard to maintain, though (I'm using the docker version).
How do you use the Dokuwiki? Do you create a page for each family event with pictures and videos and things? Then other people can go and have a look? What kind of organisation structure do you use? How do others learn that there is a new page to see?